Visibility of GoSafe Cameras? Inappropriate Speed limits: How are they set/amended?

NOAH

Registered User
Messages
810
``I was intrigued to read that a LOT of drivers were done for speeding in March!! Are these new go safe camera vans invisible??? Or well hidden! I am off on my travels soon and wondered how does one spot them?

noah
 
hidden in field gates behind bushes and on long straight stretches plus they dont sit there all day they move every hour or so... best to stick to the speed limit the areas are well signed and the speed limit is usually fast enough in those places..
 
In recent months little camera signs have gone up at the start of the GoSafe stretches.
 
I personally am for the vans as indeed I notice myself obeying the speed limits.

However a few family members and in-laws got caught, one noticed the townland named was attached to the wrong town and so sent a quick email pointing this out. Fine squashed, one had paid ages ago and they emailed and got their money back. This info has spread around here and seems alot of people will send a quick email too.
 
Has anybody noticed they always seem to be parked(hidden) where there's a change in the speed limit? On one notorious stretch near me they're always on the 60 side of an 80 stretch of road. Pointing the camera right where the limit changes.
 
Recently I traveled from Portlaoise to Abbeyleix and Durrow and on to Urlingford. The speed limit is now 60km, which is too slow. Anyone know if that is to remain in place ? If so I will have to use the motorway and pay the toll.
 
Hopefully people will contact their local representatives about inappropriate limits.

The entire population of Waterford should be in touch with WCC about the ring road, for example. :)
 
Totally agree dahamsta. Since the dual carriageway between Waterford and Kilmeaden opened the old main road has gone from 100 to 80. Same road!!! Now you have idiots passing in dangerous places because the limit is obviously too low making the road even more deadly. My SIL lives on a road where you could barely squeeze two cars with an 80 limit.
 
My SIL lives on a road where you could barely squeeze two cars with an 80 limit

If you could barely squeeze two cars, then surely the limit shouldn't be any higher? It should be lower. What if two trucks were meeting??
 
I have spoken to a few others and it struck us that the increase is so large maybe the cameras have no in between feature ie if doing say 55 in a 50 after leaving a 60 then you are done. Same would apply going from a 100 to an 80 etc. This means a lot more will be caught as there used to be a convention to allow some leeway for equipment glithces.

Does anyone know if there is "safe spot" ie 5kph is ignored.

If not it will take a few more months for the system to sink in. Then numbers caught should plummet.

I know the best option is just watch for speed signs and act accordingly but quite a few people have sat navs now and a lot of roads are wrong ie sign says 60 sat nav says 80 and so on. Mind you sat navs can be wrong as well.

Here is an example. Exit for Ennis at Barefield from the Limerick direction and speed is 50kmph, then at 2nd roundabout to Gort road it says 60Kmph, sat nav says 80kmph, then further on it shows 60kmph then leads to 50kmph BUT on way out it goes 50, 60 and then the 80kmph sign is a long distance before the Barefield roundabout. Is it possible there can be 60 one way and 80 the other on same road??? I only noticed this today. What I am trying to explain is, if the signs says 60 and the road is actually 50 or 60 or 80 then how does one check? A speeding ticket comes a few weeks after the event and you would have no way of knowing what sign was displayed.

noah
 
Last edited:
The legal situation regarding speedos is covered here: wikipedia speedometer errorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedometer#Error.

Generally speaking, although the EU rules require that inaccuracy shouldn't allow someone to speed, there are many rule sets and none are global, so to cover themselves they're unlikely to send out fines for less than 10%.

I've seen some very low tickets recently though, as little as 7kph over speed limits.

Those would be lower speed limits though.
 
Whatever the sign says is really the only thing you could rely on. There have been cases where speeding fines were successfully challenged because the authority (Cork City Council re Horgan's Quay is one that springs to mind) didn't vote on the speed limit.

I would imagine you would be laughed out of court for trying to use "my sat nav said it was 80km/h" as a defence, but if you could say "the speed limit sign said 80km/h" you would probably be ok.
 
My SIL lives on a road where you could barely squeeze two cars with an 80 limit

If you could barely squeeze two cars, then surely the limit shouldn't be any higher? It should be lower. What if two trucks were meeting??

NickyK was obviously talking about two different roads, the dual carriageway with an 80km/h limit, and the one where two cars can barely pass but also with an 80km/h limit.

The drop on the roads around Durrow/Urlingford is to encourage cars onto the motorway.
 
NickyK was obviously talking about two different roads, the dual carriageway with an 80km/h limit
Its a bit confusing but I think hes talking about the old main road.

When the new separate dual carriageway road opened the limit on the old road reduced to 80km/h. His point is that the old road is still the old road (presumably with lower traffic volumes).

At least thats my interpretation.

aj
 
The drop on the roads around Durrow/Urlingford is to encourage cars onto the motorway.

Hi Leo,

Does this mean that there are other considerations (apart from road safety) at play when speed limits are set?

aj
 
Just gone back on that ennis road and hey presto the sign has been changed to ..... 80kmph each way but .. as you get off MW its 50kmph and then for literally 100 yards a sign says 60, then 50 again. At least those cameras make us look at the speed signs in a total different manner. I still reckon the high number of people caught was due to runs between signs. I now know I'll be slowing before the sign and keeping a watchful eye out.

noah
 
Does this mean that there are other considerations (apart from road safety) at play when speed limits are set?

Hi AJ,

I saw an interview with an NRA spokesman who stated that limits were dropped on motorway alternative routes to encourage motorway usage on the grounds of safety.

Of course the cynic in me thinks this more often happens around tolled motorways where the PPP contract guarantees minimum traffic levels. A number of these contracts also have clauses for revenue sharing once certain traffic volumes are exceeded. So it's doubly in the NRA's interest to encourage use of tolled motorways.

I also believe there is a link (in some counties at least) between the feasibility of obtaining planning permission for a new entrance on a road and the speed limit in effect on that road. That came from a local councillor explaining some anomalies in speed limits near where I'm from.
Leo
 
Hi AJ,

I saw an interview with an NRA spokesman who stated that limits were dropped on motorway alternative routes to encourage motorway usage on the grounds of safety.
Leo

Which doesn't explain what's happened to the M1 near the airport. While two lanes it went from 120 down to 80. Now three lanes it has gone to 60.

60 km/hr on a 3 lane stretch of motorway. How's that encouraging people not to speed? The Malahide road is 60 km up to Coolock.
 
Back
Top