AA roadwatch

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Purple

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There was a crash on the M50 yesterday afternoon resulting in a 6-mile tailback. I was travelling from Rathfarmham and taking the Blanchardstowm exit. Not knowing how far ahead the crash was I turned on the radio to see if any of the Dublin stations would be kind enough to let me know…my hopes were in vain.
The next bright idea I had was to call AA road watch; sure they would have a big yellow helicopter on the scene and would have a blow-by-blow account of what was happening! (I was so excited)
I called 11811 and got the 1550 number and called it and got…. a 40 minute old recorded message with not a dickey bird about the 6 mile delays on the countries busiest road.

I always know their traffic report on the radio was 15-20 minutes out of date but that just took the biscuit.

What a bunch of twats.
 
I think I've mentioned this before....More than once I've been driving into Waterford with not another car in site, listening to AA Roadwatch telling be it's "Busy on the Ferrybank Dual-Carriageway".

I'd swear they have a set of fridge magnets with stock phrases about traffic around the country.

-Rd
 
To be honest right, even if they were up to date and accurate which they are not...what are you going to do? its not like there are hundreds of routes available to use.
If, for example in Cork where I live the Kinsale Roundabout is busy...which it literally at this point is more or less 14 hours a day, then I still need to go through it because there is no awy around it. WSo fabolous, they tell me its busy but they don't offer an alternative..so whats the point.
 
If the crash was a half mile ahead I would have waited in line to get past. If is was 5 miles ahead I would have exited the motorway at the next exit and gone through town.
As it was I didn't know so I stuck it out on the M50 and passses the crash at the Lucan exit (the one before the one I took).
 
This is what happens when you privatise the supply of essential information to the Citizenry.

AA Roadwatch obviously devotes inordinate resources to the education of its staff in the proper enunciation of Irish placenames. The director was probably busy trying to get her to say Talla and not TaWWLLLLLAWWWWzzzzTT ...somewhere in Russia I think.

The only one in there who can pronounce placenames properly is Emma Caulfield , if it ain't Emma I refuse to listen to them because I simply don't know what they are trying to say and I equally have no idea how long it took to coach them to say that which is incomprehensive gobble :(
 
I'll not hear a bad word said about the people delivering the information, I have no problem with their pronunciation. I've never understood why people have a problem with this. I think it's become a sort of standing joke regardless of whether there's any subsance to it.

As for the usefulness of the information I think there is a question mark there. I think there are a few things on Radio that fill gaps but is of questionable value to anyone listening.

E.g. Who really cares if the ISEQ is up 2 points today, or who the main movers were. The main movers are almost always AIB, BofI, CRH, and one or two others.
Anyone who is genuinely interested (a very very small percentage of the population) isn't relying on Radio 1 to update them.

If something HUGE happens in the markets like Elan collapsing, then fine, that affects peoples pensions, other than that don't waste time talking about it.

Similarly with the traffic, if it's just the usual spots are as busy as usual then don't waste time with a traffic report.

-Rd
 
My favourite was when one of them was advising us to avoid Clonmel during the "FLAD" a few years back. The Fleadh was on just about then as it happens.

People who cannot or will not correctly pronounce Irish Placenames and events on an Irish Radio station are worse than useless . The AA has hired a load of these silly bitches with affected gobbledegook accents over the years .

I reiterate that Emma is not one of them, Emma shows how it can be done properly.
 
People who cannot or will not correctly pronounce Irish Placenames and events on an Irish Radio station are worse than useless.
Click to expand...

The bar for useless has been set very very high by the current government. E.g. on the topic of Irish place names if you want to be considered useless you have to compete with Éamon Ó Cuív and his attempt to rename Dingle against the wishes of the locals.
[broken link removed]

AA Roadwatch aren't even in the same league as Mr. Ó Cuív when it comes to being useless. You really should give the man credit for the effort he has put into pushing such an utterly useless idea. You can't go around saying that AA Roadwatch is even more useless.

-Rd
 
I will say it loud. AA Roadwatch bar Emma, are inestimably more useless than Eamonn is. Until Eamonns measure it was illegal to use an Irish Place name in its correct Irish form on a legal document . Now thats crazy.

Eamonn should have left people the choice I will agree but its only a few b and b owners in kerry making noise about it , I note that no campaign is underway to reanglicise Dún Chaoin or Inis Mór .

Eamonns writ does not run to Tourist Guides published abroad which have been bilingual for eons such as Michelin , baedecker, Lonely Planet , Rough Guide. This would indicate that the only ones who will really be thrown off are the thicko Dubs with the kids screaming in the back of the car :)

I have personally heard the AA bleating in real time about current congestion on the Headford Road roundabout in Galway as I whizzed through it with no congestion to be seen anywhere :)
 
I feel that a lot of the AA roadwatch "personalities" are more interested in getting a career on Radio or maybe it's the radio DJ's who insist on bantering with them so they nearly run out of time before giving the traffic update! Either way it makes me want to switch off!
 
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