Median Strip V Hatched markings

[Ciaran Crone]

I'm hoping someone can help me out.
On Sunday 2 July just outside Carrick on Shannon myself and another car(not traveling together) got pulled over by a motorcycle Garda for driving in a Hatched area at a junction, long story short... he told me I'd get a letter in the post and one point on my license, so I checked out via the RSA website and driving in a hatched area does carry a €80 fine and 1 point, anyhow letter arrives today and it says I drove in a Median strip which carries 2 points €60 fine. What's the difference and can they up or change the charge.

 

[mathepac]

My understanding is that a median strip divides opposing lanes on a road and is continuous. The hatched area at a junction is a dummy traffic island. You cannot drive or park on either penalty free but I was not aware of different penalties.

 

[Leo]

From the road traffic act:

"median strip" means a boundary between the two carriageways of a road other than a traffic sign to which article 10 of the Regulations of 1997 refers;

So if the hatched area you drove along was in the centre of the road, then you did cross the median and they are entitled to apply the more significant penalty.

Gardai stopped quite a few cars last week entering the M50 by Tallaght who jumped the gun and crossed the continuous line marking the area before which you are permitted to change lanes. So maybe this is something they're starting to crack down on across the board.

 

[Purple]

Gardai stopped quite a few cars last week entering the M50 by Tallaght who jumped the gun and crossed the continuous line marking the area before which you are permitted to change lanes. So maybe this is something they're starting to crack down on across the board.

I hope they do. It's dangerous.

In the UK it is against the law to cross more than one lane in a single maneuver. I'd like to see that here as well so as to stop the lunatics who come down a slip road and swerve across 2 or 3 lanes in a single go to get to the right-land overtaking lane.