Amber Gambler Speed Cameras

com123

Hi,

I was wondering if anybody knows if the new amber gambler cameras are included in the penalty points sytem yet?

C

BrianD

There are only two cameras in Dublin and these are operating on an experimental basis. There is provision in the penalty points system for red light breakers but it is not "active" yet.

One camera is on the N4 inbound at the roundabout near Kilmainham, the other is on the N11 inbound at the junction at Nutley Lane. They must be digital as I have never seen them flash.

Seth Brundle

I assume you mean breakig a red light - it is not illegal to drive through an amber light.
Presumably it can be covered by dangerous driving == 5points.
However
"Failure to stop at stop sign",
"Failure to obey traffic lights or to stop at traffic sign adjacent to such lights ",
"Contravention of requirements regarding driving of vehicles at road junctions"
"Failure to obey level crossing lights or to stop at traffic signs adjacent to such lights"
"Failure to comply with mandatory traffic signs" are not yet in force

com123

I havent seen them myself but a friend of mine passes them every day traveling up and down the stillorgan dual carrigway. I presume any offences that are picked up during the experimental stages wont lead to penalty points once they are "activated" in the points system.

The_Conductor

com123 wrote:

I havent seen them myself but a friend of mine passes them every day traveling up and down the stillorgan dual carrigway. I presume any offences that are picked up during the experimental stages wont lead to penalty points once they are "activated" in the points system.

Well, if you are commiting a road offense, and they have admissable proof that you are- it is quite possible that they may come after you (they have 6 months after the offence in which to come after you (correct me if I'm wrong someone please))

I got two points for a GATSO offence 4 months after I committed it (on the Navan Road).

Don't make any presumptions- in all probability you're fine, but never presume that you have carte blanche.

S.

com123

does anybody know how these cameras work?

Seth Brundle

I assume it would have to be connected up to the traffic light switch and possibly has a timer connected to it (so that when it goes onto red, it waits 2 seconds before going 'active')

Turner

kbannon wrote:

I assume you mean breakig a red light - it is not illegal to drive through an amber light.

It is an offence to drive through an amber light if it is safe to stop.

ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997
30
2) A driver of a vehicle approaching traffic lights in which a non-flashing amber light is illuminated, shall not drive the vehicle past the traffic lights, save when the vehicle is so close to the traffic lights that it cannot safely be stopped before passing the traffic lights.

Chief.

MrPudding

Sorry, why would it wait 2 seconds?

MrP

Bri

I've never seen the Nutley Lane one work ever - even at night when I've seen plenty of speeding cars rush through. Sure anyway the lights are grand if your going to Donnybrook - you never have to wait that long in comparison to the rest of the N11. No excuses!

Seth Brundle

Chief--- wrote:

It is an offence to drive through an amber light if it is safe to stop.

ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997
30
2) A driver of a vehicle approaching traffic lights in which a non-flashing amber light is illuminated, shall not drive the vehicle past the traffic lights, save when the vehicle is so close to the traffic lights that it cannot safely be stopped before passing the traffic lights.

Chief.

It is easy to say that you felt it was not safe to stop and therefore get past this law.

MrPudding wrote:

Sorry, why would it wait 2 seconds?

MrP

If you passed the light when light was amber but it turned red just after you passed. They are not going to bring in that kind of zero tolerance!

Turner

kbannon wrote:

It is easy to say that you felt it was not safe to stop and therefore get past this law.
If you passed the light when light was amber but it turned red just after you passed. They are not going to bring in that kind of zero tolerance!

Oh i know but i was just pointing out that it is actually an offence.

MrPudding

kbannon wrote:

If you passed the light when light was amber but it turned red just after you passed. They are not going to bring in that kind of zero tolerance!

Don't go through amber then. Problem solved. If you were travelling so fast that you could not stop at the amber then you should be past the camera before it is activated. If, however you are one of the tossers that decides to accelerate on amber when you are quite a distance away you will get caught. Simple. Giving a 2 second grace period will only encourage people to still try to run reds.

Lets faces it people, if you are going too fast to slow down for an amber and stop at the red you are probably going too fast.

MrP

Dan_B

We have a device in Dublin for catching abmer gamblers, it's called the LUAS or something like that

Seth Brundle

Dan_B wrote:

We have a device in Dublin for catching abmer gamblers, it's called the LUAS or something like that

LOL
I work beside the Jervis centre & regularly see people stopping on the yellow box junction, breaking red lights (which could be 5 or more seconds in red) and also turning up along the LUAS tracks - it is only a matter of time before someone gets killed here!

unkel

BrianD wrote:

One camera is on the N4 inbound at the roundabout near Kilmainham, the other is on the N11 inbound at the junction at Nutley Lane. They must be digital as I have never seen them flash.

The Kilmainham one flashes alright

Mind haven't seen it flash in a couple of years

Seth Brundle

unkel wrote:

The Kilmainham one flashes alright

Mind haven't seen it flash in a couple of years

I saw it flash before also but again haven't seen it do it in a long time. however, I did see people working on it in the last few months.

seamus

MrPudding wrote:

Lets faces it people, if you are going too fast to slow down for an amber and stop at the red you are probably going too fast.

Well, let's be honest here. There are times that it goes amber when you're 10 feet from the lights and doing 30mph. You have no chance of stopping at that point. It's simply not safe to do so.

My own rule of thumb is that if I'm 3/4 of the way across the junction by the time the lights go red, then I made the right call. Any less, I could have stopped. And no I don't speed up at the lights just to validate my own rule

I'm so used to most of the lights on my regular journeys at this point though that I know when they're about to turn amber or when they're about to turn green, so I tend to adjust my approach speed appropriately.