Article: Private speed cameras to 'shock' drivers

cjt156

Originally Posted by dahamsta
The implication was there, intentionally; typical PD fanboi politicking.

Please don't put words (or implications) in my mouth.

I actually don't have a problem with the tax rates or bands; of course I'd like to have a few extra quid in my pocket.
I took the implication from your post (and I apologise if I misrepresent you) that you thought tax cuts are bad and state-run monopolies are good. I happen to disagree with that and believe that privatisation is a good thing, including and specifically in the case of out-sourcing speed checks. I haven't yet heard anything to change my POV.

maidhc

dahamsta wrote:

Actually I'm a self-employed businessman so I sit well to the right of the aforementioned (although admittedly to the left of middle). But thanks for the patronising comment, your suggestion that someone that dislikes the PDs has to be a socialist demonstrates your level better than I ever could.

adam

People who tend to be virulently anti PD, anti privatisation, and who state:

Corporate directors, as we are so often told, have a duty to their shareholders, not the public or the government. And the larger they get, the further away they get from a dictionary with the word "morals" in it.

often are at the socialist end of "left". But I apologise if you feel patronised.

But why as a self employed businessman do you feel speed checks could not be outsourced? If outsourcing cannot work is it the fault of private enterprise or those who have retained them?

As you say, the duty of a director is to his shareholders. Surely then it is in the interests of a director then to see the terms of a contract negotiated with the DoJ fulfilled, be it catching fish in a barrel, or if so negotiated sitting on a ditch in the R238 between Ballygobackwards and Baile na Gabhair at 3.30 in a sunday morn?

Seth Brundle

This thread is about speed cameras - stop discussing the merits of the PDs SWP or income taxes!

Hotwheels

White van man, (actually there was a woman sitting in the driving seat) was parked outside me door for a few hours today. Lot of folks who passed by will get a shock, when the letter drops on the mat...a few were going a bit too handy in a 50Km zone...

They did say on GBFM that they would be about the N17/N63, I've seen them on the N17 at the bottom of the hill beyond the rugby club...

dahamsta

maidhc wrote:

If outsourcing cannot work is it the fault of private enterprise or those who have retained them?

It could be the fault of either, or both. Private enterprise has a proven track record of overpricing and incompetent implementation though. Can you say "IT Implementation"?

As you say, the duty of a director is to his shareholders.

Unfortunately, directors in large enterprise invariably translate this as "make as much money as possible for the shareholders". And usually to the detriment of everyone else. Denying that these issues exist is, to put it bluntly, blinkered.

adam

Esel

Give all these off-thread posters 12 points! Or at least clamp the poster who started it.

So, we can expect to see a representative number of Gardai, politicians, judges, cronies etc. getting speeding tickets now? Yeah, right.

Maybe they should privatise the Breath Tests too.

Blitzkrieger

Bugger - boards ate my post.

I can't be arsed typing all that again. It was basically a rant about our govements proven incometency, how globablly such privatiseation has never worked and a question why the goverment's answer to every problem is a new tax.

In England local authorities have been instructed to stop putting in speed cameras when, most of the time, better roads/signage will save more lives. There was a big study out in the UK recently showing how few accidents inappropriate speed actually causes.

Can anybody name one thing the goverment has done that has worked? Utterly, utterly useless.

cjt156

Good to see we all got back on topic.

1) IF, and its a big if, the stated policy of placing speed cameras at known problem areas (Red Zones) is implemented, surely that's a good thing?

2) And if, again, the people monitoring traffic speed are not motivated by a "price per catch" system then is that not a good thing too?

3) And if these people are not Gardai, but contractors, then aren't we freeing up the police for other vital work?

These 3 points, as I see it negate the 3 big gripes people have against speed checks.
Namely; "you never see checks on bad roads where it is dangerous to speed."
"It's all a revenue generating exercise." "Why aren't you out catching the real criminals?"

If they stick to this plan I reckon it may actually work. See what happened when penalty points first came in? People really thought that it would have an impact, they drove at a more appropriate speed, lives were saved. No arguing with the numbers.

Victor

neacy69 wrote:

i take it these private operators will only be able to issue fines surely a private body can't issue penalty points can they?

They are agents for the Garda, just like An Post delivering your summons. They are still under Garda supervision.

cjt156 wrote:

I heard you can look up the zones online, do we know where?

Link from here: http://www.garda.ie/angarda/stats.html

cjt156 wrote:

It was announced yesterday that the new N6 section will come in 1 yr ahead of schedule and under budget; do you remeber that happening before the current fix-contract system?

Only because the budget and contract duration were bloated.

esel wrote:

So, we can expect to see a representative number of Gardai, politicians, judges, cronies etc. getting speeding tickets now? Yeah, right.

I can understand the cynacism, but the Traffic Corps is a different beast to the rest of the Garda.

Blitzkrieger wrote:

In England local authorities have been instructed to stop putting in speed cameras when, most of the time, better roads/signage will save more lives. There was a big study out in the UK recently showing how few accidents inappropriate speed actually causes.

While parts of the system in the UK has been brought into disrepute, increased speed radically increases the severity of accidents.

maidhc

Victor wrote:

Link from here: http://www.garda.ie/angarda/stats.html

What a completely useless piece of information.

They just cover pretty much all the main roads and somehow extrapolate that some 25 miles stretches are safer than other 25 mile stretches.

It is slightly bizarre too. How come Castlemartyr on the N25 is a "red" zone, while Killeagh is a "green" zone. They are both small villages, about the same size, with the same population. I live very close to both and am unaware of one being significantly more dangerous than the other!