M50 speed limit

Seth Brundle

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

IIRC there are a pair in Newry and heard something about Malahide.

Malahide? Are they traffic monitoring cameras?

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

have heard reports of unmarked cars mingling in the traffic.

Yep, recently saw a van driver acting the total w@nker under/overtaking, driving up other cars' backsides and agressively flashing. Only to be met with the flashlights of an unmarked Garda Mondeo. He got pulled in and tried to escape on foot

Wishbone Ash

unkel wrote:

He got pulled in and tried to escape on foot

Quickest option on the M50.

Stark

Tried to escape on foot, wow, stupid. I wonder if it was the van with the people abducted from Glasnevin Avenue in it

Wishbone Ash

Stark wrote:

Tried to escape on foot, wow, stupid. I wonder if it was the van with the people abducted from Glasnevin Avenue in it

Nope, their van broke down (Citroen:)). The kidnappers made their escape on foot but the victims spent ages trying to get motorists to stop for them. A passing Garda car stopped to see what the problem was and that is how the alarm was raised.
(In fairness, I don't think I would stop for two men flagging down traffic on the M50.)

joeblogg1

Jaysus people will ye read the thread I put up on this subject a month ago.

Gatso van on M50 every Saturday morning catching everyone. Not there during the week as the bl**dy traffic never gets up to 60 anyway

:eek:

Wishbone Ash

joeblogg1 wrote:

Jaysus people will ye read the thread I put up on this subject a month ago.

Gatso van on M50 every Saturday morning catching everyone. Not there during the week as the bl**dy traffic never gets up to 60 anyway

:eek:

And as I posted in that thread, why on earth would they put a Gatso where no one is exceeding the speed limit? What would be the point? What would be achieved? Would you go to a doctor when you are not sick?

Seth Brundle

Wishbone Ash wrote:

And as I posted in that thread, why on earth would they put a Gatso where no one is exceeding the speed limit? What would be the point? What would be achieved? Would you go to a doctor when you are not sick?

Actually, even in evening traffic it is very possible to get chances to exceed the roadworks limits.
During the 'off peak' hours, traffic has plenty of opportunity to go above the limit. I was doing ~70km/h there this afternoon (and I was one of the slower cars)!

faceman

Has anyone actually been done on the M50 since the new limits came in?

Wishbone Ash

faceman wrote:

Has anyone actually been done on the M50 since the new limits came in?

A few whingers posted alright (i.e. they said they had passed it exceeding the limit).

Captain Trips

I did as I was coming down from the north last night. There are lots of road works on the M1/A1, two lanes and the limit is 40mph in places or 50mph in other areas of the works, so I suppose 60kph is comparable, just a little *too* slow when there's no traffic at all

zokrez

2 lads in the office got done in the last week i.e letters in the post.67 & 69 in a 60 !

antodeco

ambro25 wrote:

AFAIK (from 3 airport taxi drives since they started the M50 works and seen it myself at least twice), there's an absolute sh1tload of M50 drivers (incl. taxis) that have been barrel-fished by the GATSO van parked in the middle of the road works over the past couple of months. Points and fines galore, and I'm surprised there hasn't yet been much public stuff about it (not that I'd complain about it myself - for once, it's 60kph for a reason).

Hmm, didnt think the gardai could legally do you for speeding, if their van is not on the road. The roadworks are classed as private property, so their van is not legally parked..

mloc123

I obey it, mainly because they have a gatso van on that stretch most days.

The tax man

joeblogg1 wrote:

Jaysus people will ye read the thread I put up on this subject a month ago.

Gatso van on M50 every Saturday morning catching everyone. Not there during the week as the bl**dy traffic never gets up to 60 anyway

:eek:

That poxy van can be seen mid week anytime after 9.30ish after the morning rush has died down a bit and you can actually go 60+. I've coped it at least five times. True about Saturday though.Any Saturday morning I've been in work it's there. I also noticed this morning that a load of signs have been placed along the M50 stating "Garda speed checks in operation." How nice of them:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Wishbone Ash

antodeco wrote:

Hmm, didnt think the gardai could legally do you for speeding, if their van is not on the road. The roadworks are classed as private property, so their van is not legally parked..

I think ambro25 meant midway along the roadworks not in the middle of them.


Regardless of what those who are opposed to this limit think, the construction crews are entitled to work in a reasonable safe environment. I wouldn't relish the thoughts of carrying out my job with traffic passing at 120kph. :eek: There are also large electronic signs with the limit 'flashing'. I can't understand when people say that they were unaware of it.

MrPudding

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I wouldn't relish the thoughts of carrying out my job with traffic passing at 120kph. :eek: There are also large electronic signs with the limit 'flashing'. I can't understand when people say that they were unaware of it.

If the purpose of the limit is to protect the workers, which I am 100% happy with, can it nor be lifter when there are no workers present?

MrP

Wishbone Ash

MrPudding wrote:

If the purpose of the limit is to protect the workers, which I am 100% happy with, can it nor be lifter when there are no workers present?

MrP

Good point - maybe it's also because of the narrower lanes, traffic cones etc. I definitely refute any claim that it's a revenue collecting exercise as some have claimed. It would not be in any authority's interest to halt progress unnecessarily on the countiy's busiest road.

fred funk }{

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I think ambro25 meant midway along the roadworks not in the middle of them.


Regardless of what those who are opposed to this limit think, the construction crews are entitled to work in a reasonable safe environment. I wouldn't relish the thoughts of carrying out my job with traffic passing at 120kph. :eek: There are also large electronic signs with the limit 'flashing'. I can't understand when people say that they were unaware of it.

A smack of a car doing 60km will still kill you. This is the same money making ****e that they have being doing for years, the Lucan road for example.

Shooting fish in a barrel i think somebody said, very true.

Why don't they set up these vans and camera's along dangerous roads where people are being killed by speed, back roads where people hammer along knowing that they wont be caught, I'll tell you why, THEY WONT MAKE AS MUCH MONEY.

Pherekydes

fred funk }{ wrote:

A smack of a car doing 60km will still kill you.

But a car doing 60 can stop or swerve much quicker and safer than one at 120, don't you think?

Guy:Incognito

fred funk }{ wrote:

Why don't they set up these vans and camera's along dangerous roads where people are being killed by speed, back roads where people hammer along knowing that they wont be caught, I'll tell you why, THEY WONT MAKE AS MUCH MONEY.

Do you think that coming around a bend on a back road to be confronted with a gatso van is going to improve road safety? Or might it cause a pile up? Look at how idiots on the M50 react to the camera before the turn off for the airport, even people not going over 120kmph drop anchor, you really think these people will be composed when confronted with speed cameras/vans on back roads.This isnt an Irish thing, other countries have the same policy as it's quite obviously unsafe on crappy roads.

Back roads are dangerous enough without having to negotiate around a bloody van.

Slow coach wrote:

But a car doing 60 can stop or swerve much quicker and safer than one at 120, don't you think?

It also wont catapult half as far down the road summersaulting,like , ohh , i dont know, the civic featured in a thread a couple of weeks ago that took off after hitting the barriers at the roadworks. (the hint of smartarseness wasnt directed at you, more the person you were replying to)

fred funk }{ wrote:

Shooting fish in a barrel i think somebody said, very true. .

You cant "revenue collect" from people who dont break the law tho.

Wishbone Ash

fred funk wrote:

This is the same money making ****e that they have being doing for years, the Lucan road for example

I don't understand your attidude. If you object to paying the fine for exceeding the posted speed limit you could ensure that you don't exceed it by complying with it. Therefore you won't have to support this "money making ****e".

fred funk }{

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I don't understand your attidude. If you object to paying the fine for exceeding the posted speed limit you could ensure that you don't exceed it by complying with it. Therefore you won't have to support this "money making ****e".

Have you EVER driven over the posted speed limit?......be honest.

The reality is that most of us break the speed limit from time to time by small margins and if driving along a motorway that goes from 120kmph to 60kmph i drift upto 62kmph and get fined thats bollocks!

Guy:Incognito

fred funk }{ wrote:

Have you EVER driven over the posted speed limit?......be honest.

The reality is that most of us break the speed limit from time to time by small margins and if driving along a motorway that goes from 120kmph to 60kmph i drift upto 62kmph and get fined thats bollocks!

I have the same attitude as wisbone, if you dont want to contribute , dont speed. I'll readily admit to regularly driving over speedlimits. The difference is that if/when I am caught I'm not going to moan and whinge about it being a racket because i do wrong and am caught, simple as.

As for drifting to 62, to be doing an actuall 62kmph your speedo will be reading probably around 67-68, meaning you are well aware that you are nearer 70 kmph than 60.

Victor

fred funk }{ wrote:

A smack of a car doing 60km will still kill you.

A car doing 120km/h will penetrate barriers that cars doing 60km/h won't.

Capt'n Midnight

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It would not be in any authority's interest to halt progress unnecessarily on the countiy's busiest road.

<cough> M50 Toll Bridge <cough>

Sandwich

fred funk }{ wrote:

Shooting fish in a barrel i think somebody said, very true.

Isnt 'shooting fish in a barrel' exactly what they should be doing? Wouldnt you? Why go to the effort of going to a river with a rod and worm if youve got a barrel of fish and a gun.

Best use of our tax Euros to catch the most speeders, at the least expense, and highest fines return. We should applaud the gaurds for once, even if they are only doing the common sense thing.

ambro25

The reason why you would not 'drop' the 60kph between roadwork areas is because you would merely accentuate the accordion effect (sp?) (120>60>120>60>120) and increase likelihood of a crash when getting to the second roadwork area and having to slow down to 60kph again. To my mind, it demonstrates quite a grasp of multiple lane traffic dynamics, which I did not think was present in this country (no offense meant).

The M50 is pretty much all that there is in Ireland to witness heavy traffic patterns and dynamics, but if you've ever driven long miles on a regular basis on Brit M'ways (especially M1, M6 to lesser extent), you would be aware that under heavy traffic (>3000 cars per hour per mile), the slightest slow down or breaking by one car creates a ripple of sorts that remains in place [all cars following one another (far too closely for comfort, just like here) slow down] and gradually extends (the 'last few' cars in the above example of the queue of cars literally have to stop) until the actual traffic itself decreases. Think of it as the road traffic version of the butterfly effect.

You apply that to the M50 and the roadwaorks area and you'd get it gridlocked far more often than is already the case. Better to have cars adapt to, and remain at, the 60kph speed limit uniformly until all roadworks are out of the way, that way there's only one traffic stranglehold instead of two.

As for barrel-fishing (for I believe I posted that earlier on), it wasn't a negative comment directed at G@rds and/or Revenue, it was just a figure of speech. As I also posted (in the same post), I find myself quite in agreement with the speed limit and enforcement in roadworks. The lanes are quite narrow, the traffic is always heavy and (init::large_brush) general driver confidence and behaviour on the M50 is fairly wanting... and that's before you factor in moving machinery and temporary markings to distract M50 drivers further.

mackerski

Captain Trips wrote:

I did as I was coming down from the north last night. There are lots of road works on the M1/A1, two lanes and the limit is 40mph in places or 50mph in other areas of the works, so I suppose 60kph is comparable, just a little *too* slow when there's no traffic at all

The 40mph zone on that stretch is on a stretch of road that looks like one carriageway of a dualler (because that's what it is) that temporarily operates as 2 way traffic with an overtaking ban (because when it isn't busy, it's easy to forget that it isn't operating as a dualler. Doing 40mph is painful sometimes, given it's otherwise a nice straight road, but you can see where they're coming from.

The M50 works are far less severe than this, but with a lower limit.

Dermot

zokrez

Driving on M1 this afternoon just before balbriggan exit and a motor bike passed me at about 160kmh followed 8 seconds later by what turned out to be unmarked red jeep at about 140kmh with lights in grill. Motorbike actually pulled in which surprised me. Cop looked delighted ! Also saw another unmarked car on M50 just after Dundrum exit. Bit of an eye opener.