Garda Speed Trap Alert - Quincentenial Bridge

KevR

Just after driving over the Quincentenial Bridge a couple of mins ago and there was an unmarked Garda car parked on the traffic island at the Galway Shopping Centre roundabout with a speed gun pointing back towards the bridge.

Anyone who is out and about tonight watch your speed on the bridge. Very easy to get caught if you're going over the bridge Eastbound.

Not sure how long they will stay there for or if there are other speed traps around town tonight..

sgthighway

I don't think its right to warn people about speed traps. The Gardai are trying to do their job and have peoples saftey at mind. Warning people to slow down in that area just because there is a speed trap does not help anybody long term because if somebody is going to speed they will continue until they get caught a few times.
(Saying all that I'm sure your post is well within the rules)

PopeBuckfastXVI

sgthighway wrote: »

I don't think its right to warn people about speed traps. The Gardai are trying to do their job and have peoples saftey at mind. Warning people to slow down in that area just because there is a speed trap does not help anybody long term because if somebody is going to speed they will continue until they get caught a few times.
(Saying all that I'm sure your post is well within the rules)

Prevention is better than cure.

mobby

KevR wrote: »

Just after driving over the Quincentenial Bridge a couple of mins ago and there was an unmarked Garda car parked on the traffic island at the Galway Shopping Centre roundabout with a speed gun pointing back towards the bridge.

Anyone who is out and about tonight watch your speed on the bridge. Very easy to get caught if you're going over the bridge Eastbound.
Not sure how long they will stay there for or if there are other speed traps around town tonight..

Easy to get caught if your going over the speed limit :rolleyes:

KevR

Sorry, but I honestly think they are taking the piss (for many different reasons) by having a speed trap on the Bridge - it's probably the safest road in the city for a start (with the high level of traffic and virtually no accidents).

I could make a list as long as my arm of other far less safe roads which they should be doing speed traps on instead of the bridge.

If I passed them doing a speed trap on, for example, Circular Road (which disgracefully has the same speed limit as the bridge) then I wouldn't mention it here.

They need to cop on to themselves (no pun intended).

Toon--soldier

KevR wrote: »

Sorry, but I honestly think they are taking the piss (for many different reasons) by having a speed trap on the Bridge - it's probably the safest road in the city for a start (with the high level of traffic and virtually no accidents).

I could make a list as long as my arm of other far less safe roads which they should be doing speed traps on instead of the bridge.

If I passed them doing a speed trap on, for example, Circular Road (which disgracefully has the same speed limit as the bridge) then I wouldn't mention it here.

They need to cop on to themselves (no pun intended).

+1 they should down some narrow back road or pullling people with one headlight

galwayrush

sgthighway wrote: »

I don't think its right to warn people about speed traps. The Gardai are trying to do their job and have peoples saftey at mind. Warning people to slow down in that area just because there is a speed trap does not help anybody long term because if somebody is going to speed they will continue until they get caught a few times.
(Saying all that I'm sure your post is well within the rules)

I think it's good to warn people, it slows people down. Much better than hiding behind bushes which seems more like a money collection type stealth tax.If there is a visible presence, it will slow down everybody:cool:

KevR

It's definitely a trap, rather than a visible presence. No doubt about it, they're out to make an easy few bob.

Have seen them doing speed checks on the bridge a few times in the last few weeks. But have never (not in the last few weeks or ever if I'm honest) seen them do any on the more dangerous roads in Galway

sgthighway

KevR wrote: »

Sorry, but I honestly think they are taking the piss (for many different reasons) by having a speed trap on the Bridge - it's probably the safest road in the city for a start (with the high level of traffic and virtually no accidents).

Some would say the same about the Sean Mulvoy Road which was the scene of a fatal accident just before Christmas:(

galwayrush

sgthighway wrote: »

Some would say the same about the Sean Mulvoy Road which was the scene of a fatal accident just before Christmas:(

A garda hiding behind a wall with a speed camera would not have prevented that accident, merely caught them speeding on camera(if they were.) However , if a garda was visibly on duty there at the time, it would probably have prevented it.

KevR

galwayrush wrote: »

A garda hiding behind a wall with a speed camera would not have prevented that accident, merely caught them speeding on camera(if they were.) However , if a garda was visibly on duty there at the time, it would probably have prevented it.

Very well said!

schween

Whats the limit on the bridge? 50kph isn't it? Typical of the Gardaí to be speed checking where it's easy to catch people and not actually at a blackspot.

Mrs OBumble

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Prevention is better than cure.

When I see someone who is obviously speeding, I take a lot of pleasure in flashing my lights to warn them about a "speed trap" which doesn't really exist on the road ahead. Keeps me chucking for a km or two, and I'm sure slows them down for at least three.

Captain Darling

Good thing they didnt catch me driving down the road with my laptop out reading this thread.

Mars Bar

JustMary wrote: »

When I see someone who is obviously speeding, I take a lot of pleasure in flashing my lights to warn them about a "speed trap" which doesn't really exist on the road ahead. Keeps me chucking for a km or two, and I'm sure slows them down for at least three.

Haha, that's golden!

JohnCleary

Cheers KevR.

Speed traps at the bridge are not that common, but I reckon that they do catch quite a few people when they do traps there. It's so easy to go over 50Km/ph there, have to constantly be looking at the speedo (not worthwhile putting on cruise control for such a short distance) going over it

One thing I notice a LOT on the Newcastle side of that bridge is feckers breaking red lights. Thankfully out of the good few times i've seen people do it, a cop car just happened to be around and has them pulled a few hundred metres up the road.

ronnie3585

Was crossing the bridge at about 9. Was in the left lane, thankfully obeying the speed limit, when an A6 flew past me easily doing 100kph. After we went through the lights and onto the Sean Mulvoy the unmarked blue Mondeo pulled over the A6 pretty snappy. Didnt see the guards with the laser gun, were they up on the roundabout?

I don't think its right to warn people about speed traps. The Gardai are trying to do their job and have peoples saftey at mind.

Totally disagree with you. Most speed traps operated by the Gardai are purely revenue generating exercises, nothing to with road safety.

KevR

JohnCleary wrote: »

It's so easy to go over 50Km/ph there, have to constantly be looking at the speedo (not worthwhile putting on cruise control for such a short distance) going over it

One thing I notice a LOT on the Newcastle side of that bridge is feckers breaking red lights. Thankfully out of the good few times i've seen people do it, a cop car just happened to be around and has them pulled a few hundred metres up the road.

Yeah I find if you try and keep to 50kmh on the bridge so much of your concentration goes on watching the speedometer, when you should be paying attention to the road, that you could nearly have a crash!

Also, I tried keeping to 50kmh once at a busy time during the day just to see what the reaction of other drivers would be like and I nearly got rail-roaded by a big truck! I had to put the foot down when I saw him coming up behind me at speed in my rear-view mirror.

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Didnt see the guards with the laser gun, were they up on the roundabout?

They were in the same unmarked car on the traffic island that would have pulled the A6 over.

They always park sidewards on the traffic island so even if you do manage to spot the Garda car from a distance you will still probably think it's just stopped at the traffic lights on the roundabout rather than there doing a speed trap.

Usually one Garda has the speed gun aimed out the passenger window while the other is in the drivers seat, ready to razz after anyone who is coming over the bridge over the limit. They pull the 'speeder' over, give them a ticket and then go back to the traffic island.

Wompa1

My dad warned me and maybe he's paranoid but he said that the gardai would be clamping down that they were doing this in the 70's and 80's to make more revenue. Just a theory but it seems true from my experiences and others I know, definately an increase. Also there was a fatal crash on the bridge 2 years ago but I agree its somewhere that a speed trap isn't really necessary, they should be checking in blackspots

Xiney

As far as I'm aware, "speed traps" are unlikely to be put on unsafe roads anyway, because it isn't safe to pull cars over or freak speeding drivers out. A driver going too fast who slams on the breaks is far more likely to lose control of the vehicle on a dangerous road than on a safe one.

Also, if a driver gets caught in a few speed traps to the point that they have so many penalty points that any more will lose them their license (and doesn't insurance increase with penalty points as well?) then maybe they won't be speeding as much on any roads.


I don't drive though so my knowledge of speeding, insurance and driver mentality is all hearsay.

kippy

KevR wrote: »

Sorry, but I honestly think they are taking the piss (for many different reasons) by having a speed trap on the Bridge - it's probably the safest road in the city for a start (with the high level of traffic and virtually no accidents).

I could make a list as long as my arm of other far less safe roads which they should be doing speed traps on instead of the bridge.

If I passed them doing a speed trap on, for example, Circular Road (which disgracefully has the same speed limit as the bridge) then I wouldn't mention it here.

They need to cop on to themselves (no pun intended).

While I dont disagree with the fact that they should be doing speed traps in more obvious locations, there have been at least 2 major accidents on that section of road last year, one of which was a fatality.......as well as the mentioned one on Sean Mulvoy road.
That said I believe posting a warning about them is a good thing and may get most of us slowing down on the bridge "Just in case"

Kippy

galah

If they really wanted to generate revenue, they should install permanent speed cameras, red light cameras, and a lot of other random checking equipment (Germany would be a great country for copying those measures - I got a ticket once for parking 40 centimeters too close to a junction...as in I was 4.60 m away, and not the full 5 m. There's actually people checking that stuff with a tape measure).

With all the greed in this country, I am actually surprised that they haven't done that ages ago...easiest way to make money, especially considering that there's no driver education to speak of.

And why not warn people of speed traps - might as well, if it slows them down. Again in Germany, they warn openly on the radio if mobile speed checks are around.

Xiney

Comparing Ireland to Germany is hardly fair.

The German religion is efficiency (and tardiness is a cardinal sin)

Whereas Ireland is... well. It's no Germany. That's for sure.

galah

I know, it's not fair.
But really, considering the government needs money and usually does not shy away from ripping off people, exploiting drivers and their stupidity/non-adherence to rules would be THE money spinner 2009.

I am just truly surprised they haven't gone down that road yet.

sgthighway

sgthighway wrote: »

I don't think its right to warn people about speed traps. The Gardai are trying to do their job and have peoples saftey at mind. Warning people to slow down in that area just because there is a speed trap does not help anybody long term because if somebody is going to speed they will continue until they get caught a few times.
(Saying all that I'm sure your post is well within the rules)

We have a bit of a system among my family and a few friends. If we see a checkpoint or speed trap we send out a text or give a call to any of them that might be passing the area where the trap is. Works well. This understanding should exist among friends/family in my opinion.

Xiney

The Irish government would never make money on it.

They'd simply waste a lot of money trying to set it up, fail, and give up, 600 million in the hole (conservative estimate)

KevR

Galway City Council must get a special mention for their role in this. For so many reasons it's incredibly stupid having a 50kmh limit on the bridge. They need to review the speed limits of some roads and put a more appropriate limit in place.

If the speed limit on the bridge was 80kmh (which, lets face it, is the speed most people drive on there now anyway) then I wouldn't be annoyed to see the Gardai strictly enforcing it.

As it stands now, Galway City Council have basically given the Gardai a licence to print money for central government as and when they please.

Cora Flabby Beneath wrote: »

We have a bit of a system among my family and a few friends. If we see a checkpoint or speed trap we send out a text or give a call to any of them that might be passing the area where the trap is. Works well. This understanding should exist among friends/family in my opinion.

Was thinking of doing something like that myself.

Last week my sister used the bridge late in the evening and there was a speed trap in the same place as last night. She texted me to let me know because she knew I'd be using the bridge soon after on my way home from work. So on the way home I slowed down (not that I ever drive at an unsafe/inappropriate speed on the bridge or any other road) and sure enough the Gardai were still there.

cornbb

KevR wrote: »

Sorry, but I honestly think they are taking the piss (for many different reasons) by having a speed trap on the Bridge - it's probably the safest road in the city for a start (with the high level of traffic and virtually no accidents).

I must completely disagree, there was a fatal accident on that bridge last year, and another fatal crash on a similarly designed stretch, and I think that road (along with all of the other 4 lane single carriageway roads in Galway) is very dangerous by design. People drive at too-high speeds because they have a false sense of security, being given 2 lanes in each direction, but there is no median to protect against crashes. This, along with the fact that there is no hard shoulder, gives zero margin for error. I have seen people do very stupid things on that bridge, including drivers who actually cross the central white line to overtake even though there are 2 lanes provided for them already :eek:

I do hate when the Gardai are out patrolling safe dual carriageways, its like shooting fish in a barrel, but I think that stretch of road is pretty dodgy.

Captain Darling

cornbb wrote: »

I must completely disagree, there was a fatal accident on that bridge last year, and another fatal crash on a similarly designed stretch, and I think that road (along with all of the other 4 lane single carriageway roads in Galway) is very dangerous by design. People drive at too-high speeds because they have a false sense of security, being given 2 lanes in each direction, but there is no median to protect against crashes. This, along with the fact that there is no hard shoulder, gives zero margin for error. I have seen people do very stupid things on that bridge, including drivers who actually cross the central white line to overtake even though there are 2 lanes provided for them already :eek:

I do hate when the Gardai are out patrolling safe dual carriageways, its like shooting fish in a barrel, but I think that stretch of road is pretty dodgy.

I'm certain one of the fatal accidents on this bridge was actually a suicide, whereby a driver intentionally drove into another car, killing himself and some occupants of the car he drove into.

The Gardai do tend to have a shooting fish in a barrel approach to their speed traps and they are actually very predictable where they do them also. Its frustrating to see a check point in a usual spot and then meet some ejit flying down the road on a bad stretch doing 100mph.

Zzippy

Wompa1 wrote: »

My dad warned me and maybe he's paranoid but he said that the gardai would be clamping down that they were doing this in the 70's and 80's to make more revenue. Just a theory but it seems true from my experiences and others I know, definately an increase. Also there was a fatal crash on the bridge 2 years ago but I agree its somewhere that a speed trap isn't really necessary, they should be checking in blackspots

Great. Another stealth tax... :rolleyes:

kayos

Captain Darling wrote: »

I'm certain one of the fatal accidents on this bridge was actually a suicide, whereby a driver intentionally drove into another car, killing himself and some occupants of the car he drove into.

I was gonna post that but did not know if it was just rumor or fact so didnt. But any way thats what I had heard also.