Enniscorthy hackney drivers dangerous?

barney 20v

Hi folks. i decided to post up here about something which greatly concerns me.
As a father of two young girls under the age of 7 i am very worried about the poor driving and attitude of the drivers of one particular hackney company operating in Enniscorthy.
I live in the town on a quiet street but i frequently see the drivers of this company breaking the law with no sign them being caught by the Gardai.
I have seen them break the law all over the town including the areas around both major national schools.
Has anyone noticed this or am i being paranoid?

As a side note i know people will more than likely bring up boy racers as a comparison but the local Gardai have in my view been very pro-active and successful in calming down the boy racer problem in the town but they hackneys seem to have a no regard for the law.. comments welcome!

Victor

www.taxireg.ie
www.garda.ie

They can't do anything if you don't tell them about it.

barney 20v

I have been to the Gardai 4 times in 19 months about this problem and they have failed to act on it.. just this evening i came across one of these hackneys blocking the one way system while he talked on a mobile phone.. it seems if the local papers and radio are not making an issue of it then the law do not want to know..

Optimus485

Write anon to the local papers. They need proof to publish tho.

barney 20v

Optimus485 wrote: »

Write anon to the local papers. They need proof to publish tho.

They don't need proof to investigate surely? It seems to me if you are one of 3 types of drivers in this town you can disregard the law..
1.A hackney/Taxi driver.
2. A member of the travelling community.
3.A fast food / supermarket delivery driver.
Again this is my opinion based on what i witness every day..
As i previously posted i live in the town and for years it felt like i lived beside Mondello !
This has changed imho due to the pressure exerted on the cops by the media and Enniscorthy is much the better for it
But this problem is ongoing and nothing is done about it..Why are the papers and our local radio station not campaigning about this issue? are they afraid to tackle a company with dangerous drivers or are they afraid to report the truth?

Judgement Day

barney 20v - I don't know which cab firm you refer to but my experience of them has been OK to date. I would be far more concerned about boy racers and our growing number of Head shops (two open and another on the way) than hackneys. I note the great republicans in the town are to erect a monument to two local IRA 'volunteers' who blew themselves up in the 1950s border campaign - rather than paying lip service to the dead why don't they run these barely legal drug pushers out of town? It's what their dead comrades would have done. :mad:

barney 20v

Judgement Day wrote: »

barney 20v - I don't know which cab firm you refer to but my experience of them has been OK to date. I would be far more concerned about boy racers and our growing number of Head shops (two open and another on the way) than hackneys. I note the great republicans in the town are to erect a monument to two local IRA 'volunteers' who blew themselves up in the 1950s border campaign - rather than paying lip service to the dead why don't they run these barely legal drug pushers out of town? It's what their dead comrades would have done. :mad:

The boy racer problem has eased in the last year in my opinion, their seems to be less noise pollution , more check points etc..As for the republicans trying to erect a monument, it holds little interest for me either way.
With regard to the" Head shops" , i am aware of these opening up but if they are illegal they should be closed and if not illegal then it is not up to the public to " run these barely legal drug pushers out of town". You seem to have a problem with the republicans but you agree with their tactics with dealing with drug pushers and vigilantism ? As far as i'm concerned their is only one law enforcement ie the Gardai .
If you feel that the Head shops are a more potent threat to the public than dangerous drivers openly flaunting the laws on a daily basis i'd suggest you open your eyes.
As far as i know the head shops or the boy racers have not killed anyone yet.. the same can not be said of the hackney drivers ...

All right lads - seems to be a bit of aggro starting off on the forum as of late.
Lets keep it civil, which so far it has been, and then we are all happy.

OP - have you considered calling Joe Duffy?

barney 20v

Deleted User wrote: »

All right lads - seems to be a bit of aggro starting off on the forum as of late.
Lets keep it civil, which so far it has been, and then we are all happy.

OP - have you considered calling Joe Duffy?

Please say your joking?

Judgement Day

barney 20v wrote: »

Please say your joking?

Why, the Joe Duffy Show is one of the few places where issues raised sometimes get sorted out?

barney 20v

I doubt Joe Duffy will resolve this problem in fairness..
As i stated previously i have been to the Gardai 4 times in 19 months about this and nothing.... nothing done..!
I sent an email to the editor of one local weekly paper last night in an attempt to highlight and encourage an investigation into this problem.. i doubt i will get a response as the local papers are fixated on the above mentioned "head shops" which have sprung up and have a previous record of biased reporting of issues of dangerous driving or road traffic offences.
But hey! i'm trying to raise this issue which genuinely worries me.

Judgement Day

Judgement Day wrote: »

Why, the Joe Duffy Show is one of the few places where issues raised sometimes get sorted out?

It shouldn't be, but it does.
Issues that Joe selects end up often being championed and hence action is usually taken.

barney 20v

barney 20v wrote: »

But hey! i'm trying to raise this issue which genuinely worries me.

There is no problem with that and its great to see such things being brought up. I say this a hackney nearly ran me off the road last night on the N11.

barney 20v

Deleted User wrote: »

There is no problem with that and its great to see such things being brought up. I say this a hackney nearly ran me off the road last night on the N11.

I can't comment on any other areas with regards to Hackney/Taxi drivers but this gone beyond a joke in Enniscorthy.
I'm 28 years old by the way, i'm not some pensioner on a crusade! but i am a father to two small girls and i dare not let them out of my sight while walking around town because of the wreckless driving of these" professional " drivers.
As a side note , my father was a Hackney operator for 26 yrs all accident free so i know a proper driver when i see one. I also know all the necessary qualifications necessary to own/run a hackney business .

Ryan T

Sorry to state the obvious but have you contacted the owner or drivers themselves in a civil manner to highlight your concerns

barney 20v

No but i have contacted the gardai on 4 different occasions .. The owner of this particular firm is known to be bullish and obstructive.
If you see dangerous driving do you follow the driver and confront them or do you report it to the gardai?
Please remember this is not one incident i'm writing about but a series of dangerous driving over a number of years.
Its starting to look like safety for the residents of the town is not a concern for the people posting in here....

Ryan T

Still think I would approach them directly and see if you can reason with them. Garda are not interested until its too late and theres a serious accident. Why not approach the town council about speed ramps in your area.

barney 20v

Ryan T wrote: »

Still think I would approach them directly and see if you can reason with them. Garda are not interested until its too late and theres a serious accident. Why not approach the town council about speed ramps in your area.

My street and most streets are covered in speed ramps. most are higher than EU regulations but the transits these companies use just ignore the ramps... your correct about the gardai though.. not interested..

Judgement Day

barney 20v wrote: »

My street and most streets are covered in speed ramps. most are higher than EU regulations but the transits these companies use just ignore the ramps... your correct about the gardai though.. not interested..

If you that worried put it in writing to the Supt. at Enniscorthy Garda station and copy the letter to Paul Kehoe, John Browne and Brendan Howlin - I'd be surprised if that doesn't get some action.

barney 20v

I have no faith in any of the above mentioned "politicians" to deal with any local issue.
The gardai were able to sort out the boy racer problem[mostly] in the town but it seems to me that they are reluctant to tackle a company with dangerous drivers.
In fairness i have contacted the Gardai 4 times about this, is it not enough?
I have however contacted the editors of the local papers to see where they stand on this and to urge an investigation/article .
I admit that no one can claim to be a perfect driver and that all walks of life are as likely to drive Dangerously as the next but these people operate mostly in the urban area in which i live and i really do fear a fatality is just around the corner.

cython

barney 20v wrote: »

I have no faith in any of the above mentioned "politicians" to deal with any local issue.
The gardai were able to sort out the boy racer problem[mostly] in the town but it seems to me that they are reluctant to tackle a company with dangerous drivers.
In fairness i have contacted the Gardai 4 times about this, is it not enough?
I have however contacted the editors of the local papers to see where they stand on this and to urge an investigation/article .
I admit that no one can claim to be a perfect driver and that all walks of life are as likely to drive Dangerously as the next but these people operate mostly in the urban area in which i live and i really do fear a fatality is just around the corner.

So let me get this straight. You have an issue with hackney drivers performing their job in a dangerous manner. As has been pointed out here, there a number of things you can try to get some progress on this:

• Contact the Gardai - you have done this "4 times in 19 months", apparently to no avail
• Write to the local papers - you have done this, but seem to have no hopes for it
• Contact Joe Duffy - you don't see this to be the place for it, but how is it any less valid than the local papers?
• Write to local politicians in conjunction with the Gardai - you don't have faith in the politicians, and so see no point in this
• Contact the business owner - again, you don't see the point

There may, of course, be other courses you can pursue. For someone that seems so concerned about this, contacting the Gardai slightly more frequently than twice a year (it's not all that frequent really now, is it?), and writing once to the papers, who have no authority, and dismissing the other options presented seems to run against that. For example, Joe Duffy, as already mentioned as an outlet, will at least get broader exposure than the Echo or Guardian. Hell, if people in other places have observed similar problems, it might be a way to get national attention to the problem.

And if this driving is so dangerous, why don't you call the Garda Trafficwatch number (1890 205 805) to report them when you observe it? And as for not having faith in the local politicians, John Browne, from what I've observed, seems to spend most of his time on local matters of one form or another, so I'd be as surprised as the poster that suggested it if you get no response by that course of action.

barney 20v

cython wrote: »

So let me get this straight. You have an issue with hackney drivers performing their job in a dangerous manner. As has been pointed out here, there a number of things you can try to get some progress on this:

• Contact the Gardai - you have done this "4 times in 19 months", apparently to no avail
• Write to the local papers - you have done this, but seem to have no hopes for it
• Contact Joe Duffy - you don't see this to be the place for it, but how is it any less valid than the local papers?
• Write to local politicians in conjunction with the Gardai - you don't have faith in the politicians, and so see no point in this
• Contact the business owner - again, you don't see the point

There may, of course, be other courses you can pursue. For someone that seems so concerned about this, contacting the Gardai slightly more frequently than twice a year (it's not all that frequent really now, is it?), and writing once to the papers, who have no authority, and dismissing the other options presented seems to run against that. For example, Joe Duffy, as already mentioned as an outlet, will at least get broader exposure than the Echo or Guardian. Hell, if people in other places have observed similar problems, it might be a way to get national attention to the problem.

And if this driving is so dangerous, why don't you call the Garda Trafficwatch number (1890 205 805) to report them when you observe it? And as for not having faith in the local politicians, John Browne, from what I've observed, seems to spend most of his time on local matters of one form or another, so I'd be as surprised as the poster that suggested it if you get no response by that course of action.

Firstly. where did i indicate that i "seem to have no hopes" with regard to the newspapers?I am awaiting a reply, i can say no more on that for now.
2. 4 times in 19 months is not "slightly more frequently than twice a year"
3.Are the Gardai in the Enniscorthy station not qualified to stop dangerous driving?That is where i reported the dangerous driving. Why is it necessary to contact the traffic watch.? is presenting myself with the same problem 4 times not enough? clearly you think i need to contact them more than 4 times for them to do their job?
4. Joe Duffy is currently champion of the national campaign to close "head shops".. not having great success it appears , two of these operating in the town at present and a third on the way.Of course this is on the front of the local papers but no action taken.
5.At the risk of getting flammed on this may i suggest it would not be in interest of any local politician to highlight this?With the previous record of local politicians on matters of road safety i think i am correct to avoid them.. for example the delay of the roundabout at Scarawalsh.. how many people died at that junction of two national routes before any action was taken ? Where was John Brown et all during these times? or how about the local Politicians building a pedestrian crossings 15 meters from a junction? and then digging it up and putting it in a proper safe location? or the new pedestrian crossings installed 1 to 2 meters off a roundabout..Road safety and local politicians are not two things i'd associate!
With regards to the owner, While in my view one company seems to be the main culprit they are not the only one!
The idea of law and order in this country is that if you see a law being broken you report it, or am i wrong?It is the Gardai's duty to investigate reports of dangerous driving or am i again wrong?

Judgement Day

barney 20v - I still think that the Enniscorthy 'Head' shops pose a greater threat to your children that hackney drivers ever will.

Judgement Day

Judgement Day wrote: »

barney 20v - I still think that the Enniscorthy 'Head' shops pose a greater threat to your children that hackney drivers ever will.

JD - We have a thread about those, lets keep these separate please.

MissHoneyBun

Judgement Day wrote: »

barney 20v - I still think that the Enniscorthy 'Head' shops pose a greater threat to your children that hackney drivers ever will.

Yeah because 7 year olds are far more likely to be found in Head shops than playing in their street near cars :rolleyes: The 'Head' shop poses about as much threat to Barney's children as his medicine cabinet at home. It's high time people like you entered the real world and started realising there are more thugs behind the wheels of cars than in any Head shop. Much nicer to pretend that nastiness only exists in parts of society that we don't frequent though isn't it. Facts are, the amount of adults who continuously break the law by driving around like maniacs is far too real to acknowledge and the statistics are there to prove it.

OP, there is a strong 'Boy Racer' culture in Enniscorthy and the locals have put up with reckless idiots driving dangerously for far too long. By all means, speak to the Gardai, South East Radio, the Town Council and every avenue available to you in order to ensure your family the safety they are entitled to.

Judgement Day

MissHoneyBun wrote: »

Yeah because 7 year olds are far more likely to be found in Head shops than playing in their street near cars :rolleyes: The 'Head' shop poses about as much threat to Barney's children as his medicine cabinet at home. It's high time people like you entered the real world and started realising there are more thugs behind the wheels of cars than in any Head shop. Much nicer to pretend that nastiness only exists in parts of society that we don't frequent though isn't it. Facts are, the amount of adults who continuously break the law by driving around like maniacs is far too real to acknowledge and the statistics are there to prove it.

OP, there is a strong 'Boy Racer' culture in Enniscorthy and the locals have put up with reckless idiots driving dangerously for far too long. By all means, speak to the Gardai, South East Radio, the Town Council and every avenue available to you in order to ensure your family the safety they are entitled to.

At fifty I suspect that I have lived in the 'real world' for longer than you and the OP is concerned about a particular hackney firm not boy racers which he seems to think have been brought under control. I am concerned about 'Head' shops but I have been asked not bring that issue onto this thread so I won't - no need to be offensive either!

barney 20v

Judgement Day wrote: »

At fifty I suspect that I have lived in the 'real world' for longer than you and the OP is concerned about a particular hackney firm not boy racers which he seems to think have been brought under control. I am concerned about 'Head' shops but I have been asked not bring that issue onto this thread so I won't - no need to be offensive either!

Age is not a true indicator of intelligence or civic awareness... i will say no more.. if a LEGAL shop is selling a product which is only available to people over 18 is in your opinion more dangerous to the people of Enniscorthy than regular dangerous driving by a group who "appear" to be above the law then i think you prove my point.
I have received no reply from either editor i contacted about this issue... am i shocked? no.

Judgement Day

barney 20v wrote: »

Age is not a true indicator of intelligence or civic awareness... i will say no more.. if a LEGAL shop is selling a product which is only available to people over 18 is in your opinion more dangerous to the people of Enniscorthy than regular dangerous driving by a group who "appear" to be above the law then i think you prove my point.
I have received no reply from either editor i contacted about this issue... am i shocked? no.

At the risk of prolonging this thread - what exactly is it that you have seen these hackney drivers doing? Your post #3 says 'just this evening i came across one of these hackneys blocking the one way system while he talked on a mobile phone' - annoying but hardly dangerous. I didn't state that age was an indicator of anything but I objected to the other poster suggesting that I step into the 'real world' as the chances are that as most posters here seem to be in the 18-40 age group, that at 50 I had seen plenty of the 'real world'. You should try calling to the Guardian office in town as I know for a fact that their reporter would follow up on your story if there is anything in it.

barney 20v

Judgement Day wrote: »

At the risk of prolonging this thread - what exactly is it that you have seen these hackney drivers doing? Your post #3 says 'just this evening i came across one of these hackneys blocking the one way system while he talked on a mobile phone' - annoying but hardly dangerous. I didn't state that age was an indicator of anything but I objected to the other poster suggesting that I step into the 'real world' as the chances are that as most posters here seem to be in the 18-40 age group, that at 50 I had seen plenty of the 'real world'. You should try calling to the Guardian office in town as I know for a fact that their reporter would follow up on your story if there is anything in it.

I have witnessed countless examples of speeding in the area around where i live..
I have seen them over take cars in the town where it is prohibited..
They pull out in-front of traffic without indication constantly...
I have seen them roar over the pedestrian crossing without stopping for people near my house so many times i have lost count.. i have seen them drive the wrong way up a one way street on more than one occasion.. talking on the phone/radio constantly...illegal parking everyday.... but the most worrying for me is the way they drive in and around the schools..
I have seen them speed and i mean SPEED up to the schools at 2 pm and 3 pm everyday... or the issue of the egress of kids from these"hackneys" into the open roads on dangerous junctions because the drivers are too lazy to pull in 10 meters... anyone who lives in the town and has full use of their eyes can see this carry on and the gardai do nothing about it.. how long before they kill another person in the town?
With regards to the guardian... as previously stated i have contacted both editors and i have received no reply from either..

Judgement Day

Fair enough - all I can suggest is that you keep plugging away at it and don't give up on the Guardian. Try calling in to their office on Castle Street and talk to their reporter - David Medcalfe.
As regards pedestrian crossings, the hackney drivers are not unique in ignoring them - only this morning I was waiting with the kids to cross the one near Parnell Antiques and a garda car in no particular hurry sailed across it! I have the kids driven demented by telling them not to treat pedestrian crossings as 'safe' places to cross the road.

Ozzie

Barney, your doing alot of whingeing there. If YOU witness something that YOU think the Gardai are interested in then YOU go to the gardai and YOU make a statement. If a prosecution results, YOU will have to go to court and give evidence about what YOU witnessed.

I'm sure if the Gardai witnessed something themselves they'd deal with it themselves.