GATSO Van

phog

Was at a safety briefing today and we had Sgt. Jim McAllister give a presentation on safe driving - he had some shocking photos and video clips of real and created car accidents. The main point was slow down and adjust to the road and weather conditions. He showed a photo of a Opel Omega estate car. squashed between too two trucks, he asked us to guess the car type and we said a VW Golf, it was so squashed, the truck that hit him from behind was doing 35Km/h.

Two stats - If you hit a pedestrian when travelling at 50Km/h the predestrain has a 45% chance of being killed, at 30Km/H that is reduced to 5%.


Private Gatso van - I was travelling back from Dublin today and left the motorway for Mountrath for a pit stop, as I approched the town the gatso van was parked up, I wonder how mnay people got caught speeding while avoiding the toll on the motorway.

zuroph

Itsdacraic wrote: »

It will be 45 deployed by February. Only 15/16 out at the moment, along with the existing Garda vans.

reeally?! Cos I've seen another one today, bringing my total to five in a week. I can't believe I've seen one third of the vans on the road. sure there was loads of them in that photo taken of them in waterford getting ready to roll out.

fionav3

Cripes, I didn't know about these measures and while I always drive at the speed limit, I had to go a little over the other day. Bout 5 kilometres over? I was on the dual carriageway coming from ennis to Limerick and was in the right hand lane because I had overtook a handful of cars travelling about 85/90kmph. Problem was, there was a long line of cars in front of them and I had to speed up to get past them so I could get back in the left hand lane before the caherdaven exit. Think I'll be okay? Really worried now.

Berty

Fiona.

If you speedo says you are doing 90kph then you are likely to only be doing 83kph.

For any of my previous cars to effectively do 100kph I ALWAYS had to do 107/108kph.

You'll be fine. Thats why the Gardai use a 10% discretion with most people or at least they say they do.

Gatsos don't as far as I know.

Jumpy

zuroph wrote: »

reeally?! Cos I've seen another one today, bringing my total to five in a week. I can't believe I've seen one third of the vans on the road. sure there was loads of them in that photo taken of them in waterford getting ready to roll out.

Its the same one, its after you zuroph.

I hear there is a pool going in Henry St for the first one to catch you.

rok

zuroph wrote: »

if anyone fancies a look at one, theres a red unstickered one parked in a field gateway, just before the caherdavin exit on the dual carriageway inbound. just before the bend with the B+B on it.

crap, I was driving so fast I didn't see it is this van still there?

Conor Bourke

If these "safety" cameras are being placed at black spots, ie where there's been a fatal accident, then does that mean that new roads such as the M7 or new M18 are exempt, seeing as there hasn't been any fatalities on them?

Jumpy

The Gardai will be there instead.

phog

Alaskimo-cake wrote: »

If these "safety" cameras are being placed at black spots, ie where there's been a fatal accident, then does that mean that new roads such as the M7 or new M18 are exempt, seeing as there hasn't been any fatalities on them?

They are not just being placed where there were fatal accidents and I'm not sure that they're being used on the motorway network at all.

BTW - the gardai can carry still carry out sped traps in other locations.

fionav3

Berty wrote: »

Fiona.

If you speedo says you are doing 90kph then you are likely to only be doing 83kph.

For any of my previous cars to effectively do 100kph I ALWAYS had to do 107/108kph.

You'll be fine. Thats why the Gardai use a 10% discretion with most people or at least they say they do.

Gatsos don't as far as I know.

Cheers, thanks Berty, that puts my mind at rest.

rubensni

Alaskimo-cake wrote: »

If these "safety" cameras are being placed at black spots, ie where there's been a fatal accident, then does that mean that new roads such as the M7 or new M18 are exempt, seeing as there hasn't been any fatalities on them?

You're right, there are none on the motorways...for now.

steveon

I was coming in from the cresent Shopping centre last nite around 8.30pm and just after Powers insurance there was a gatso van, which was half way on the footpath and the other half of the van was parked in the bus-stop..

As I got near him a bus came along from town and started beeping and flashing his lights for the van to get out of the bus stop...

Its amazing...they talk about road safety and they exactly the oppostite..

And as for clearly marked they arent...a white van with a camera symbol over the drivers cab which isnt visible in the dark until you are rite on top of them is a disgrace...

golden8

Seen a red Renault Master 10 KY reg on the Clonlara to O'Briensbridge Rd yesterday afternoon around 3.00pm with no markings visible.

manna452121

Just passed 10 KY red van on Ennis rd at omaras garage.They were also on the Condell rd this morning.

hi_im_fil

steveon wrote: »

I was coming in from the cresent Shopping centre last nite around 8.30pm and just after Powers insurance there was a gatso van, which was half way on the footpath and the other half of the van was parked in the bus-stop..

As I got near him a bus came along from town and started beeping and flashing his lights for the van to get out of the bus stop...

Its amazing...they talk about road safety and they exactly the oppostite..

And as for clearly marked they arent...a white van with a camera symbol over the drivers cab which isnt visible in the dark until you are rite on top of them is a disgrace...

Was it definitely a gatso van? Because its not on the official list of roads that they are operating on...

TestTransmission

hi_im_fil wrote: »

Was it definitely a gatso van? Because its not on the official list of roads that they are operating on...

The Garda have their own ones aswell which they use anywhere I think.

thesimpsons

haven't seen any yet (and hopefully they haven't seen me) but what I have noticed is marked slowing down of traffic apart from the few idiots who persist in tailgating just because the driver in front of them is behaving themselves and obaying the speed limits. On Condel Road this morning toddling away obaying the limit and a great big merc came behind me in seconds doing about 100km and tail gated me all the way into town until it undertook me on the bus route. Its idiots like this that need to be caught, not the driver doing 10km over the limit on a perfectly safe road with a 50km limit which could handle 70km limit easily

hi_im_fil

TestTransmission wrote: »

The Garda have their own ones aswell which they use anywhere I think.

Yeah thats right, I wrongly assumed the poster was on about the new "safety cameras!

seaniefr

Hi,
Does anyone know what the range of the van camera is i.e. Do you have to be right beside it for it to read your speed or has it got a range of say 100 metres?

seaniefr

seaniefr wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone know what the range of the van camera is i.e. Do you have to be right beside it for it to read your speed or has it got a range of say 100 metres?

Forgot to mention it was in Banogue near Croom around 11 this morning at the cork side on the100 km zone

Berty

seaniefr wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone know what the range of the van camera is i.e. Do you have to be right beside it for it to read your speed or has it got a range of say 100 metres?

1km is its maximum but I believe they work at a distance of 200mtrs. Sometimes you will see the guy out the back around 200mtrs away using some device to test it.

concussion

Berty wrote: »

Sometimes you will see the guy out the back around 200mtrs away using some device to test it.

Fast runner yeah?

iceax

best one yet !!
driving the wrong way up the motorway on the M20 to setup under the patrickwell fly over tonight at 20:15, this cant be safe !!! Why> so his reflectors on the back of the van wont be been seen> more safety.

Berty

iceax wrote: »

best one yet !!
driving the wrong way up the motorway on the M20 to setup under the patrickwell fly over tonight at 20:15, this cant be safe !!! Why> so his reflectors on the back of the van wont be been seen> more safety.

Also illegal to stop on a Motorway. I saw one stopped on the M7 southern bypass but I think he was just pulled over to do something or other. Still illegal mind you.

source

Berty wrote: »

Also illegal to stop on a Motorway. I saw one stopped on the M7 southern bypass but I think he was just pulled over to do something or other. Still illegal mind you.

27.—Requirements under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004 relating to vehicles and requirements, restrictions and prohibitions relating to the driving and use of vehicles, other than those provided under sections 49 and 50 (inserted by sections 10 and 11, respectively, of the Act of 1994), 51A and 52 (inserted by sections 49 and 50, respectively, of the Act of 1968) and 53 of the Principal Act and sections 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the Act of 1994, do not apply to a driver of a fire brigade vehicle, an ambulance or the use by a member of the Garda Síochána of a vehicle in the performance of the duties of that member or a person driving or using a vehicle under the direction of a member of the Garda Síochána, where such use does not endanger the safety of road users.

Stopping on the motorway is not illegal for members of Gardai, Fire Brigade or Ambulance under section 27 Road Traffic Act 2004. As for what iceaxe said, that's just wreckless.

Just to clarify for those not up on their road traffic laws, 49 and 50 relate to Drunk driving/Drunk in charge of vehicle... and 53 is Dangerous driving. 12, 13, 14, and 15 of the 1994 Act relate to providing samples of breath, blood or urine for testing for drunk driving. These are the only road traffic laws that apply to AGS, FB or Ambulance when on duty, they are exempt from all other road traffic legislation.

Berty

foinse wrote: »

Stopping on the motorway is not illegal for members of Gardai, Fire Brigade or Ambulance under section 27 Road Traffic Act 2004. As for what iceaxe said, that's just wreckless.

A Gatso van is none of the above.

golden8

Berty wrote: »

A Gatso van is none of the above.

The Gardai do have gatso vans in their fleet.

Berty

golden8 wrote: »

The Gardai do have gatso vans in their fleet.

Yes they do but this thread is generally about the privately operated cameras vans.

The Garda ones are all D reg and all plain white. They also do not have a snorkel on the back of them. They also do not operate 7 days a week and 24 hours a day like the private ones.

It's normally parked up behind Henry Street and only gets taken out when somebody is free.

source

Berty wrote: »

Yes they do but this thread is generally about the privately operated cameras vans.

Now that you say that, I have a point or 2 to make on iceaxe's post, 1 is that these vehicles are not permitted to operate on motorways, 2 is that in order for the rearward facing camera to work the rear of the van would have to be pointing towards the traffic. Making the idea that he was reversing so the oncoming cars wouldn't see his reflective markings a bit strange.