Go Safe cases dismissed

Capri

http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1203/664393-judge-drops-speed-cases-involving-go-safe-vans/

......Judge Sean MacBride, who presides over cases in counties Cavan and Monaghan, said the speed detection vans, operated by a private company, were "bringing the law into disrepute.....
...Judge MacBride said they often operated just inside or outside 30km/h zones, in places where detecting offences was like fishing in a "goldfish bowl"....

clappyhappy

I agree with him 100%. Some of the places these cameras position themselves in, has nothing to do with accident black spots just revenue making.

Victor

"just inside or outside 30km/h zone" - interesting then, that there are no 30km/h zones in either Cavan or Monaghan. The nearest ones being the main shopping streets in Dundalk and a canal bank in Leitrim.

I think if the judge wants changes he should make a submission to the council, not decide that he doesn't want to implement the law.

Little CuChulainn

Sounds like a judge going beyond his remit. I often hear people give out about the locations of speed cameras but it's generally out of ignorance as to the number of crashes which occur in those areas.

Bang Bang

There is one thing I certainly don't condone and that is speeding, but the Go Safe vans are certainly operating outside of what the public were led to believe. Yes I have seen them in locations where there have been fatalities but likewise I have seen them set up on roads where there is no history of road traffic collisions, let alone fatal incidents.

There has been a Go Safe van regularly set up in a spot close to my work location, I have worked there for a number of years and do not recall any incidents on that stretch of road. I asked Garda members who have served in the location for many years, and I've also asked some of my longer serving colleagues if any of them can recall incidents along that stretch and none of them can. But you see where they park is just inside a 60kph zone and the approach to that zone is 100kph, it is not a built up area either. Yes one should reduce their speed in time but shooting fish in a barrel and making money is certainly what is happening there.

McCrack

Victor wrote: »

"just inside or outside 30km/h zone" - interesting then, that there are no 30km/h zones in either Cavan or Monaghan. The nearest ones being the main shopping streets in Dundalk and a canal bank in Leitrim.

I think if the judge wants changes he should make a submission to the council, not decide that he doesn't want to implement the law.

Well a Judge is not going to make a submission 'to the council' because it is not the place of the member of the judiciary to petition government on the law. Judges are tasked with interpreting and applying the law.

I think this District Judge is right to use his discretion on these cases.

You might have the law is black and white attitude but thankfully the people charged with administrating it (generally) have common sense to apply it sensibly and fairly.

Little CuChulainn

McCrack wrote: »

Well a Judge is not going to make a submission 'to the council' because it is not the place of the member of the judiciary to petition government on the law. Judges are tasked with interpreting and applying the law.

I think this District Judge is right to use his discretion on these cases.

You might have the law is black and white attitude but thankfully the people charged with administrating it (generally) have common sense to apply it sensibly and fairly.

Each case should be decided on its own merits and not on an opinion of general practice.

Capri

I live on a one track country road with an 80kph limit, yet there's a nearby 4 lane 'motorway'(N designated) with a 60kph section on it (because of a badly designed petrol station/slip road ) Local Councils / NRA are just sheer lazy/incompetant regarding speed/road signage in general but these GoSafe lot are just exploiting the bad signage under the 'fatality' excuse ( 1 fatality - 15 years ago, is the excuse :mad: )

easygoing1982

Capri wrote: »

I live on a one track country road with an 80kph limit, yet there's a nearby 4 lane 'motorway'(N designated) with a 60kph section on it (because of a badly designed petrol station/slip road ) Local Councils / NRA are just sheer lazy/incompetant regarding speed/road signage in general but these GoSafe lot are just exploiting the bad signage under the 'fatality' excuse ( 1 fatality - 15 years ago, is the excuse :mad: )

Is the N11 at kilmac not a 2 lane dual carriageway?