Driving appears to be a new revelation here! People seem to be under the impression that the OVERTAKING lane is called a FASTLANE… Theres no such thing. Day in, day out, I come across a**holes who are of the idea that sitting in the overtaking lane is acceptable if you stay to the speed limit.

As far as im aware not every one living here is a member of the Garda Traffic Corps. Who are the people who think sitting in the overtaking is ok if you are travelling at the speed limit??? They arent Garda and have no right to impede other drivers , where do they get their licenses ( lucky Dips perhaps ). Im sick of being stuck behind morons policing the roads when im constantly held up by them on my way to work.

I ask all who read this to observe drivers in the morning ( or when ever ) to count how many people REFUSE to pull into the LEFT LANE when a car approaches them in the overtaking lane, yet due to time constraints i am forced to undertake them to make it to work on time. They may think they are doing their part for road safety but a frustrated driver will take chances ( more so when they are held up by people who OWN the road).

These same people will then speed up to stop you undertaking them and quite happily break the speed limit at the same time…This must be the only country in the world with out a standardised learning system to bring eveyones standards to the same level. Have these people never heard of traffic flow,common courtesy,pulling into the left lane to allow others to pass?? NAHHH. I have driven in countries like germany, UK,N.Ireland even South Africa and they all have courtesy on the roads and allow faster moving cars to pass by pulling into the left lane, In fact im sure Ireland is the only country on Gods Green Earth that has a Website dedicated to shite drivers.

IRELAND PLEASE READ THE HIGHWAY CODE!!!!!!!!!!! Indicators seem to be faulty on most cars here too, i have many grey hairs from people just pulling into lanes without any indication what so ever, How can people who are BAD DRIVERS TEACH PEOPLE TO DRIVE!!! Lets get things regulated here with a standard set by the government which all Instructors must follow, Im Irish and Embarassed….

My daughter eventually got his licence plate number. This took along time as he was driving so near.

My question is, Who can/should I complain this type of aggressive dangerous driving to?

This pratt in his Cork reg civic then decided a bit of undertaking was in order and decided to pull in and then out as quick as he could. Stupid intimidation.

I was going to the college on business and found the car and called the Guards. Whilst I couldn’t be arsed going to court I explained I would like someone to “have a word”. The Guard promised me they would be talking to him this morning.

DKIT car park is full of happy go lucky students and hatchback cars … some racers. Most are sensible proud car owners but some take the biscuit on the roads surrounding the college. It is easily accessed from the North, South and Midlands so many travel considerable journeys. The M1 is a dangerous raceway in the morning and the guards too underfunded to manage it … students need selfcontrol. I wonder what the college does about road safety… the authorities there must have seen the road behaviour themselves.

I hope my white Civic driver got his visit today … even if he didn’t … I feel good about reporting him!

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Driving into Swords this morning, this van was blocking the left-hand lane going onto the Fingallians roundabout causing a slow-down in traffic trying to get onto the roundabout (coming south) which had to go around it. The van didn’t appear to be in any trouble and it’s occupant didn’t seem too bothered by the annoyed motorists around him who were forced to overtake him awkwardly right at the roundabout itself, slowing down traffic by forcing two lanes into one at a junction.

When I was coming back out of Swords a full hour later (at 12.45pm), it was still there, so I took a picture. It had actually moved forward a bit in the picture since I’d first encountered it (from behind).

It’s alright though, it had its hazard lights flashing… that makes everything ok!

(as seen here, permission to reproduce obtained)

This morning when I was leaving my daughter to school we had to go up one of the back roads. There is a lot of building work going on here & there was a Volvo stopped in the middle of the road. The driver was out moving the barriers to get in. Now there was enough room for me to squeeze by on the right, however there is a big ditch & no verges there. Because of this the road has sloped down & the amount of cars that go in there every month is insane.

Because of this I wasn’t going to push past. I hung back & put on my double flashers. The guy only had to move 2 barriers & he wasn’t even 3 minutes doing this. In this time some fella (about 24-25) came up behind me. He came right up to me then to my shock he went around me! Now there was more then enough room to get around me, but then I see this idiot going by the Volvo! What was the point of that. He hadn’t even gone around the corner a few feet up the road when the Volvo had moved! What was the point of it? This guy took the chance of ending up in a ditch all for the sake of about 40 seconds! I just find it insane.

People on the roads of Ireland need to have more patience. Especially on the really bad back roads. They are dangerous in places. People just need to take a deep breath & relax on the roads when there is a chance of injury to someone. What is the point of rushing headlong into your coffin?

[ Click for larger image ]

The 2 cars overtaking have dangerously and illegally crossed double white lines and are facing on-coming traffic at speed from what looks like roughly 100 yards away. It was just pure luck that there wasn’t a crash here. Madness!

Nice to see some pictures on the site again – keep ‘em coming!

I have a real problem with bus / taxi lanes. Recently Limerick decided to join the elite by putting in such things as bus lanes, cycle lanes and new taxi lanes(not without problems).

My gripes are so far:

The cycle lane outside the regional hospital is a cycle lane, not an extended car park for hospital patrons and visitors. Keep out!!

The bus lane is for bus’s and taxi’s and bicycles. Thats its!!! Its not for motor bikes(yet) or old people, or people who are turning in 1/2 kilomtere down the road. Its for people carrying fare paying passengers which brings me onto my most troublesome point. Its not for hackney cabs. Its also not for empty taxis. You MUST have a fare paying passenger to qualify to use the lane. Thats what the lane is for. It’s there to encourage people to leave the car at home with the knowledge, should they use a service a dedicated lane will get them there double quick, not to get you and your taxi back to a rank for another customer.

The taxi lane outside of roches stores is not the full length of the street. If I want to park after 5:45pm outside of the permanent TSB in the loading bay, then I can. Its not for you to park up reading your paper waiting for your next fare.

The bus lane in Raheen causes me many headaches. There are no such thing as 24 hours bus’s in Limerick so why in gods name is the lane 24 hours??

The bus lane on the Ennis road used to cause lots of fun. The Limerick leader announced that the bus lane was suspended from full use for an extra 3 weeks a few months ago and the blue signs were covered over meaning its no longer a bus lane. I used to pass all the sheep in the normal lane as the trudged unecessarily in traffic.

I have also read that the bus lane out to Raheen is hoped to be put on an express service out the dock road. The are hoping to make the left lane on the dock road a bus lane.

At least wait until the tunnel is open!!!

A more simpler and straightforward system would have been as follows;

1. Close the issuing of provisional driving licences on the 25th October
2.Hold press conference announcing the new system on the 26th October.
3.Issue new driving permits from the the 30th October with all the restriction fully in place.
4. Allow all current provisional licence holders to use their licences until they expire (2years maximum)
5.All provisional licence holders must apply immediately for a date in order to take the test and must on request show a member of An Garda Siochana a booking form stating the date of that test.This booking date must be made no later than one month after the new system has come into operation
6.The current restrictions on third and subsequent provisional driving licence holders needing to be accompanied by a qualified driver should be lifted in order for these drivers to prepare for taking the test.(this original rule was absolutely mad and had no logical reasoning attached to it) taking into account that a second provisional licence holder could drive unaccompanied.
6.First issue provisional licence restrictions should remain the same.

With this system fully in place the objectives of the RSA would be fully met while at the same time allow all provisional driving licence holders to make adequate preparation for the complete changeover to the new system.This would also relieve considerable pressure on the various driving test centres in having to cope with the sudden influx of applications for testing.

It is also very important to note that to date the majority of well established driving schools in themselves have not come up to a standard of driving tuition that warrants such harsh measures when compelling provisional drivers to seek professional help and tuition.In my professional opinion and with extensive experience and research into the standards of the vast majority of our driving schools, I have come to a conclusion that it may have been far better to address the problems of both the shortfall in qualified driving instructors and the manner in which driving schools conduct their business that has directly contributed to the skills problems we see today by many of our drivers on the road. Waiting lists for driving tests have not been adequately addressed and waiting time till range fro 8 weeks to 50 weeks in some centre around the country.The taxi industry has remained untouched, despite all the evidence of bad driving by members of that industry throughout the country.

We all want to see a reduction in fatalities on our roads but we must also not forget that a government minister sanctioned the issuing of full drivers licences to those on provisional licences without them having to take the test.These people are still on the roads and these people are just a dangerous as those who want to apply for the driving test and are prepared to take that test.

While we understand and accept that the current situation cannot go on indefinatly, there must be a gradual transition to the new system so that people(and they are human) can adapt and make provision for the change taking place.

The RSA made a mistake that was ill thought out and exsecuted. The honourable thing to do now is to give people some breathing space in order to get their house in order.
In our modern society, driving to quite a number of people is a necessity in life. Its not like the smoking ban where there was an alternative to smoking indoors.This is different. Lives may be saved but there again this rule may cause provisional drivers to commit an even more dangerous action and one which might lead to more deaths, remove the plates that announce to others that they are learner drivers and need some space.

Like the FAI debacle the RSA has also plunged itself into the situation where ordinary mere mortals now question their professional ability. Unlike the FAT the RSA have it within their own ability to admit they may have been wrong. Its now up to them.

Regards
Jim Travers