‘Sneaky’ Laois speed van catches locals misled by Google

UP to 50 drivers have been fined for speeding on a Laois road where speed vans are “sneakily” parked, due to an incorrect speed limit on Google.

Cllr Aisling Moran made the claim at a council meeting, when she said the drivers “unfairly” fined and given penalty points were mainly locals.

She said the motorists include a nurse who needs her car for work but faces a disqualification, because she will have 12 penalty points.

Despite a reduction from 80kph to 60kph earlier this year, Google still indicates an 80kph limit on the road from Maganey to Tankardstown, Barrowhouse.

Cllr Moran said she received about 40 phone calls, mainly from locals who were caught by a speed van that was “sneakily” parked between two trailers.

“Forty or 50 people have been caught and been caught two or three times and all they are doing is going to work,” she told the October meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington municipal district.

“I have one lady who will be on 12 points and she is now going to be off the road. She is a nurse, she needs her car for her job,” said Cllr Moran, who pointed out that the nurse thought she was travelling under the speed limit, as she did 64kph on the way to visit her sick father and 68kph on the way back.

The Ballylinan councillor said the penalties should be quashed, as the motorists using sat nav thought they were in an 80kph zone. She believed that speed vans should be there to improve safety and “go after the lads doing 120 or 130”, not for revenue collection.

She said: “What they did was sneakily parked it in between two trailers on the widest and straightest part of the road. It has now become a monetary thing. They are trying to catch people out. I thought the rule was if you were putting up a speed van or a speed camera, you have to have speed camera signs.” 

Cllr Moran said she received the large number of phone calls following her proposal at a previous district meeting, which asked Laois Co Council to install new speed signage at junctions, so drivers are aware of the recent change in speed zones.

She said the road in question was “too big” to be a 60kph zone, as it would be the main road for anyone going from Barrowhouse to Knockbeg College or Carlow.

Area engineer Tom Drennan said he would revert to the council’s road design section, to see if there was anything they could do. He said that, while he couldn’t comment for Google, he would check to see what lines of communication the council had with Google. If additional signs were needed, they would be installed.

The engineer added: “It’s probably best to meet on site and look at the specific location.” Council director of services Julie Bergin commented that, while people may look at the maps, they should really adhere to the speed limit signs on the roads.

Cllr Moran stressed that she wasn’t blaming Laois Co Council, which was among the first in the country to erect the new speed limit signs when they were introduced.

She said: “These speed vans are now being used for revenue. They have caught everybody in the whole area and it is wrong what they are doing. It is something that needs to be brought up in the Dáil. I am begging for this to be sorted out.” 

Cllr Vivienne Phelan noted that gardaí have a dedicated email address that deals with queries in relation to the location of speed vans.