We were recently asked to note that the local Gardaí have been issuing fines and penalty points for people turning their car at West End at the junction by Herlihy’s Centra to go back up town. The reason for the fine being that when you are turning, you are crossing a solid white line which extends for 20m back the Clara Road (the solid white line is highlighted in the photo below). We wonder if many people have been penalised for this, something that has been normal behaviour, and has been seen as the safest place to turn the car on that side of town?
The same has been happening to people turning into St. Mary’s Graveyard when approaching from town:
“The stretch of road by the graveyard has always had a broken line until the road was tarred this year, and then it was painted with a solid white line. Because of that line, you are no longer:
1. allowed to turn into St. Mary’s Graveyard when coming from town, or turn towards Mallow when leaving the graveyard.
2. allowed to turn towards town when exiting the Woodlawn Drive estate, or turn into woodlawn drive when approaching from the Mallow direction.
It would be good to know who sanctioned this change”
— from Google Maps (June 2018, before the road was resurfaced and relined)
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… then Ciara sent us this:
its the same turning into st marys
and the same turning at corkerys bar .
some local gardai like shooting gold fish in a bowl
In all fairness . No where else to turn and there’s never a problem unless there is double parking at school drop off time when all lines in the road are totally disregarded !!!???
So if there is a funeral coming from the church in the West End to St.Marys it can’t turn right into the graveyard???
Try and pull out from our house directly opposite Tanyard Wood and next to St Mary’s, never mind turning in home coming from town also crossing a continous white line . Drivers have no problem passing at speed on the inside of you if you have to stop to turn in usually with a withering look or a hand gesture which is not friendly wave !?
Whilst I understand the error of crossing the line at the junction near Centra, I think we need an expert opinion on the entry to the housing estate and the graveyard as the ‘rules of the road’ ( ad also the garda website) state that the solid line can be crossed ‘for access’ which surely covers these two situations – If people have been fined for crossing the line whilst turning for access then surely that could be contested?
Road markings What they mean
Single or double
continuous white
lines along the
centre of the road
All traffic must keep to the left of
the line (except in an emergency or
for access)
Donal
They are also catching people speeding when leaving town heading towards Killarney. Watch out for the speed signs, it doesn’t sanction 80km per hour for at least a mile beyond town.
Simple enough. If going west, continue to Lisavigeen roundabout at Kilarney. If going east continue to roundabout at Mallow. Ridiculous……no more so than these fines being handed out. Worst type of policing!
If you can’t turn right and you’ve no business going straight ahead (not going that way), are you allowed to reverse?
I love these comments about left/right/reverse/Killarney roundabout/Mallow roundabout/solid lines versus dotted ones ! The Irish have not lost their unique sense of humor in needling ill-conceived regulations!
What about a small roundabout at the Westend by Centra and this should solve that problem!
Roundabouts are brilliant! Problem solved.