Hospital trip for Offaly councillor proves costly as he receives speeding fine

A GOOD Samaritan trip to bring a neighbour to Tullamore hospital turned into a costly one for an Edenderry based Fine Gael councillor recently.

Cllr Noel Cribbin said confusion regarding speed limit signs in the Ballinagar and Cappincur areas resulted in him receiving a fine of €160 and three penalty points.

Explained Cllr Cribbin: "In the recent changes on lowering speed limits on rural roads the limit on the road from Ballinagar / Cappincur to Tullamore was reduced from 80km to 60 km.

"I have no great issue with this change however in their haste to bring in speed changes overnight throughout Offaly the council erected only one 60km sign as you exit Ballinagar - the only sign on this stretch of 11 kilometres.

"To compound issues most cars have installed technology that tells the driver what speed limit you're travelling in. On driving this road about 1 km after passing the lone 60 km sign the technology in the car went to 80km leading me to believe I was in a 80km area.

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"To check my car was correct I recently travelled to Birr passing at least 40 signs that changed the legal speed from 50km to 60km to 80km to 100 km; with each sign I passed the car changed accordingly giving me the correct information on 100% of all the signs I passed.

"Yet the only road that the car changed and the speed limit changed was the Ballinagar road thus giving me the wrong information that I was driving in an 80km when I was actually on a 60km road.

"A speed van on the road that day clocked me doing 71km and I have since received a fine for €160 and three penalty points."

Cllr Cribbin said he has raised this issue with the council's roads section who agree that more signs are needed to inform drivers and they will be erected in the coming days.

"I welcome the admission that more signs are needed; however I feel very hard done by that by misinformation and lack of signs, that I, and I'm sure many more drivers have been fined for speeding."

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The Edenderry based councillor has sought a meeting with the garda superintendent in charge of the speed limits in Offaly where he intends to seek that all those charged with speeding on the Daingean road to Tullamore have their fines struck out.

"The lack of signs and misinformation caused confusion to the drivers concerned," said Cllr Cribbin who added that he intends to "right this wrong" for those involved.