Bertie Ahern has been asked to re-route the M3 motorway away from the Hill of Tara as one of his last acts in office.
A petition containing almost 40,000 names was handed into the Department of the Taoiseach which urged him to reconsider the route of the Co Meath motorway which, it is claimed, could destroy heritage.
Source: TaraWatch
Well, it’s been a weekend for broken promises. Last Friday, my car was parked in a laneway behind work in Dublin city and some thieving scum-bag decided to smash my driver’s window and rifle around my car, obviously looking for money (for drugs no doubt). I hope the “scum” in question is reading this, because there was thirty euros (I use for parking) discreetly hidden… Gobshites missed that!… Couldn’t even rob a car successfully!
Next step, was to contact my insurance company Hibernian who were absolutely brilliant and very sympathetic… everything was done in a comforting and hassle-free manner. Hibernian transferred me to Autoglass who at first seemed to be very helpful… they assured me that someone would be out Friday evening, Saturday morning at the very latest, but someone would phone me shortly, which was a great comfort, considering the dreadful weather we are experiencing. So began the broken promises… Friday evening came and went… Saturday the same! Upon phoning Autoglass, I was put on hold for thirty minutes… finally I got to talk to someone (in the UK!) and was given another broken promise that someone would be out within the day! Continue reading “Autoglass… Broken Window & Broken Promises.” »
It is an abomination of the highest order, what is happening to Lotus! Sheer horror, is the only way to describe my reaction upon reading this bit of news on autoblog:
We were as taken-aback as the blokes over at Autocar when they discovered that the new, Performance Pack-equipped, Lotus Exige S came with an optional cup-holder. “It can’t be true!” we screamed to the God of Oversteer, but it is, and although it’s as minimal as it can get, it still seems like a dilution of a car (and a brand) that’s made a name for itself producing focused, lightweight weapons for the track. Mr. Chapman is doing donuts in his grave and we’re left shaking our heads.
[Source: Autocar]
Last night, as I returned home from work, I took my usual route which takes me onto the Ballymun Road, towards the M50… nothing new there! What was different though, was the direct result of the ongoing road works being done… or should I say “overdone”! For the last while the road has been done and redone but the latest additions come in the form of extreme speed-ramps. Up until the installations of the ramps, the Ballymun Road had been a speedway and the deterrents were both welcome and successful in slowing the would be racers. Now though, the ramps have been redone and are incredibly high, making it impossible for any car to get over them comfortably other than 4X4s… even at a snail’s pace. Going up onto the speed ramps was like the wall of the death and as I negotiated them, I hated to think what damage they were doing to my car and its dampers (and my suspension is standard) and as for the drop to the other side… it was like going into a ditch! If anyone has any ideas on what the heck is going on, let me know! Maybe if you’re someone who’s working on the road you can let me know if the ramps are a “work-in-progress” or if that’s what we can expect from now on?
In a conversation recently, I told a friend my favourite genre of film was sci-fi, followed in second place by horror. They thought this was a strange blend. I don’t think so, as the future is always unfolding and often those changes have frightening possibilities… Case in point, was this next article I found from Motor Authority. Police in the US are testing a new siren that uses inaudible shockwaves, sending tremors through the ground as opposed to a loud wail. I can only imagine what effects that would have on a pace-maker of someone nearby… The potential for misuse of the development could be endless… not to mention harmful.
The siren works by projecting inaudible soundwaves that are powerful enough to shake everything around the vehicle, including the earth. The system uses two subwoofers and an amplifier to pump out soundwaves that can be felt up to 60m away. Little wonder Washington police have nicknamed it the “Rumbler.”
One officer told the The Washington Post that “it vibrates everything” and that it “definitely attracts a lot of attention.”
Motorists often totally ignore emergency vehicles because they get distracted by loud stereos or general traffic noise, something the use of the Rumbler would avoid. We’re seriously hoping the technology remains in the hands of the police. The last thing everyone needs is the hip hop crowd getting their hands on it and disrupting traffic everywhere.
by Patrick James.
In a very frightening report published this week, Ireland has one of the worst records in Europe for reducing road death rates. According to Ireland.com:
“The European Transport Safety Council’s (ETSC) road safety performance index lists Ireland 20th in a list of 29 states in a study tracking road deaths between 2001 and 2006 in the 27 European Union states, as well as Norway and Switzerland.
Despite Ireland’s roll-out of the penalty points system, the introduction of random breath testing, high-profile advertising campaigns and the establishment of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), road deaths have fallen by only 10.9 per cent since 2001.”
Pink car accessories are not for everyone and certainly not for me (not even if I had been born the opposite gender)! That said, if that is the road someone chooses to go, I say: “more power to them”… but the latest offering in car alloys is just too much. Hello Kitty Hell, a website dedicated entirely to the hell known as Hello Kitty, has given us a taste of the latest motoring abomination. Like a cross between Bambi and Frankenstein, there is now the option of Hello Kitty Rims and other such evil accessories… and eternal damnation to anyone who dares to accessorise!
