Some motorists acting like 'idiots'

The behaviour of drivers who act like 'idiots' by speeding in built-up areas such as on roads outside schools and in housing estates have led to calls on Tipperary County Council to tackle the risks they pose by putting down more speed ramps across the county.
Councillor Hughie McGrath has called on the council to give a greater preference to introducing ramps. "I have people coming to me saying we need speed ramps in our housing estates," he said, adding that children in these localities were being put at risk by the behaviour of such drivers.
Councillor John 'Rocky' McGrath said there was a big problem in his area of Newport where "idiots" were driving at high speed on roads outside schools, putting children in grave danger.
Trying to talk sense to such people did not seem to work. "These idiots driving at high speed - these people never listen," he fumed. Something would have to be done in Newport to tackle the problem.
The calls come after a weekend in which seven people died on Irish roads, a developement that prompted a plea by gardaí for drivers to slow down.
The councillors' were speaking at a recent meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District body where council engineer Barry Murphy said it was the local authority's policy to put down speed ramps only as a last resort.
Mr Murphy said that in terms of tackling speeding in built-up areas, the speed ramp option was at the bottom of the list. Among the reasons for this was that ramps led to delays for people like paramedics and members of the Garda responding to emergencies.
A submission to the council calling for speed ramps in a locality had to have the support of two thirds of the residents, which would require a plebiscite.
Councillor Seamus Morris said residents at Templemore Road, Cloughjordan, had been seeking speed ramps because of speeding on the route, while Councillor McGrath said it was only a few motorists who were putting children and other pedestrians at risk in estates where problems had come to his attention. 
He said it was hard to justify the council’s policy on ramps when there existed a very large ramp in the village of Rosegreen on the main Cashel-Clonmel Road. 
While he was not a champion of ramps, Councillor McGrath suggested that their installation no longer be the last option for the council when tackling speedsters in 50kph zones.
Nenagh Municipal District Manager Marcus O' Connor said he viewed the installation of speed ramps as "a crude intervention".
"And the people they punish are the people who live in estates. We give out about potholes and then we put down big ignorant ramps on tarmac roads. I don't think that is a solution," he said.
Mr O' Connor said one solution for where residents had concern about a small number of fast drivers was to go down the enforcement route by approaching the gardaí.
He added: "I do not particularly like ramps, and I particularly do not like the one in Rosegreen. It is a very servere ramp and I do not think it is is a very good ramp."
Councillor John Carroll said putting down ramps penalised every road user, not just the few speedsters who were putting people's lives in danger. 
Tackling the risks posed by people required the imposition of heavy fines and penalty points. 
The State was "way too soft" on such people.