‘If you don’t see the big yellow sign, you shouldn’t be driving’

GOOGLE Maps is ‘still saying the wrong thing’ about the speed limit on the N80, a judge has accepted, but drivers caught by the Graiguenaspiddoge speed camera are being convicted regardless. And there are a lot of them ‒ so many, in fact, that Carlow courthouse held a special district court just for speeding offences caught by the camera in the space of one month alone.

Judge Fiona Brennan made the remark at Carlow District Court last Wednesday, 16 September: “You can’t rely on Google Maps. It is still saying the wrong thing, but the court must apply the law.” 

One of the most common defences heard in court was that Google Maps or a driver’s sat nav listed the road as 100kph at the time and still continues to do so. However, there were plenty of other drivers who were caught speeding, some of whom bemoaned the lack of signage about the speed camera on that particular stretch of road.

The court dealt with drivers caught between 27 January and 25 February. Of 97 names on the list, only 27 were convicted and fined. Ten were dismissed or struck out by the judge after hearing evidence, roughly 20 were struck out by the state, and the rest were adjourned.

It is only a snapshot of those who were summoned to court ‒ the undoubtedly numerous drivers who paid their fines on time are not even included.

Two days earlier, Carlow Co Council chief executive Coilín O’Reilly tackled the issue after it was brought up by councillors who also complained about Google Maps’s incorrect speed warning and the perceived lack of signage.

The road is “well signed”, said Mr O’Reilly, adding: “If you can’t follow the 29 signs on the N80 from Bunclody to Carlow and if you don’t see the big yellow speed sign, you shouldn’t be driving.” 

Similarly, at a recent September meeting of Tullow Municipal District, a councillor called for extra signage on the N80. However, senior engineer Orla Barrett said the council already exceeds the statutory requirement, with more than 12,500 vehicles passing daily and a 99% compliance rate that she described as “unheard of”.

An analysis of the speeding offences brought before court last Wednesday showed that the average speed was 94.4kph, more than 14kph over the limit. The highest speed clocked was 126kph, while the lowest was 88kph. Of these offences, about one-third occurred between midday and 3pm, with 1-2pm the busiest hour. The second busiest time for those caught speeding was between midnight and 3am.

Most of those convicted came from Carlow, Kildare and Wexford.

One Carlow driver, clocked at 96kph on his way to Bunclody, said he had not been on the road for months and had not realised the speed limit had changed. Google Maps, he said, still showed 100kph. 

Insp Conor Nolan replied: “Google Maps doesn’t dictate speed limits.” 

 Judge Brennan agreed: “As already indicated, Google Maps is not the measure. I have no alternative but to convict you.” 

Well-known Carlow optician Bernard Jennings, who was recorded at 91kph on his way to a dental appointment, told the court that his car’s Google Maps still showed 100kph “to this very day”. He said heavy rain had forced him to bypass Enniscorthy and Bunclody and that being charged “seems to be an injustice”.

He was fined €250 and said he wished to appeal. “I still honestly believe it is an injustice,” he said. “I don’t want to come across all Enoch Burke here, but I believe the only way the law can be adhered to is for people to believe in it.” 

Referring to a seeming lack of awareness of the speed limit, which has been in place since December 2025, council chief executive Coilín O’Reilly told councillors that the speed limit change was advertised online and in local newspapers for around two years beforehand, adding that as well all the other signage, there are four camera warning signs, two on each side of the camera, and a large flashing sign near Circle K.

The camera itself is about 12 feet high “and in yellow, in case you missed that as well,” he said acerbically.

He went on to highlight that serious accidents and fire service call-outs on the N80 had fallen significantly since the speed reduction, calling it “a great success”. 

Fewer than 1% of drivers are caught speeding, he said, and the real issue is traffic volume, with 4.2 million cars using the road each year.

One councillor said temporary signage was hard to see in the dark. Another suggested that only a flashing sign showing drivers their speed ahead of the camera would reliably slow them down. Mr O’Reilly said the council was willing to consider introducing one.

Installed in May 2025 when the limit was 100kph (it has been 80kph since 18 December), the camera has drawn national attention. A whopping 15,880 fines were issued, the second highest of any camera in the country.

Carlow Co Council’s chief executive said a review is currently being put together that will look at all the data from the speed camera and related speeding numbers and signage and in the meantime: “My suggestion would be, if you’ve missed the 29 80kph signs all along the road, you’re probably spending too much time looking at Google Maps, and maybe looking at the road and the surrounding areas might be a better use of your time.”