The cost of rubbish in Bray

is an obsession of mine.

This week's Wicklow Times had an article about Greenstar and the fees for the new year. Nothing Greenstar was quoted as saying in this article was as clear-cut regarding the cost for putting the bin out as what Aoife told me last week.

I just don't trust them, but for the moment I'm assuming that Aoife had it right.

What is the N11 speed limit now?

Twice over the weekend I drove along the N11 from Cornelscourt to Bray. The first time I thought I had missed the signs indicating that the speed limit is 30MPH. The next day, however, I was sure I didn't miss the signs. They are gone. So, the speed limit along the Loughlinstown stretch (southbound) of the N11 is now 50 MPH, right? I mean, that's what it is from just past Foxrock and it's unchanged all the way to the roundabout. Right?

But, then, last night I was entering the N11 Southbound from Wyattville Road and I saw no sign indicating that the speed limit was 50MPH. So, it's 30MPH, right? Only, how can it be both 50 and 30 simultaneously?

This mirrors a similar situation along the M11 a couple of miles south. Cars traveling south along the motorway are in a 40MPH zone until they get completely past the Shankill exit. Yet, cars entering the motorway at Shankill are told the speed limit is 70MPH as they go along the slip road.

So, any car entering the motorway at Shankill could easily be doing 70MPH by the time they get ready to enter a road where the traffic should be going 40.

These may be minor points, but they're indicative of the half-assed efforts by the authorities in setting speed limits. I sometimes travel at 40MPH right to that point on the M11, but I know my life is in danger because I'm going WAY TOO SLOWLY compared with the rest of the traffic.

All of these minor speed limit problems tell drivers that these limits are not serious. Is it any wonder that so many people break the speed limits when it's clear that so little effort goes into setting appropriate limits and ensuring consistency.

I called Greenstar

Why is it the companies that I trust the least have the friendliest people on the other end of the line? When Aoife answered my call this afternoon I was ready to get angry, to fight, to spit. Two minutes later she has me eating out of her hand. I practically told her that Greenstar is a fine company and is just trying to make a profit like any other decent small business. You'd think it was a Mom & Pop operation run by the Claus family.

Anyway, Aoife told me that the €264 charge was for someone who put their black bin and green bin out monthly. The €392 charge was for someone who put it out as often as they do now (that is, 40 collections per year for the black bin and 12 for the green). That works out at around €4.57 per (black bin) collection. I now know what I'm dealing with and will work hard to get the charge down to around €300 for the year. Will take some effort.