WEALTHY middle-aged motorbike enthusiasts from the North who speed for thrills in the Republic will be among the first targets of new measures to close a cross-Border motoring loophole, a senior Garda traffic corps officer said yesterday.
From the end of March next year any driver banned in the Republic will not be able to continue to drive in the North or anywhere else in the UK under a cross-Border deal signed last week by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and his northern counterpart Sammy Wilson.
Donegal Traffic Corps head Sgt Ignatius Larkin said his officers had felt frustrated in their efforts to reduce carnage on the roads.
“People just didn’t seem to care. Their attitude was if they got caught they would take their punishment, be gone and continue to drive in their own jurisdiction.”
The problem was especially underlined with offenders detected on a wide sweeping stretch of road going through Barnesmore Gap between Ballybofey and Donegal town.
He said: “The road there is good. Motorcyclists tended to come down at weekends and just rally away at high speed . . . A lot of these bikers are well-to-do people. High speed is their thrill.”