Michael McAleer answers your questions.
From S O'Casey, Dublin: Do you think it really was appropriate - especially in view of the recent tragedy on our roads - to display a picture of a Harley-Davidson (page 4 report in Motors, June 28th on the Harley-Davidson festival in Kerry) clearly breaking the law and driving on the wrong side of a road marked with a solid white line?
The photo in question was taken by an official Harley-Davidson photographer on a road closed by a safety marshall. Harley-Davidson UK kindly provided us with photos from the Kerry event. The biker in question is overtaking a parked vehicle with the photographer standing at the back of it. He was never in any danger and was merely proceeding past an obstacle in his way.
From G Stephens: I recently visited a dealership in Dublin three years after I last bought a car there. I could hardly recognise the place, with new frontal glass and fancy couches. While it was all very impressive, I couldn't help wondering where all the money for this renovation came from. Surely my dealer is not financing all this out of his own pocket without expecting something in return?
This is all the result of new legislation from the European Union aimed at harmonising pre-tax prices across the member states. It dates back to an exemption given to car firms whereby appointed dealers could only buy new cars from their local distributor. This was obviously against the principles of a common market and when the rules were changed, part of the deal meant that while major car manufacturers could not restrict access to sale of their cars to a few appointed dealers, they were permitted to set out criteria which all interested parties had to meet before they could sell the cars.
The criteria differ greatly between manufacturers and depends on the catchment area and customer base of the dealerships. In some cases it even comes down to the colour of the tiles in the showrooms and the number of parking spaces available to visitors.
The principle behind it is an attempt to improve conditions for customers, but the costs for many dealers are in millions of euro. While the industry will tell you that the market is so competitive that all these costs can't simply be passed on to customers, the sceptics amongst us must assume that astute business people like car dealers are not going to take such a financial hit and not look to offset it in the near future. So, yes, in the end it's the customer who will pay.
From D O'Brien: The Department of Transport's response to the helpdesk query (Motors, June 21st) about the 120km/h speed limit on the N2 Ashbourne bypass and the fact that learner drivers can use it and not the motorway network is one of the lamest excuses for defending the indefensible I have heard in years. It sums up the asinine situation with speed limits that exist here. Is nothing being done to rectify this situation?
Just to recap: the Ashbourne bypass has a limit of 120km/h, which is the recognised motorway speed limit. The department explained the reasoning behind it is that there are "certain driving factors" on motorways that do not feature on shorter dual carriageways. The example given to us was that you can't stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway, and that motorways involve longer periods of driving.
Quite frankly, it's ridiculous. There have been several reviews of limits, but little has changed. The problem lies not just with the department but with local authorities that set the limits. This situation makes a mockery of the ban on learner drivers from the motorway network. More importantly, it highlights the need for a proper review of speed limits in the State; one with the authority to change them.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, D'Olier St, Dublin 2 - or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie