Limerick Blogger - independent Limerick news, sport, events and forum

Along with a whole new number of road traffic offences being eligible for penalty points from the first of April it now appears that some of the on the spot fines are going to increase. A standard parking fine is increasing from 19 to 40 euro. Parking in a disabled spot goes up even more to 80 euros. Fines not paid within 28 days will automatically increase by 50%. So be careful where you park and if you get stung by the wasps pay the fine on time!! At least there isn’t clamping yet in Limerick, unless you park down by Steamboat Quay where there is private clamping. And come to think of it, the centre out near the regional hospital where Supermacs is also has clamping as people have had the habit of parking their cars there and going over to the hospital to visit their friends and family. No news yet of the council meeting about the proposed bus route on the Ennis Road which has caused a big stir with the residents and hard done by motorists.

Meanwhile, still traffic related, the National Roads Authority has announced that the Direct Route consortium is the preferred tenderer for the proposed Limerick tunnel PPP scheme. Contracts are due to be signed by the summer. The DirectRoute Consortium comprises the companies Lagan, Roadbridge, John Sisk and Strabag. Construction of the 900 metre tunnel is expected to take about four years and it will be tolled. The expected cost is about 400 million euros, which in Ireland will probably mean that by the time its finished it will be well over a billion!!

The Evening Echo reports today that Anthony Kelly, former gangster and brother of deceased city councillor Mikey Kelly, is fighting the Department of Social Welfare for a €165 a week disability allowance he claims he is entitled to.

Despite spending almost €100,000 on foreign holidays, cars and a security system for his family’s home according to the Echo, Kelly, seen here calling a truce with long term rival Tommy Casey a couple of weeks ago, still believes he is entitled to the allowance because he “suffers from a disability which he sustained after he was injured in a number of shooting incidents”.

A quickpick ticket bought in Ryans Centra in Raheen won the €200,000 jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto Plus 2 draw. Suffice to say it wasn’t me, does anybody know who it was?

Chorus analogue viewers in Limerick and Shannon will have to ‘adjust their sets’ soon as part of a channel reshuffle. BBC2 and Eurosport are moving frequencies and will need retuning. Channel 6 has also been added, with a promo loop at the moment and going live on Thursday at 8pm.

For those of you technically minded, the new frequencies are:

Eurosport: 311.25
BBC2: 271.25
Channel 6: 391.25

Chorus are writing to all analogue customers to inform them of the changes. UK Gold has disappeared though, and this isn’t mentioned by them in the mailout. I’m not sure if it was ever an official part of the package anyway.

A Limerick woman from Patrickswell but formerly of Raheen has been killed in a traffic accident in Alicante in Spain over the weekend. Details of the accident are not fully known yet but it is believed the 20-year-old’s mother was also travelling in the same car. She is said to be recovering in hospital. It is believed that the accident took place last friday.

The weather has again proved to be the enemy of football as Limerick FC’s refixed game with Kildare County tonight, which was due to kick off at 7.30pm, has had to be postponed again due to a waterlogged pitch at Hogan Park.