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Geraldine Herbert

@gerherbert.bsky.social
2.3K followers 641 following 540 posts

Journalist and cat lover ... Transport, Motoring and Consumer Motoring Editor & Columnist at the Sunday Independent. Contributor - Irish Independent, Euronews and Good Housekeeping TV - RTE, Virgin Media, Radio - Newstalk, TodayFM, RTE and BBC

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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Are grinds giving students a real advantage or simply adding to the pressure of Ireland’s points race? I look at the growing cost of private tuition, what is driving demand, and whether families are getting value for their money. #LeavingCert #Education #JuniorCert #Grinds
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New @transenvuk.bsky.social analysis of real-world data finds that PHEVs emit 6 times more CO₂ than lab tests suggest 145 g/km versus 24 g/km making them just 14% cleaner than combustion cars. The data raises questions about promised consumer savings & why PHEVs are taxed as low-emission cars.
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Irish Independent @independent.ie · 05/09/2026
Got rare, old Irish coins in your attic? Here’s how much they’re really worth www.independent.ie/business/mon...
independent.ie
Got rare, old Irish coins in your attic? Here’s how much they’re really worth
Most stashes are not worth a shilling, but others can fetch thousands at auctions or from collectors
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Got rare, old Irish coins in your attic? In today's @independent.ie I explain the difference between a jar of old coins and a collection! #IrishCoins #Collecting #PersonalFinance www.independent.ie/business/mon...
independent.ie
Got rare, old Irish coins in your attic? Here’s how much they’re really worth
Most stashes are not worth a shilling, but others can fetch thousands at auctions or from collectors
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Public transport fares are going up. Hi-vis and helmets are required for e-scooters. Another masterclass in encouraging sustainable travel from the Government ...
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Still looking to speak with parents of Junior Cycle or Leaving Cert students. Are you paying for grinds, tutors, or online subscriptions and cutting back elsewhere to cover the cost? Are you struggling to afford extra support or relying on free alternatives? Please get in touch
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Felicity Hannah @felicityhannah.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
We are talking about friendship and money in Money Box Live next week. Keen to hear your stories - maybe you lent money to a friend, how did it go? Maybe you earn more or less than a friend and it causes pressure? Maybe a friend gives money advice and you don’t/like it. Felicity.hannah@bbc.co.uk
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Looking to speak to parents of kids in exam classes who are paying for grinds, using online subscriptions or one-to-one tutors, making sacrifices elsewhere, or unable to afford grinds at all. If you would like to contribute, please email: geraldine.herbert@independent.ie RTs pls
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Looking to speak to parents of kids in exam classes who are paying for grinds, using online subscriptions or one-to-one tutors, making sacrifices elsewhere, or unable to afford grinds at all. If you would like to contribute, please email: geraldine.herbert@independent.ie RTs pls
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Irish Independent @independent.ie · 27/08/2026
Geraldine Herbert: After M9 horror, here are eight ways to make Ireland’s roads safer www.independent.ie/comment/opin...
independent.ie
Geraldine Herbert: After M9 horror, here are eight ways to make Ireland’s roads safer
From physical separation to alcolocks, common-sense measures could save lives
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Road deaths are not inevitable. In today's @independent.ie I outline eight practical ways to make Ireland’s roads safer. #RoadSafety #Ireland #VisionZero www.independent.ie/comment/opin...
independent.ie
Geraldine Herbert: After M9 horror, here are eight ways to make Ireland’s roads safer
From physical separation to alcolocks, common-sense measures could save lives
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Looking to speak to women about feeling safe on public transport, particularly after dark. Have concerns about buses, trains, stops, stations or the walk home changed how, when or whether you travel? Email gerherbert6@gmail.com. Shares appreciated. #journorequest #PublicTransport
woman sitting alone on a bus
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Will banning legal, regulated e-scooters improve public safety or simply distract from the failure to enforce existing laws on illegal vehicles and criminal misuse? #escooters www.wheelsforwomen.ie/index.php/ir...
wheelsforwomen.ie
Ireland’s E-Scooter Ban: Why Enforcement, Not a Blanket Ban, Is the Answer - wheelsforwomen.ie
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is leaning towards an e-scooter ban in Ireland, but would stronger enforcement of existing laws better tackle safety concerns, illegal vehicles and criminal misuse?
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Irish Independent @independent.ie · 17/07/2026
With YouTube influencer Logan Paul selling a Pokémon card for €14m, the collectables are in the midst of a bull market, even outpacing the performance of gold
independent.ie
Pokémon gold rush: savvy investment or speculative bubble?
With YouTube influencer Logan Paul selling a Pokémon card for €14m, the collectables are in the midst of a bull market, even outpacing the performance of gold
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
As l said l admire your optimism
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
So go back to how things were before May 2024 when they were all banned but were being openly sold and I’m not entirely convinced criminals have ever been especially troubled by the finer points of the law. Still, I do admire your faith in the state’s ability to enforce it.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Could @smythstoysroi.bsky.social other retailers not take the same approach with e-scooters designed for children? Surely retailers have a responsibility to consider the safety of the products they market to kids. #escooters
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
We don’t chase every law‑breaker in a car; we use checkpoints, tech checks, seizures, CCTV and follow‑up. Treat e‑scooters the same. Pursuit is a last resort, not a useful strategy and how will a ban impact e-scooters being used by children or criminals?
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Pursuit is not the only tool open to the gardai and if the issue is one of misuse by criminals how will a ban address that? --
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
They are currently illegal for under 16s to use so are banned already. The real issue is why the loophole that permits the marketing and selling of escooters for kids has not been closed.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
It's extraordinary how many people think “we can’t enforce the law” is an argument for banning #escooters. It is an argument that the state has given up on the basic business of enforcing laws An admission that raises far more troubling questions than what to do about e-scooters
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Micheál Martin says he's "leaning towards" banning e-scooters because of rising injuries and the misuse of e-scooters and scramblers by criminal gangs. But those are two completely different problems. One is public health. The other is criminality.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
How is that the same as banning people from using escooters legally 🤔
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
If the problem is criminals, deal with criminals. If the problem is illegal vehicles, get illegal vehicles off the streets. But if every enforcement challenge ends with banning something that's already regulated, why bother regulating it in the first place? #EScooters #RoadSafety
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
We didn't tackle drink-driving by banning cars. We changed behaviour. We strengthened the law. We enforced it. We educated people. That's how public policy should work.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Instead of banning compliant e-scooters: • Enforce the laws already on the books. • Target illegal imports. • Police age limits and speed restrictions. • Stop retailers selling illegal machines alongside children's scooters. • Ban marketing e-scooters to children.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
A blanket ban would punish people who follow the law. It would also undermine the regulatory system the Government only recently introduced and blur the distinction between: Legal e-scooters Illegal high-powered imports Scramblers used by gangs
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The State also passed Grace's Law, giving Gardaí stronger powers to seize scramblers and quad bikes being used illegally. So here's the obvious question... If illegal vehicles are already illegal, and Gardaí already have powers to seize them... Why ban the legal ones?
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Ireland already has laws regulating e-scooters. They set: • Who can ride them • Maximum speed • Maximum power • Safety requirements Anything outside those rules is already illegal.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Let's be clear: Ireland has a genuine public health issue. Children are ending up in emergency departments after e-scooter collisions. Clinicians are right to demand action. But action and overreaction are not the same thing.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Micheál Martin says he's "leaning towards" banning e-scooters because of rising injuries and the misuse of e-scooters and scramblers by criminal gangs. But those are two completely different problems. One is public health. The other is criminality.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
What I am talking about is more than just information, something on the lines of passport verification for batteries. Grants just distort a market, grow new car sales by allowing 30% of households without a driveway access to cheap charging and look at high mileage fleets like driving schools
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Why grant aid the same cars twice? A more useful measure would be an NCT-style system for batteries, allowing them to be independently verified. Scrappage schemes are designed for economic downturns and to support the car industry neither of which is relevant here.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The batteries will most likely outlive the car the issue in the used market is a lack of understanding and high depreciation due to price slashing in the new car market
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
There is a lack of confidence in used evs fuelled by misinformation about battery life and low residual values. But those low values were largely caused by heavy discounting of new EVs. Another grant is likely to just repeat the same mistake.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
We have subsidies we don't need more and the Norwegian situation is totally different, they grew that market share with very costly supports at a time when there were very few evs and those on sale were very expensive
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Grants and supports are designed to address market failure, where is the market failure? EVs make up almost a quarter of new car sales & share continues to grow as more affordable models with decent range come onto the market. Supports should be focused on addressing the real barriers to EV adoption
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Surely nobody is seriously proposing to extend the scheme? Expensive & regressive, it largely subsidises EVs people were buying anyway. Invest instead in charging for people without driveways, electrifying high-mileage fleets like driving schools & building confidence in used EVs
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Irish Independent @independent.ie · 27/06/2026
Ireland’s busiest motorway, the M50, is causing havoc for commuters as traffic increases and infrastructure projects are trapped in the slow lane. So how can the situation be fixed?
independent.ie
‘I’m rushing in the door to see my daughter before she goes to sleep’ — how the M50 is damaging people’s daily lives
Ireland’s busiest motorway is causing havoc for commuters as traffic increases and infrastructure projects are trapped in the slow lane. So how can the situation be fixed?
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
In today's @independent.ie I look at the human cost of M50 congestion and why fixing it is about more than building another lane. #M50 #Transport www.independent.ie/lifestyle/im...
independent.ie
‘I’m rushing in the door to see my daughter before she goes to sleep’ — how the M50 is damaging people’s daily lives
Ireland’s busiest motorway is causing havoc for commuters as traffic increases and infrastructure projects are trapped in the slow lane. So how can the situation be fixed?
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Are you stuck on the M50 every day? How much time does it cost you, and what impact does it have on your work, family life or stress levels? I'm looking to speak to commuters for a feature. DM or email geraldine.herbert@independent.ie Reposts appreciated #JournoRequest
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Are you stuck on the M50 every day? How much time does it cost you, and what impact does it have on your work, family life or stress levels? I'm looking to speak to commuters for a feature. DM or email geraldine.herbert@independent.ie Reposts appreciated #JournoRequest
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Stuck in a property chain? Can't trade up? Given up and renovated instead? Looking to speak to Irish homeowners who've found moving from a starter home to a family home harder than expected. If that's you DM me or email geraldine.herbert@independent.ie #JournoRequest #IrishProperty
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Minister Darragh O'Brien confirmed the new EV scrappage scheme would fund 2,000 cars from July. But it seems the money actually covers 1,176. Meanwhile, more than 1,900 EV sales have already been confirmed. So it's off to a flying start. #EV #ICE2EV
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Reposted by Geraldine Herbert
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Working on a feature about why moving from a starter home to a bigger family home has become so difficult with chains, tight timelines, mortgage rules, lack of rentals, the lot. Looking to speak to homeowners who’ve tried to trade up, if that's you please email me geraldine.herbert@independent.ie
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Working on a feature about why moving from a starter home to a bigger family home has become so difficult with chains, tight timelines, mortgage rules, lack of rentals, the lot. Looking to speak to homeowners who’ve tried to trade up, if that's you please email me geraldine.herbert@independent.ie
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Minister Darragh O'Brien confirmed the new EV scrappage scheme would fund 2,000 cars from July. But it seems the money actually covers 1,176. Meanwhile, more than 1,900 EV sales have already been confirmed. So it's off to a flying start. #EV #ICE2EV
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
So free content is? It's not compensation its about earning a living.
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Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Buying a newspaper when there is an article you think is worth promoting would be a good way of supporting journalism...
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P. O'Leary @p-oleary.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
“cycling somewhere makes you feel fit and active, it makes you feel you’re doing something tangible to help the planet.” Fascinating article - very revealing. @irishcyclingcmpn.bsky.social @independent.ie www.independent.ie/irish-news/t...
independent.ie
The e-bike experiment: Well-known faces swap four wheels for two to see how it affects their daily lives
Is it practical to ditch the car and embrace cycle lanes, albeit with a little more torque than a normal bike? Journalist Mark Noble, broadcaster Barbara Scully, racing driver Nicole Drought and TD Em...
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