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Welcome to the latest edition of AA News, the online newsletter from AA Ireland. Summer does screwy things to traffic and travel patterns. With schools finished it seems as if half the country is in holiday mode, if only to judge by the number of emails that bounce back at you to tell you someone is out of the office. For those of us still here the morning traffic is a doddle. Like school kids everywhere we are in no rush to see September.
Summer does mean more dangerous roads though; accident rates peak in July. If you are driving in Ireland, look out for dodgy speed limits and please let us know if you come across any more examples for our ongoing list.

We would also like to hear if you have any views or any suggestions as to topics that we should cover. Email me directly by clicking here publicaffairs@aaireland.ie

Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy, AA Ireland

The Oxegen 2009 music festival takes place this weekend at Punchestown Racecourse off the N7/M7 in Kildare. With close to 80,000 expected and traffic coming from all over the country, it is unlikely you will find a quiet road! AA Roadwatch have tips and advice on how to get the best out of your festival journey.

Dublin's city bicycle scheme, which will make 450 bicycles available for rent across the city, will not be up and running until mid-September at the earliest according to Dublin City Council. The delay in implementing the already long-awaited scheme is a pity. It's a good idea and one that the AA is happy to support.

Thanks to everyone who took part in our latest Motorists Panel Survey. There are currently over 10,000 responses, and if you want to have a look at the results so far you can do so. If you still want to take part in the survey it will be open for responses for another week. It should not be possible to do the survey twice from the same computer but if you had problems accessing it before you can try again now.

To take part in the survey, click here

The government's five year road safety strategy runs to 2012. There is a lot of good stuff in it and a fair amount has been achieved, but progress has stalled in some crucial areas as finances become much tighter. The number of deaths on the road is down - just - on last year but some key projects like speed cameras appear stalled.

Irish holidaymakers looking for a car hire adventure in the Med this year will enter a minefield of hidden charges, complex insurances and unhelpful service when they hire a car, an AA Eurotest survey in seven countries has found. Hire a 4x4 vehicle and there is a more than 70% chance of being handed keys to a death-trap.

Home furnishings giant IKEA will open the doors to their first Dublin branch at 11am, on Monday, 27th of July. This will mean 500 new jobs for the area, but it will also add pressure to the M50 as it is located just off the Ballymun Road, close to J4 Ballymun.

Dublin City Council, as well as Cork and Limerick city councils have introduced a new method of payment for parking over the phone. This means that that there is no longer the need to worry about having enough coins to pay for parking. How does it work?

Do you know of a poorly set or crazy speed limit anywhere on the country's roads? The AA is collecting examples of what is an ongoing problem. If you have an example and wish to send us an email or a photograph, contact Conor Faughnan by clicking here

AA Ireland has written to newly elected county councils in a new effort to get them to solve an old problem - bad speed limits. The road network is littered with them. There are 80kph signs on dirt tracks and there are brand new dual carriageways with 60kph limits.

Don't suffer a breakdown on holiday if you don't have to. Driving long distances on holiday can leave the driver prone to fatigue and the car prone to breakdown. It's important to keep the car serviced and maintained, especially for cars that are more than three years old.