New signs every half km on motorways?

They don't indicate distance to junction, they indicate your position North bound or south bound in km. e.g. M8 S 43.5 indicates that you are 43.5km South on the M8, i.e. 43.5 km from where it branched from the M7. It's much simpler to code up than "I'm about half way between Cahir and Cashel". There are presumably many practical reasons for the signs.

For example, if you had a breakdown or medical emergency on the motorway, can you give an accurate position to (emergency) services? Do you remember what exit you last passed? I often don't think about where I am on the motorway, as I'd be going the distance from Dublin to Cork.

With these signs, you are at worst 250m from information about your precise location. If your elderly parent/grandparent had a medical emergency and this sign got medical attention to you even 5-10 minutes quicker, would you still consider it a waste of money?

every 100m is overkill really. every 1km maybe... waste of money really.

corktina wrote: »

interestingly the UK have these, in km whereas everything else is in miles.

Yes but I suppose all their technical info is metric (DMRB etc.). Only reference to miles in the standards is in relation to design speeds.

j@utis wrote: »

every 100m is overkill really. every 1km maybe... waste of money really.

There are little signs every 100m parts of the M6.
They are on top of the concrete central barrier.
They seem to be distance tracking with two numbers on them.
The top seems to be the distance from the start of the motorway in km and the bottom is 0 to 9 for the 100 meter intervals between the km.

I don't think they were there originally but I'm not sure when they appeared.

Nice to see them on the N18 northbound, reminds me of how many KMs need to be built to complete it.

M4Girl wrote: »

Probably not mounted on existing posts if only "near", as all the signs would have been set out accurately for distance and spacing...the signs (aluminium plate, steel post and concrete base) are at 500m intervals, with the intermediate 100m locations marked on the back edge of hard shoulder with thermo - this would be fine if the blacktop had been cleaned and swept first, if they don't wear out over time and spillages etc, and if they didn't need to be re-done each time the shoulder is resurfaced or repaired. And the 500m signs are an additional hazard and cost in the event of vehicle impact (and they are in the way of the grass-cutting).

Of course if we'd gone for a UK-style plastic marker post system it would have been easier, simpler, cheaper and better for maintenance, but hey, that's how it goes.

M4Girl

This is what they use in the UK:





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An explanation from the NRA of the new signs:

Location Reference Indicator (LRI) signs and Location Reference Markings (LRMs) are being deployed along motorway/dual carriageway sections of the national road network to assist road users accurately communicate where they are. In the event of an incident or breakdown, the road user can relay the information contained on the LRI sign or LRM to describe where you are. LRI signs/LRM markings will mean you can in the event of an
incident inform emergency services exactly where the incident has occurred

http://www.nra.ie/News/RepositoryforPressReleases/file,18582,en.pdf

They'll be placed at 500m intervals on motorways and dual-carriageway sections of national roads:

All LRI signs contain 3 lines of information that inform the road user of;
• The route number on which you are travelling
• The direction of travel, this can only be one of N, S, E or W
• The distance from the start point of the route
LRI signs are located on the nearside verge and are typically spaced every 500 metres although this may be modified at some locations to avoid inappropriate sites.

They'll also be supplemented by markings painted every 100m on hard shoulders:

Location Reference Markings (LRMs)
Location Reference Markers(LRMs)supplement the LRI signs. Location reference Markers are painted in the hard shoulder parallel to the road. The LRM indicates the route and the direction of travel along with distance from the start of the route. In addition the LRMs indicate the direction to the nearest emergency telephone. An example LRM is indicated in Figure 2 below. LRMs are painted in the hard shoulder every 100 metres.

M4Girl wrote: »

Probably not mounted on existing posts if only "near", as all the signs would have been set out accurately for distance and spacing...the signs (aluminium plate, steel post and concrete base) are at 500m intervals, with the intermediate 100m locations marked on the back edge of hard shoulder with thermo - this would be fine if the blacktop had been cleaned and swept first, if they don't wear out over time and spillages etc, and if they didn't need to be re-done each time the shoulder is resurfaced or repaired. And the 500m signs are an additional hazard and cost in the event of vehicle impact (and they are in the way of the grass-cutting).

Of course if we'd gone for a UK-style plastic marker post system it would have been easier, simpler, cheaper and better for maintenance, but hey, that's how it goes.

M4Girl

See the one @ the start of the M2 heading south near Ashbourne has already become a victim of grasscutting! The post has been flattened & the sign M2 S 0 is thrown over on the grass.

Irish_rat wrote: »

The signs are on the M20 and some of the N21 aswell. Personally I think it's a bit overkill

Don't worry, I think John Waters will be denouncing them from his pulpit any day now.

icdg wrote: »

Oddest place I've seen them so far, the dual carriageway section of the N85 in Clare.

They're being placed on every motorway and on every dual-carriageway section of N-road in the country.