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Speed Limits in Dublin City

  • 21-11-2005 4:58pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭


    New, mostly lower, speed limits are proposed in particular in the city centre, but also in some suburban residential areas and for the Port Tunnel.

    Proposed limits: http://www.dublincity.ie/living_in_the_city/getting_around/by_car/traffic_management/draft_special_speed_limit_bye_laws_2006.asp
    Existing limits: http://www.dublincity.ie/living_in_the_city/getting_around/by_car/traffic_management/speed_limits.asp

    *Roads in the Marino Area.
    *Roads in the Ballsbridge Area.
    *Roads in the City Centre -Area – Bounded by Parnell Street part of Capel Street and North King Street to the north the North Quays to the south, O’Connell Street to the east and Church Street to the west.
    *Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by Parnell Street to the north, Eden Quay to the south, Gardiner Street to the east, Beresford Place to the south east, and O’Connell Street Upper and Lower to the west.
    *Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by the South Quays to north, College Green, Dame Street, Lord Edward Street and Christchurch Place to south, St Michael Hill and Winetavern Street to west and D’Olier Street to east.
    *Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by Dame Street, College Green to north , Cuffe Street to south, part of Grafton Street, Nassau Street, Dawson Street, part of St Stephens Green North and West to east and Aungier Street , South Great George’s Street to west.
    *Roads in the Ringsend Area.


    EXTRACT FROM DRAFT
    FIRST SCHEDULE
    Eighty kilometres an hour
    1. Chapelizod Road from the county boundary to its junction with Con Colbert Road.
    2. M1 motorway, northbound, from the N1 to the City Boundary.


    SECOND SCHEDULE
    Sixty kilometres an hour
    1. James Larkin Road and Dublin Road (Kilbarrack).
    2. Howth Road between a point 60 metres east of its junction with Brookwood Avenue and a point 46 metres south-west of its junction with Watermill Road.
    3. Howth Road between a point 32 metres east of its junction with St. Assam’s Road East and its junction with James Larkin Road-Dublin Road (Kilbarrack).
    4. Oscar Traynor Road between a point 320 metres east of its junction with Coolock Lane and a point 74 metres north-west of its junction with the Malahide Road.
    5. Finglas Road (National Road N2) from a point 90 metres west of its junction with Tower View Cottages (adj Glasnevin Cemetry) and the Dublin City boundary.
    6. Kylemore Road between its junction with the Naas Road (National Road N7) and a point 46 metres south of Kylemore Road railway bridge.
    7. Walkinstown Avenue between its junction with the Naas Road (National Road N7 and its junction with Long Mile Road.
    8. Long Mile Road between the Dublin City boundary and a point 46 metres west of its junction with Walkinstown Parade.
    9. The Stillorgan Road (National Road N11) between the Dublin City boundary and a point 180 metres south of its junction with Anglesea Road.
    10. The Chapelizod Road between a point 100 metres west of its junction with Phoenix Park access at Islandbridge Gate and a point 100 metres east of its junction with Phoenix Park access at Chapelizod Gate.
    11. Griffith Avenue Extension between a point 100 metres west of its junction with Ballymun Road and a point 100 metres east of its junction with Ballygall Road East.
    12. Con Colbert Road from Sarsfield Road to a point 150 metres west of its junction with South Circular Road
    13. The Malahide Road between a point 50 metres north-east of its junction with the roundabout at Artane to a point 50 metres south west of its junction with the N32.
    14. N32 Clare Hall Road from the M50 motorway to a point 50 metres west of its junction with Malahide Road
    15. N32 Clare Hall Road from a point 50 metres east of its junction with Malahide Road to its junction with Grange Road.
    16. Malahide Road from a point 50 metres north of its junction with the N32 to the Dublin City boundary.
    17. M32 motorway from its junction with N32 to its junction with the M1 motorway.
    18. M1 Motorway southbound from the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel to the N1.
    19. St. John’s Road West from its junction with Military Road to its junction with South Circular Road.
    20. Naas Road from the City Boundary to its junction with Kylemore Road.
    21. Grange Road from the City Boundary to its junction with Hole in the Wall Road.

    THIRD SCHEDULE
    30 kilometres per hour

    Roads in the Marino Area.

    Brian Road
    Brian Terrace
    Brian Avenue
    Carlton Road
    Casino Road
    Croydon green
    Croydon Gardens
    Croydon Park Avenue
    Croydon Terrace
    Fairview Avenue Upper
    Fairview Avenue Lower
    Fairview Green
    Fairview terrace
    Haverty Road
    Marino green
    Marino Mart (part of from Haverty Road south to Fairview)
    Marino Park
    Merville Avenue
    Morroch Terrace
    Philipsburgh Terrace
    Shelmartin Avenue
    Shelmartin Terrace
    St. Aidan’s Park Avenue
    St. Aidan’s Park
    St. Declan Road
    St. Declan Terrace
    St. Joseph’s Terrace
    Torloch Parade
    Windsor Avenue
    Windsor Lane
    Windsor Villas

    Roads in the Ballsbridge Area.

    Pembroke Lane.
    Elgin Road
    Wellington Lane.
    Heytesbury Lane
    Wellington Road.
    Raglan Lane.
    Raglan Road.
    Waterloo Lane.


    Roads in the City Centre -Area – Bounded by Parnell Street part of Capel Street and North King Street to the north the North Quays to the south, O’Connell Street to the east and Church Street to the west.

    Abbey Cottages
    Abbey Street Middle
    Abbey Street Upper
    Anne Street North
    Arran Street
    Arran Street East
    Bachelors Lane
    Balls Lane
    Beresford Street
    Britain Street
    Britain Street Little
    Byrnes Lane
    Cambell’s Court
    Capel Street (Parnell St to North Quays)
    Chapel Lane
    Chancery Street
    Chancery Place
    Charles Street West
    Church Avenue
    Church Terrace
    Cuckoo Lane
    Father Matthew Square
    Georges Hill
    Greek Street
    Green Street
    Green Street Little
    Halston Street
    Hamilton Court
    Henry Street
    Henry Place
    Hotel Yard
    Jervis Street
    Jervis Lane Upper
    Jervis Lane Lower
    Liffey Street Upper
    Liffey Street Lower
    Litton Lane
    Lotts (North)
    Mary’s Abbey
    Mary’s Lane
    Meetinghouse Lane
    Moore Street
    Moore Lane
    New Street North
    Ormond Place.
    Ormond Market
    O’Connell Street Upper
    O’Connell Street Lower
    O’Rahilly Parade
    Prince’s Street North
    Swifts Row
    Sampsons Lane
    Strand Street Great
    Strand Street Little
    St Michans Street
    St Michans Place
    Stirrup Lane
    Wolfe Tone Street


    Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by Parnell Street to the north, Eden Quay to the south, Gardiner Street to the east, Beresford Place to the south east, and O’Connell Street Upper and Lower to the west.

    Abbey Street
    Abbey Street Lower
    Beresford Lane
    Britain Place
    Cathedral Street
    Cathal Brugha Street
    Champions Avenue
    Cumberland Street
    Deverell Place
    Earl Place
    Earl Street North
    Findlater Place
    Harbour Court
    Marlborough Street
    Marlborough Place
    Norththumberland Square
    Sackville Place
    Strong’s Court
    Talbot Street ( Marlborough St.to Gardiner St.Lwr.)
    Thomas Lane



    Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by the South Quays to north, College Green, Dame Street, Lord Edward Street and Christchurch Place to south, St Michael Hill and Winetavern Street to west and D’Olier Street to east.

    Adair Lane
    Aston Place
    Adsills Row
    Anglesea Street
    Bedford Row
    Bedford Lane
    Cecilia Street
    Copper Alley
    College Street
    Cows Lane
    Crane Lane
    Crampton Court
    Curved Street
    Cope Street
    Crown Alley
    Crow Street
    D’Olier Street
    Essex Gate
    Essex Street West
    Essex Street East
    Eustace Street
    Exchange Street Lower
    Exchange Street Upper
    Fishamble Street
    Fleet Street
    Fownes Street Lower
    Fownes Street Upper
    Foster Place
    Merchant’s Arch
    Parliament Street
    Parliament Row
    Price’s Lane
    Scyamore Street
    Temple Bar
    Temple Lane South
    Westmoreland Street.


    Roads in the City Centre Area – Bounded by Dame Street, College Green to north , Cuffe Street to south, part of Grafton Street, Nassau Street, Dawson Street, part of St Stephens Green North and West to east and Aungier Street , South Great George’s Street to west.

    Andrew Street
    Annes Lane
    Anne Street South
    Aungier Lane
    Aungier Place
    Balfe Street
    Bow Lane
    Castle Market
    Chatham Row
    Chatham Street
    Chatham Lane
    Church Lane
    Clareedon Market
    Claredon Row
    Claredon Street
    Coppinger Row
    Dame Court
    Dame Lane
    Digges Lane
    Digges Street Upper
    Duke Lane
    Duke Lane Upper
    Duke Street
    Exchequer Street
    Fade Street
    Glendinning Lane
    Glover’s Alley
    Harry Street
    Johson Court
    Johnson Place
    King Street South
    Lemon Street
    Longford Street Little
    Mercer Street Lower
    Mercer Street Upper
    Stephen Street Lower
    Suffolk Street
    William Street South
    Wicklow Street
    Trinity Street
    York Street


    Roads in the Ringsend Area.

    Aikenhead Terrace
    Celestine Avenue
    Dermot O’Hurley Avenue
    Doris Street
    Fitzwilliam Quay
    Gerald Street
    Gordon Street
    Hasting Street
    Hope Street
    Howard Street
    Joy Street
    Magdalen Terrace
    Ormeau Street
    Oliver Plunkett Avenue
    Philomena Terrace
    Penrose Street
    Somerset Street
    South Dock Place
    South Dock Street
    Rosary Terrace
    Veronica Terrace


    FOURTH SCHEDULE
    1. M1 motorway, southbound, between the City Boundary and the Dublin Port Tunnel.
    2. The Dublin Port Tunnel, Southbound.
    3. The Dublin Port Tunnel, Northbound.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    That settles it - they really are smoking crack in there. Does anyone want to explain the benefit of applying a 30-limit on roads like:

    Westmoreland St.
    D'Olier St.
    College St.
    O'Connell St.
    (Much of) Abbey St.
    Capel St.

    ???

    Also, was anybody else surprised at the stated intention to use variable limits around the Port Tunnel? The recent legislative changes opted specifically not to sanction such limits, which seems to undermine any such bye-law.

    Dermot


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭cyclopath2001


    mackerski wrote:
    That settles it - they really are smoking crack in there. Does anyone want to explain the benefit of applying a 30-limit on roads like:
    Motorists driving at innapropriate speed when they can?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    Motorists driving at innapropriate speed when they can?

    Care to elaborate?

    Dermot


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    At times those streets are very clear from a traffic point of view (and Paddy thinks "wide, straight street, no traffic, floor it"), but can have vast numbers of pedestrians.

    Tell me, does anyone need to do any faster on those streets?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,523 ✭✭✭ApeXaviour


    mackerski wrote:
    That settles it - they really are smoking crack in there. Does anyone want to explain the benefit of applying a 30-limit on roads like:

    Westmoreland St.
    D'Olier St.
    College St.
    O'Connell St.
    (Much of) Abbey St.
    Capel St.

    ???
    AFAIK these things are based (and rightly so) on population density and number of road accidents (in this case involving pedestrians). Having driven on all of those streets I've seen how people consistently dart out infront of traffic. Even when it's not busy for traffic it will still tend to be busy with pedestrians. There is an attitude among people walking these areas that the entire place is semi-pedestrianised. At 30kmph you are far far less likely to kill somebody than at 50kmph.
    As a student in the city centre, I regularly walk around and numerous times have nearly been injured by idiots bombing around places like college green trying to beat an amber light.

    There is also the added incentive of trying to decrease traffic through the city centre. If you feel town with it's low speed limits will be a bottle neck for you, you'll tend to go around it.

    I for one applaud this measure. It's quite sane and will be very beneficial.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    Try to focus on benefit, though. I've lifted a small subset of through-routes out of a set of roads that, by and large, may indeed benefit from 30-zones. The benefit, where present, is twofold. It restores a bit of quality of life to pedestrians and it encourages drivers to avoid the roads that are thus restricted. Let's deal with these one by one:

    Benefitting pedestrians:

    Consider Wicklow Street. It's narrow. Pedestrians throng the narrow footpaths. Many of them want to cross. Many of them do, whether it's safe or not. The road, of course, is narrow enough that any that do cross can do so swiftly enough, assuming they feel (and are) safe doing so. A 30-zone can help here.

    Now let's look at D'Olier Street. There's no point trying to give that back to pedestrians. With about 5 lanes of cars (however slowly they go), there's nothing a pedestrian can do with it (watch during the rush hour in sub-30 traffic to test my assertion). In fact, it's such a bad street for pedestrians that it (and Westmoreland St. more so) has actual barriers to prevent pedestrian silliness. The very last thing you want to do on a road like this is encourage pedestrians to colonise it further.

    Discouraging motor traffic:

    This can be a worthy goal. In the two examples above, we can probably agree that Wicklow Street with fewer cars would be a Good Thing. Trouble is, given that this is discouragement, not the outright bans that some would favour, the motorists thus discouraged need to actually go somewhere. Ideally, they'd choose the wider roads that are intended as through routes, and that can't offer pedestrians great quality of life no matter what happens. That's why international practice on 30 zones is not to place them on through routes except at actual hazard points. 30-zones have to be used sparingly to have a useful effect, just as you can't set a whole A4 page of type in boldface and expect people to pay it greater heed.

    Keep in mind, the more 30-zones there are, the less respected they will be and the thinner the enforcement will be. Thin enforcement means high pressure for results, and that means more speed checks on D'Olier Street than Wicklow Street. And that just seems arse-backwards to me.

    So I'll ask again - why is it better to plaster the whole central area, including through routes, with 30 zones rather than focussing on ones that will bring actual benefit?

    Dermot


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    But they don't want any of those streets being used by through-traffic (other than public transport).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    Of course without effective enforcement it will make no difference at all. Despite the choking traffic there are always sections of streets that are clear and it is an everyday occourence to have cars doing 40-50 on city streets when they can without any real fear of being caught. Much more likely to get done for speeding on the Stillorgan Dual carriageway.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    Victor wrote:
    But they don't want any of those streets being used by through-traffic (other than public transport).

    They mightn't, but that doesn't prevent them being through routes. Their capacity and placement guarantees that status. And you still haven't shown any benefit resulting from a drop in speed limit on these routes.

    Consider the message this will send - we're talking about the very first 30 zones most Irish people will ever see. Which of these sentiments do you see getting most buy-in from motorists?:

    1. We're applying 30-zones in a targetted way on roads whose safety or pedestrian-friendliness will benefit from it.

    2. We're applying 30-zones in places that will benefit from it plus in a load of places where they'll bring no benefit and where you'll end up driving anyway. We don't want you driving on those streets anyway.

    I've never seen any other country deploy 30-zones based on reasoning number 2. And most places that "play fair" seem to have acheived a high degree of acceptance among drivers.

    On the plus side, at least the new speed limits will expose Dublin's cyclists for the law-ignoring bunch that they truly are. I've no doubt the Guards will be even-handed and will prosecute speeding cyclists just as readily as they do motorists...

    Dermot


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭cyclopath2001


    mackerski wrote:
    Now let's look at D'Olier Street. There's no point trying to give that back to pedestrians. With about 5 lanes of cars .....
    Keep in mind, the more 30-zones there are, the less respected they will be and the thinner the enforcement will be.

    The footpaths in d'Olier & Westmoreland streets are quite narrow considering the volume of pedestrian traffic. Consider how much nicer it would be if two car lanes were taken out of each and given back to pedestrians? There would even be room to spare for proper cycle lanes.
    mackerski wrote:
    On the plus side, at least the new speed limits will expose Dublin's cyclists for the law-ignoring bunch that they truly are. I've no doubt the Guards will be even-handed and will prosecute speeding cyclists just as readily as they do motorists...
    I think it would be best if the Gardai concentrated on those road users who pose the greatest risk to the vulnerable.

    If the enforcement were to be done efficiently, would you then agree to safer speed limits?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    If the enforcement were to be done efficiently, would you then agree to safer speed limits?

    I'm all for safer limits. "Safer" and "lower" are, of course, different things.

    Dermot


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Tbh I'd have little faith in these new limits making a difference because they properly won#'t be enforced.
    Its great and all but motorists will take the piss as long as they know they can get away with it. :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,815 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    In a situation with pedestrians, 30 is an awful lot safer than 50. The chance of a collision is much lower and the damage caused by the collision is much less. I don't have in-depth statistics to hand, but the number I have seen kicked around in the UK is a 60 percent reduction - a 6 percent reduction for every mile per hour.

    Of course this depends on the average actual speed falling. Just putting up a few signs and changing a few byelaws won't stop accidents.

    It is perfectly possible to increase average average traffic speed and reduce the speed limit at the same time. The key to this is to use the opportunity to reduce the number of signal-controlled junctions in the speed-controlled areas. Signalled junctions, not low speed limits are what actually slow traffic down.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 731 ✭✭✭jman0


    Seems that some people are approaching this from a motorist centric position.
    Whereas if you think of it from a pedestrain point of view: why should pedestrians be stuck waiting for the green man at so many junctions in the city centre?
    Why is it that those (predominately single-occupant) metal boxes on wheels have right of way and priority over the masses of pedestrians?
    It doesn't make sense.

    I'm all in favor of lowering the speed limit to create a safer more pedestrian-friendly environment. Insofar as syncing the lights...to benefit public transport, cyclists and pedestrians - yes, if it hinders any of those then i say no.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    jman0 wrote:
    Seems that some people are approaching this from a motorist centric position.

    Who is?
    jman0 wrote:
    I'm all in favor of lowering the speed limit to create a safer more pedestrian-friendly environment. Insofar as syncing the lights...to benefit public transport, cyclists and pedestrians - yes, if it hinders any of those then i say no.

    There have been no objections on this thread to measures that would increase pedestrian safety. But on a street carrying five lanes of traffic, even if it does travel at the 30km/h it would rarely attain even today, pedestrian safety will be decreased by any measures that encourange ad-hoc crossing away from the pedestrian lights.

    Dermot


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 756 ✭✭✭Zaph0d


    mackerski wrote:
    There have been no objections on this thread to measures that would increase pedestrian safety. But on a street carrying five lanes of traffic, even if it does travel at the 30km/h it would rarely attain even today, pedestrian safety will be decreased by any measures that encourange ad-hoc crossing away from the pedestrian lights.

    Dermot
    Convert some car lanes to footpath and add new pedestrian crossings. I often drive along these streets at huge environmental cost to others and nothing more than fuel to me. I don't have to.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,283 ✭✭✭mackerski


    Zaph0d wrote:
    Convert some car lanes to footpath and add new pedestrian crossings. I often drive along these streets at huge environmental cost to others and nothing more than fuel to me. I don't have to.

    You'll accept that this is a separate discussion, though. Nothing in the current proposals suggest such a course of action. This is unusual in itself, since the guidlines for 30 zones (unwisely in my view) indicate that they should only be deployed where "traffic calming measures" are in place to back them up.

    Dermot


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,815 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    I suspect that the footpaths on the west side of O'Connell Bridge and on Westmoreland St will be widened in the next two or three years. I don't know of any public announcement, but looking at the way the changes on O'Connell St, the way the road lines up and the road markings that have been put in place on the bridge, I can see it coming.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 756 ✭✭✭Zaph0d


    mackerski wrote:
    You'll accept that this is a separate discussion, though. Nothing in the current proposals suggest such a course of action. This is unusual in itself, since the guidlines for 30 zones (unwisely in my view) indicate that they should only be deployed where "traffic calming measures" are in place to back them up.

    Dermot
    fair point


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,057 ✭✭✭TheMonster


    Totally agree with it and if some of these main streets had speed cameras on it it would deter a lot of the inappropriate speed. Could you imagine the revene generated on westmoreland or d'olier st? if everyone over the limit was fined.


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,144 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    The solution is not to lower the speed limits but to put a sofa in the middle of the road instead:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4459056.stm

    ... and then just hope that no 4x4 drivers with a bad attitude come past.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 756 ✭✭✭Zaph0d


    mackerski wrote:
    You'll accept that this is a separate discussion, though. Nothing in the current proposals suggest such a course of action. This is unusual in itself, since the guidlines for 30 zones (unwisely in my view) indicate that they should only be deployed where "traffic calming measures" are in place to back them up.

    Dermot
    Some of the roadspace on Westmoreland Street will now be given over to trams. I guess the luas would be doing well to manage 30km/h along this stretch.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50425994&postcount=215


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 731 ✭✭✭jman0


    robinph wrote:
    The solution is not to lower the speed limits but to put a sofa in the middle of the road instead:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4459056.stm

    ... and then just hope that no 4x4 drivers with a bad attitude come past.

    Great article. Thanks for posting.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭D'Peoples Voice


    TheMonster wrote:
    Totally agree with it and if some of these main streets had speed cameras on it it would deter a lot of the inappropriate speed. Could you imagine the revene generated on westmoreland or d'olier st? if everyone over the limit was fined.
    I agree, cameras are the only way to go, if people are ever to obey speed limits on these streets.
    However I suggest that ALL the revenue collected is RING-FENCED and put towards installing overhead bridges like they have in DART stations, or underpasses like the ones the drug dealers/users used to gather in out in Ballymun.
    Then we could introduce on the spot fines for jay-walking,
    in order to reduce pedestrian fatalities.
    Then eventually cars can travel at a faster speed through the city
    with fewer sets of pedestian lights needed.
    So it's pain now for pleasure later!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭cyclopath2001


    put towards installing overhead bridges like they have in DART stations, or underpasses like the ones the drug dealers/users used to gather in out in Ballymun.....Then eventually cars can travel at a faster speed through the city with fewer sets of pedestian lights needed.
    So it's pain now for pleasure later!

    That would be one way to manage traffic but has many disadvantages. I do not think that bridges or underpasses would be a good idea for the elderly or disabled. Increased vehicle speeds would increase noise pollution and pose safety risks to pedestrians and cyclists.

    How about moving the cars into underground tunnels? I've seen this in Madrid. These could easily tolled & it would discourage illegal parking. Speeding fines could be imposed at the exits & serious offenders could have their vehicles impounded at that point. NCT, tax and insurance checks could also take place at a great saving to law-abiding motorists.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭saobh_ie


    I'm concerned about the possibility of people coming up to a road with a newly reduced speed limit and moving into the roadway, on foot, bicycle, car or lorry into a gap they wouldn't have when the road was 50kmh.

    Because I personally doubt that the traffic will go at 30kmh, it never ewent at 50kmh. People drove as fast as they could for as long as they could. Generally between 10 and 70 kilometers per hour. Down the quays and certain other streets I've see people in excess of motorway speeds.

    Perhaps the 30kmh thing is so that when a Garda spots somebody breaking a red light they can run after them?

    I know I've never once looked at my speedo in the city... ie. between the airport, blanchardstown and dun laogharie... while in there the only limiting factor on my speed is my ability to stop on my own side of the road in the distance I can see to be clear and know it will remain clear... plus three meters for every ten kilometers per hour. =]

    If the Gardaí begin serious enforcement of a 30kmh limit in the city center your going to find a sudden increase of pedestrains under wheels as people spend more time looking at stuff inside thier vechile rather than whats going on around and in front them.

    Also, at no time should you consider a number printed on a sign a safe speed to travel at. Often times a speed considerably slower than the speed limit is the safe speed for a set of circumstances, similary, travelling at twice the limit is not nessesaryily dangerous to anyone or anything except your wallet as your favourite means of transportation drinks fuel.

    Where are they going to post these limits, signs will be on the sides of the road with lots and lots and lots of other clutter (I only look at whats moving) and paint marks on the roads will be obscured by the cars sitting on top of them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭saobh_ie


    I agree, cameras are the only way to go, if people are ever to obey speed limits on these streets.
    However I suggest that ALL the revenue collected is RING-FENCED and put towards installing overhead bridges like they have in DART stations, or underpasses like the ones the drug dealers/users used to gather in out in Ballymun.
    Then we could introduce on the spot fines for jay-walking,
    in order to reduce pedestrian fatalities.
    Then eventually cars can travel at a faster speed through the city
    with fewer sets of pedestian lights needed.
    So it's pain now for pleasure later!

    Our urban spaces are for pedestrians, tunnels and bridges definitally should not be considered for them, if anybodys going in tunnels it should be vechile traffic.

    I'm also opposed to speed cameras because they only work on long straight roads with good sight lines, where in my opinion they are not needed.

    As for fines for jaywalking to reduce pedestrian fatalities, I doubt it would The people who sprint across the road in front of traffic usually make it. Any time I've done it or seen it done people wait for a safe moment to walk or run.

    A lot of pedestrain fatalies are outside of city centre in suburbian or the countryside, where vechiles travelling too fast surpise people walking on or crossing the road, vechiles out of control mount the footpath that type of situation. They're not generally at fault, and never legally at fault as any one in control of any vechile has to exercise a duty of care or some such to safegaurd the lifes of people who could be hurt by the two ton "killing machine" that they're driving.

    Eventually I'd like to see people travelling faster through the city center, on trains or buses. Roll on 2106.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    On all of the smaller city streets, I'd like to see a swipe card system in place. At the entry point to the street, upon swiping a card, a bollard in the centre of the street slides down and the car is allowed proceed.

    This system, which I understand is being introduced in parts of Barcelona, regulates traffic to those that have been issued with the cards (taxis, residents, ministerial mercs etc) and drastically reduces the amount of traffic on the streets. Everyone benefits.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Metrobest wrote:
    On all of the smaller city streets, I'd like to see a swipe card system in place. At the entry point to the street, upon swiping a card, a bollard in the centre of the street slides down and the car is allowed proceed.
    Its in use in Temple Bar (using PIN numbers, not cards). In a few places (Blanchardstown Village (Scotts?) roundabout) there are "bus gates" (only buses allowed through) that work by various means (transponder on bus, sensor detecting size of bus).
    saobh_ie wrote:
    If the Gardaí begin serious enforcement of a 30kmh limit in the city center your going to find a sudden increase of pedestrains under wheels as people spend more time looking at stuff inside thier vechile rather than whats going on around and in front them.
    30kmh means "slow the f*** down". You don't need to look at your speedo.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭saobh_ie


    It doesn't matter how slow people are going in the city certain, from what I've observed they'll still run people over.

    I complelty agree in principle to people slowing down to an appropiate speed, 30 kmh as a legal limit in the city center is fine by me, I'd have no problems sticking to it... I think I probaly spend most of my time below it.

    Traffic doesn't usually move faster than that anyway does it?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    saobh_ie wrote:
    Traffic doesn't usually move faster than that anyway does it?
    If the road is clear, I've seen people doing very inappropriate speeds.


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