30kph speed limit history soon?

Moses7

U Turn on ridiculous speed limits?

Hope its true, but I have a bad feeling all these folks behind it are not very happy to say they were all wrong....

robbie_998

i actually tried driving down the quays at 30KPH and it was ridicules.

too slow and was being overtaken by everything else on the road including bicycles.

of course there were one or two fools who did give wonderful hand gestures for my speed.

i said to myself feck it and went with the pace of the traffic.

i hate speeding though and never do it but the 30kph thing is a load of rubbish

Anan1

Last time I checked, some people finding something 'annoying' did not make it wrong.

kildare.17hmr

Anan1 wrote: »

Last time I checked, some people finding something 'annoying' did not make it wrong.

Have you tried it? most cars have trouble driving at that speed over a distance

Anan1

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Have you tried it? most cars have trouble driving at that speed over a distance

I regularly drive at 30km/h without problems. How do the Germans manage it, I wonder?:)

GreeBo

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Have you tried it? most cars have trouble driving at that speed over a distance

What sort of trouble? User error?

Moses7

if you are driving a manual, then it is easier to go 50 kph than 30 kph. Well at least in my old Vectra.

Eric Cartman

Anan1 wrote: »

I regularly drive at 30km/h without problems. How do the Germans manage it, I wonder?:)

sure the germans love the 30s , things went a bit wrong in the 40s though

also the lights are perfectly calibrated for 60km/h ...atleast thats what i heard.....

LordSutch

Anan1 wrote: »

I regularly drive at 30km/h without problems. How do the Germans manage it, I wonder?:)

Maybe down a small laneway or cul-de-sac, but 30 km/h is 18 mph in old money (2nd gear) :cool:

Mr. Manager

I never got what exactly people meant by "dangerous" or by "having trouble maintaining the speed"

How come I can drive down the quays in 2nd gear, not have a problem going 30Kph yet so many people can't abide? And in what world is it that makes it dangerous to drive 30 kph down the quays?

LordSutch

Cereal Rapist wrote: »

How come I can drive down the quays in 2nd gear, not have a problem going 30Kph yet so many people can't abide? And in what world is it that makes it dangerous to drive 30 kph down the quays?

I'm not doubting that we could all travel along the Quays in 2nd gear, its possible alright, but not very realistic, and try doing it when the quays are clear of other traffic & pedestrians. I thing 50km/h (30mph) is a more realistic speed limit for the Quays, & I think that's what's going to happen.

congo_90

Depending on conditions I can generally get my car to cruise automatically at 25 kmh in 2nd by gently goin off the clutch and allowing the torque take over.

30 is soo slow! I can easily exceed this speed on a bicycle and have!

Mr. Manager

LordSutch wrote: »

I'm not doubting that we could all travel along the Quays in 2nd gear, its possible alright, but not very realistic, and try doing it when the quays are clear of other traffic & pedestrians. I thing 50km/h (30mph) is a more realistic speed limit for the Quays, & I think that's what's going to happen.

Every time I use the quays I stick to 30. Granted I feel a bit silly at times but it's only for a short stretch.

Tragedy

I've been overtaken on the Quays by cyclists.

cosmic

I always meticulously stick to the 30 limit in the city centre (for fear of getting caught speeding more than anything else!). However, I've found that occasionally at large junctions i can't get through the lights on time, even when there's no traffic. It's green when I enter, turns amber and has turned red before I'm through the junction. Bizarre that they didn't adjust the timers on the lights to the new speed limits.

opinion guy

Anan1 wrote: »

I regularly drive at 30km/h without problems. How do the Germans manage it, I wonder?:)

You are talking about the same people who refuse to cross a road unless the pedestrian light is green - even if its 4am, they've had beers and there hasn't been a car on the road for ten minutes.

muckwarrior

I don't get what people's problem with the 30 speed limit is. It's only in a small area where there are a lot of pedestrians only a foot or two away from traffic. 30kph also happens to be a speed that most cyclists can maintain.

djimi

I have tried to stick to 30km/h in the city, but in all honesty I spent more time looking at my speedo to ensure I was still doing 30 than I did looking at the road. I dont tear around, I drive safely and most of the time I wouldnt even be doing 50 in the city center even if it was allowed, but in my eyes 30km/h is a ridiculously slow speed limit to set. Its not impossible to stick to 30km/h, but its an effort, and anything that distracts motorists from the real job in hand (maintaining full awareness of their surroundings) is a bad thing in my eyes.

Like I said in another thread, when its busy, when safety is really an issue, its hard to even get up to 30km/h, and when its not so busy, when you can actually get some flow in driving, then 50km/h is perfectly sufficient. In my opinion there is absolutely no threat to pedestrians or anyone elses safety by cars travelling at up to 50km/h thru the city center, and any pedestrians that are in danger have most likely put themselves in danger by not taking proper precautions while crossing the road and by generally doing as they please and not taking heed of the cars around them. The onus of responsibility needs to be put on pedestrians for their own safety, not on the car drivers, and I would prefer to see a €100 on the spot fine introduced for jaywalking, rather than speed limits designed to slow cars to a crawl.

veritable

muckwarrior wrote: »

I don't get what people's problem with the 30 speed limit is. It's only in a small area where there are a lot of pedestrians only a foot or two away from traffic. 30kph also happens to be a speed that most cyclists can maintain.

Why not extend the 30km/h limit to everywhere there are pedestrians?

djimi

muckwarrior wrote: »

I don't get what people's problem with the 30 speed limit is. It's only in a small area where there are a lot of pedestrians only a foot or two away from traffic. 30kph also happens to be a speed that most cyclists can maintain.

You could argue the same about any road with a footpath running alongside it. If pedestrians stayed on the path where they belong, crossed at pedestrian lights like they should instead of taking a chance running out across traffic, and cars stay on the road as they should, then there should be no need for a limit like this. How many instances are there in a year of cars mounting the footpath because of speeds of around 50km/h and injuring or killing pedestrians? Few if any Id imagine.

muckwarrior

veritable wrote: »

Why not extend the 30km/h limit to everywhere there are pedestrians?

Because the density of pedestrians tends to be much higher in the city centre. More of a chance of getting bumped into and falling onto the road. More of a chance of eejits wandering across the road (I know, arguably they deserve whatever they get). Also there are places in the city centre where streets and footpaths are narrower than a suburban area, therefore pedestrians are closer to the traffic.

How many instances are there in a year of cars mounting the footpath because of speeds of around 50km/h and injuring or killing pedestrians?

I've no idea, put I did see a guy on O'Connell street one morning who was after being run over by a delivery truck whilst waiting at a pedestrian crossing. Not a pleasant sight.

Eric Cartman

muckwarrior wrote: »

I've no idea, put I did see a guy on O'Connell street one morning who was after being run over by a delivery truck whilst waiting at a pedestrian crossing. Not a pleasant sight.

it was a tesco truck, and the driver went unconscious for some reason, speed had nothing to do with it ,

Anan1

Eric Cartman wrote: »

it was a tesco truck, and the driver went unconscious for some reason, speed had nothing to do with it ,

How so - wouldn't the speed of the truck affect the ability of the pedestrian to react? Not to mention the effect of the impact.

muckwarrior

The truck also ploughed through a traffic light pole. 20kph less and it might have been enough for the pedestrian to get out of the way.

veritable

muckwarrior wrote: »

Because the density of pedestrians tends to be much higher in the city centre. More of a chance of getting bumped into and falling onto the road. More of a chance of eejits wandering across the road (I know, arguably they deserve whatever they get). Also there are places in the city centre where streets and footpaths are narrower than a suburban area, therefore pedestrians are closer to the traffic.

How many people have been killed/injured on the quays by speed in the past years?

I would say very few if any.

So there is no logical reason for having this ridiculous speed limit. The beaurocrats in the Dublin CO co are well happy with themselves - trying to show us that they're actually doing something.

kildare.17hmr

Anan1 wrote: »

I regularly drive at 30km/h without problems. How do the Germans manage it, I wonder?:)

GreeBo wrote: »

What sort of trouble? User error?

Anan thats great for you but i have driven many cars that would have trouble traveling at this speed over a long distance, some your talking 2nd gear with no accelerator and possably riding the break so as not to break the limit, and as has already been mentioned the amount of concentration required to maintain that speed by looking at clocks when you should be looking at the road. It was a bad idea when it was introduced and that hasnt changed

the_syco

Eric Cartman wrote: »

it was a tesco truck, and the driver went unconscious for some reason, speed had nothing to do with it ,

Dunno, but I'm thinking if the driver was in 2nd gear, and his foot slumped forward, the truck would go faster quicker than if he was in a higher gear?

=-=

Also, to go at such a speed, you'd have to coast, with no control over your acceleration, except maybe some pressure on the break. If you are going at 50, you can keep your foot at a certain level, and know that's how fast you'll be going. At 30, you'll be coasting often enough, and constantly checking the speed on your dials.

djimi

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Anan thats great for you but i have driven many cars that would have trouble traveling at this speed over a long distance, some your talking 2nd gear with no accelerator and possably riding the break so as not to break the limit, and as has already been mentioned the amount of concentration required to maintain that speed by looking at clocks when you should be looking at the road. It was a bad idea when it was introduced and that hasnt changed

Its tricky enough in my Integra. 3rd gear it too high a gear and given the poke out of 2nd its quite difficult to use it as a cruising gear. Like I said above it is an effort, and end of the day the question has to be asked whether it is safer to have a driver going 40 or 50 but fully in control of and fully aware of their surroundings, or someone who is concentrating more on sticking to a 30km/h speed limit and as a consequence is not able to give full attention to the road?

kildare.17hmr

djimi wrote: »

Its tricky enough in my Integra. 3rd gear it too high a gear and given the poke out of 2nd its quite difficult to use it as a cruising gear. Like I said above it is an effort, and end of the day the question has to be asked whether it is safer to have a driver going 40 or 50 but fully in control of and fully aware of their surroundings, or someone who is concentrating more on sticking to a 30km/h speed limit and as a consequence is not able to give full attention to the road?

Yeah i agree, 50 is a much safer speed to be traveling at for the reasons pointed out above

Anan1

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Anan thats great for you but i have driven many cars that would have trouble traveling at this speed over a long distance, some your talking 2nd gear with no accelerator and possably riding the break so as not to break the limit, and as has already been mentioned the amount of concentration required to maintain that speed by looking at clocks when you should be looking at the road. It was a bad idea when it was introduced and that hasnt changed

I don't think i've ever driven a car that I couldn't keep at 30km/h for a bit, and i've driven a few. TBH, I don't buy this idea that people actually find it hard to do, as opposed to just not wanting to do it.

Del2005

cosmic wrote: »

I always meticulously stick to the 30 limit in the city centre (for fear of getting caught speeding more than anything else!). However, I've found that occasionally at large junctions i can't get through the lights on time, even when there's no traffic. It's green when I enter, turns amber and has turned red before I'm through the junction. Bizarre that they didn't adjust the timers on the lights to the new speed limits.

It doesn't matter what the lights do after you've entered the junction on a green, you still have right of way till you have cleared it. I've entered some junctions on 50 or 60km/h roads when following traffic and haven't cleared the junction before the lights have gone red for my direction, I just keep going. It's even more fun in an truck/bus when you are the only vehicle that gets through a green cycle

BTW if your car won't do 30km/h easily you can always go slower in a lower gear:D

Guy:Incognito

LordSutch wrote: »

Maybe down a small laneway or cul-de-sac, but 30 km/h is 18 mph in old money (2nd gear) :cool:

How does you car know what type of road its on and adjust it's behaviour to give trouble on the quays

af_thefragile

I have never driven through the city center at 30kmph. Its just too slow and ridiculous!

Today I was trying to do 30kmph and I was getting overtaken by buses on the left and everything else on the right or was holding a lot of traffic behind me.

I just keep pace with the traffic and the average speed every one drives at in the city is around 40-50kmph. Even the cyclists don't do 30kmph!

I have yet to see someone driving through the city center at 30kmph.

And everyone who says they drive through the city at 30kmph is just plain lying or they only drive during rush hour when you're just sitting in your car stationary the whole time. Even then when the cars move, a lot of times you go faster than 30kmph.

Maybe in some countries with narrow and crowded roads 30kmph seems fine.
But Dublin city roads are not very narrow neither are they that crowded most of the time to be able to be dangerous doing anything above 30kmph...

D_murph

Tragedy wrote: »

I've been overtaken on the Quays by cyclists.

I wonder if they get speeding tickets there :rolleyes:? I realise that a mechanically propelled vehicle is required in order to get a ticket but the cog wheels and chains are mechanical to me. Whether the fuel source comes from petrol/diesel or a human powered by food should be irrelevant. You can still hurt someone badly on a bike if they walk out in front of you.

Which brings me to another point later on in this post.

cosmic wrote: »

I always meticulously stick to the 30 limit in the city centre (for fear of getting caught speeding more than anything else!). However, I've found that occasionally at large junctions i can't get through the lights on time, even when there's no traffic. It's green when I enter, turns amber and has turned red before I'm through the junction. Bizarre that they didn't adjust the timers on the lights to the new speed limits.

Bizarre indeed as they did say they were going to in order to make it pointless to speed in the first place .

djimi wrote: »

.....In my opinion there is absolutely no threat to pedestrians or anyone elses safety by cars travelling at up to 50km/h thru the city center, and any pedestrians that are in danger have most likely put themselves in danger by not taking proper precautions while crossing the road and by generally doing as they please and not taking heed of the cars around them. The onus of responsibility needs to be put on pedestrians for their own safety, not on the car drivers, and I would prefer to see a €100 on the spot fine introduced for jaywalking, rather than speed limits designed to slow cars to a crawl.

djimi wrote: »

You could argue the same about any road with a footpath running alongside it. If pedestrians stayed on the path where they belong, crossed at pedestrian lights like they should instead of taking a chance running out across traffic, and cars stay on the road as they should, then there should be no need for a limit like this. How many instances are there in a year of cars mounting the footpath because of speeds of around 50km/h and injuring or killing pedestrians? Few if any Id imagine.

These points exactly^. It was taught to us in school. The safe cross code, remember? You look each way before crossing to make sure it is safe and not just barge out onto the road blindly in the hope that you will not be hit by a car like another Darwin award :rolleyes:.

veritable wrote: »

How many people have been killed/injured on the quays by speed in the past years?

I would say very few if any.

So there is no logical reason for having this ridiculous speed limit. The beaurocrats in the Dublin CO co are well happy with themselves - trying to show us that they're actually doing something.

Exactly, its just another way of making it look like they are doing something when in fact, all it is doing is making the life of motorists harder/more annoying and ignoring the fact that the pedestrians need to watch out for their own safety too.

But no!! Just lump another ridiculous speed limit on the ever guilty until proven innocent motorist and tell us afterwards that if he/she had obeyed it, the clueless person that walked out into traffic without looking would still be alive and punish them accordingly :rolleyes:.

Im not saying that pedestrians are always wrong or drivers are always right here either but it does seem lately that no matter what kind of stupidity a pedestrian does, if they get hit by a car, the driver of that car is always at fault and a more common sense approach needs to be taken by all sides in order for everyone's safety.