M50 Speed Limit

alanmosulli

Dont know if this has been brought up before but isnt the speed limit on the M50 a bit ridiculous at 100kmph. I mean there are narrower roads that are 100kmph in the country! I know if you check out the M50 on Wikipedia, it says that the reason for the 100km speed limit is due to the bends in the road but come on, they arent exactly chicanes! Sure the M7 to Cork/Limerick has bends and its still 120kmph! In the Driver theory test, if you are asked what is the speed limit of a motorway, would you answer 100kmph?? I dont think so! If the traffic is slow, people naturally slow down anyway.

Cookie_Monster

sightlines and narrower lane and the complete inability of Irish people to drive properly are the reason.

M.J.M.C

We can't have the people who just use the middle lane going any faster than 100KPH, they are a danger enough as it is

alanmosulli

In fairness though there are three lanes on a wide open road! They should divide up the limits of each lane in that case like they do in the US (have a slow, intermediate and fast lane on the outside). Its either a motorway or a national road, cant be both. Its the only motorway I know of where the speed limit is 100kmph.

M.J.M.C

I'm sorry, but have you been on it lately?

Your idea re 3 different speeds wouldn't work. People would still just use the middle lane.

We spent so much time bitching about the traffic on the m50 and wanting a 3 lane motorway, now that we have it 95% of people can't bloody use it correctly!

crisco10

The shiney new 3 lane section of the M1 is now 100kph. When it was a 2 laner, it was 120kph!

Assume its a three lane thing? or lane width?

Bullseye1

Another NRA ****up.

-Chris-

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Another NRA ****up.

NRA or local council?

alanmosulli

From wikipedia - "The original speed limit on the M50 was 70 mph (112 km/h) which was increased to 120 km/h when all speed limits in the Republic of Ireland became metric in 2003. The Southern Cross Route (the extension from Junction 12 to Junction 14) was given a lower limit of 60 mph (96 km/h) with a decimal limit of 100 km/h after 2003. This was because of its more undulating terrain, tighter and more frequent curves and resulting shorter sight lines. Because of the doubling of the number of running lanes along most of the route, which has shortened sight lines and increased lane changing, and due of the high number of junctions, the entire length of the route has (with the exception of the sections from Junction 1 to Junction 3 and Junction 14 to 17) the same speed limit, of 100 km/h, since it was completely upgraded (2007–10)"

Ehhhh there are junctions in Limerick too and the road still stays at 120kmph. Even in Cork, they changed the speed limit from 100kmph to 120kmph on the way out to Little Island and Cobh.

Stark

I missed the part where they added extra junctions during the upgrade.

alanmosulli

Also, in regards to three lanes being difficult to manage??...they have three lanes with varying speeds in Germany and the US.

Losty Dublin

Stark wrote: »

I missed the part where they added extra junctions during the upgrade.

Perhaps they meant that there are more lanes etc onto the junctions that where there; some of them are greatly expanded from their origial design and layout.