"Minister Varadkar announces nationwide audit of speed limits" (PR)

monument

Speed limit review announcement...

Minister Varadkar announces nationwide audit of speed limits

Plan aims to ensure all limits are both safe & sensible

Minister for Transport, Tourism, & Sport Leo Varadkar has announced plans for a nationwide audit of speed limits to ensure that all speed restrictions are both safe and sensible.

The Minister’s Department will shortly engage with the National Roads Authority and local authorities to conduct a nationwide audit of speed limits across Ireland.

Speed limit bands are set by the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport. However, specific limits applied on particular roads are determined by the local authorities, in consultation with the Gardaí and in respect of national primary and secondary roads with the National Roads Authority.


The aim of the audit is to start overhauling the inconsistencies between different counties and regions, and put an end to confusion among drivers. Although the process is expected to take some time, the audit will be a crucial first step.

The NRA and local authorities will be asked to conduct the audit in consultation with the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport. However, the Minister also encouraged members of the public to highlight their concerns with their own local authority.

Speaking today at the sod turning on two road schemes in Co. Westmeath: the N4 Downs Grade Road Separation, and the N52 Carrick Bridge to Clonfad Road Improvement Scheme Minister Varadkar said: “Recent road safety measures like speed cameras and new drink driving laws have gone a long way towards improving road safety. However, we need to ensure that the right speed limits are in operation on the right roads.

“We all know of cases where speed limits are inappropriately low or inappropriately high. I understand that there is some confusion among drivers about the various speed limits which should and do apply, as well as the approach to speed limit signage on national, regional and local roads.

“There are also allegations that local authorities are not consistent in how they decide on the appropriate speed limit, which has also contributed to driver confusion. Last year a new set of guidelines for special speed limits was published. This audit will follow on from that publication.”

The speed limit guidelines released last year are here: http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=13028&lang=ENG&loc=397

mydiscworld

Good idea overall.

There are some back roads with silly max speeds.

I can also think of some roads which need the speed increased. Eg. Between Citywest and Naas could be 120km, not the current 100km.

Also mentioined here
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/speed-limit-blitz-to-cut-carnage-on-our-roads-3012768.html

Rather dramatic title by Indo. At under 200 road deaths last year for first time ever, it's hardly carnage anymore. Three times as many dying from suicide each year...

Cedrus

Like this one!

Run_to_da_hills

Should have been done 10 years ago.

monument

It should have been done with the change over to km/h.

BostonB

They replaced a lot of the old dire roads with better safer and faster roads. That has a lot to do with improvements in the stats. Of course they've put a lot of inappropriately slow speeds on many new roads too.

If there rules/guidlines as to the appropriate speed on a road how come so many are out of whack?

foggy_lad

Just bring back the national speed limit and set it at a responsible 100kmh with an 80 limit on smaller Rural roads

Run_to_da_hills

We can see a roll out of Gatso cameras as soon as the new limits are revised.

Cookie_Monster

Cedrus wrote: »

Like this one!

Just because that is the limit does not mean you have to do it. Nothing wrong with a limit like that.

Outside of towns up them all I say!

the groutch

I like Leo's way of thinking, lower all the speed limits and rake in a heap of money in fines from people who are ignorant of the changes.

Victor

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

We can see a roll out of Gatso cameras as soon as the new limits are revised.

And surely if a certain speed is appropriate to a road, then that is the limit that should be enforced?

Anyway, can we stick to the topic of the audit?

Cedrus

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Just because that is the limit does not mean you have to do it. Nothing wrong with a limit like that.

Outside of towns up them all I say!

It's not so much the 80 limit, but what idiot bureaucrat thought it needed a sign and what initiative deficient crew actually spent time erecting it? Even if it connects directly to a 120kmh dual carriageway it doesn't need a sign.

Victor

Cedrus wrote: »

It's not so much the 80 limit, but what idiot bureaucrat thought it needed a sign and what initiative deficient crew actually spent time erecting it? Even if it connects directly to a 120kmh dual carriageway it doesn't need a sign.

So, explain this to me.

CIE

foggy_lad wrote: »

Just bring back the national speed limit and set it at a responsible 100kmh with an 80 limit on smaller Rural roads

Lovely. That would mean the railways, that themselves have been artificially speed-limited, can become competitive again. (That is, instead of modernising the railways, yes?)

Cedrus

Victor wrote: »

So, explain this to me.

Explain what exactly? The boreen, the limit, the sign or the absurdity of putting them all together?

Victor

You suggest it doesn't need a sign. How are people who don't know what is around the corner as they come off the dual carriageway to know what would be an appropriate speed to travel at?

ardmacha

How are people who don't know what is around the corner as they come off the dual carriageway to know what would be an appropriate speed to travel at?

People should observe road conditions and drive safely, sign or no sign.
The purpose of speed limits is to provide a straightforward legal means of prosecuting louts, not telling people what speed to drive at.

Amirani

mydiscworld wrote: »

Rather dramatic title by Indo. At under 200 road deaths last year for first time ever, it's hardly carnage anymore. Three times as many dying from suicide each year...

Agreed. Ridiculous, sensationalist title.

Cedrus

Victor wrote: »

You suggest it doesn't need a sign. How are people who don't know what is around the corner as they come off the dual carriageway to know what would be an appropriate speed to travel at?

They could take driving lessons if they need help deciding the appropriate speed for a grassy boreen.

It was not my photo, nor an original suggestion that it was inappropriate, I must credit the AA for that.

The AA is asking for your help to report badly set speed limits up and down the country.
Boreens with grass growing up the middle and an 80kph limit. Very safe major roads with triple and even four-lane carriageways but speed limits so low that you barely feel that you are moving. The setting of Irish speed limits has become a mess.

AA Ireland

Markcheese

There's about 8 km of dual carriage way between Cork and Carrigtohil that has a 120kph speed limit...the road's good enough but because it's not motorway u share it with tractors, jcbs,scooters and sunday morning cycling groups...
Make it one thing or another.if it's not a motorway drop the speed limit.. If it is get rid of the tractors

foggy_lad

CIE wrote: »

Lovely. That would mean the railways, that themselves have been artificially speed-limited, can become competitive again. (That is, instead of modernising the railways, yes?)

Obviously the motorway limit would remain as it is:) bad news for the railways.

SeanW

Anyone who needs a speed limit sign to tell them to take it easy on a grass lined boreen shouldn't be on the road.

Markcheese

Came up behind a slurry tanker with 2 tiny lights on the ballincolig bypass last night, while legally doing 120kph, couldn't see tractor lights cause the tanker was so high.... Grumble grumble

LFCFan

There are many roads that were 60MPH (mainly national secondary roads) before the changeover to KM/H and are now 80KM/H. A lot of these should be put back to 100KM/H in this Audit. The M50 should be 120KM/H again

Victor

LFCFan wrote: »

There are many roads that were 60MPH (mainly national secondary roads) before the changeover to KM/H and are now 80KM/H.

In rural areas, the default speed limit on national routes is 100km/h.

hognef

LFCFan wrote: »

There are many roads that were 60MPH (mainly national secondary roads) before the changeover to KM/H and are now 80KM/H. A lot of these should be put back to 100KM/H in this Audit. The M50 should be 120KM/H again

I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I imagine the M50 is 100 km/h due to the high density of traffic on that road. Higher speeds can reduce the capacity of the road, so it's perfectly feasible that a higher limit will actually reduce the actual speed. So it is possible that somebody actually thought about this before the limit was settled on.

LFCFan

Victor wrote: »

In rural areas, the default speed limit on national routes is 100km/h.

I'm talking about the secondary routes that were always the national speed limit (white circle with black diagonal line). My road was always 60mph but is now 80kph. Same goes for roads which are now served by motorways or dual carriageways. When there was more traffic they were 100kph and then when the bypasses are built they reduce the speed on the old routes when there is less traffic. To me this seems to be more about pushing traffic on to the bypasses than road safety.

LFCFan

hognef wrote: »

I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I imagine the M50 is 100 km/h due to the high density of traffic on that road. Higher speeds can reduce the capacity of the road, so it's perfectly feasible that a higher limit will actually reduce the actual speed. So it is possible that somebody actually thought about this before the limit was settled on.

Fair enough, but why should that same limit be applied when the road is quiet? Why not use digital speed limit signs so the limit can be changed depending on the circumstances, e.g. heavy traffic times, bad weather, quiet traffic times etc.

hognef

Fair enough, but why should that same limit be applied when the road is quiet? Why not use digital speed limit signs so the limit can be changed depending on the circumstances, e.g. heavy traffic times, bad weather, quiet traffic times etc.

Absolutely agree with you. Don't think it'll happen anytime soon though.

Bazzer2

hognef wrote: »

I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I imagine the M50 is 100 km/h due to the high density of traffic on that road. Higher speeds can reduce the capacity of the road, so it's perfectly feasible that a higher limit will actually reduce the actual speed. So it is possible that somebody actually thought about this before the limit was settled on.

I was under the impression that the reason the M50 speed limit was reduced to 100km/h was due to the reduced lane widths after the upgrade was completed.

LordSutch

monument wrote: »

It should have been done with the change over to km/h.

Well said, but too logical no doubt :cool:

Victor

LFCFan wrote: »

Fair enough, but why should that same limit be applied when the road is quiet? Why not use digital speed limit signs so the limit can be changed depending on the circumstances, e.g. heavy traffic times, bad weather, quiet traffic times etc.

That might be possible, but would need gantries every few hundred metres and there would be substantial cost involved.

Cedrus

According to The Big Book the M50 can be restricted in accordance with 9.(2) (e) 100 kilometres per hour, in respect of a motorway, a non-urban regional or local road or a road in a built-up area.

Mark200

About the M50 - I heard a guy from the Dept. Transport on the radio ages ago and he was asked about this. His answer was that this is because of the amount of lanes and the distance between exits off the motorway. There is a certain time that they need to give a driver to transfer between lanes. So their speed limit is calculated based on the time it'd take to get from the outside lane to the inside lane between exits. Hence why similar motorways with fewer lanes can have a higher speed limit

hognef

Mark200 wrote: »

About the M50 - I heard a guy from the Dept. Transport on the radio ages ago and he was asked about this. His answer was that this is because of the amount of lanes and the distance between exits off the motorway. There is a certain time that they need to give a driver to transfer between lanes. So their speed limit is calculated based on the time it'd take to get from the outside lane to the inside lane between exits. Hence why similar motorways with fewer lanes can have a higher speed limit

That sounds strange to me -- with proper signposting it should be no problem for people to plan their safe return to the inside lane well before reaching their exit, regardless of the distance between exits. But then, maybe the department are of the belief (same as most Irish drivers, it would seem) that the inside lane is only meant for crossing immediately before exiting the motorway...

Going Forward

Victor wrote: »

You suggest it doesn't need a sign. How are people who don't know what is around the corner as they come off the dual carriageway to know what would be an appropriate speed to travel at?

If they cannot determine what is an appropriate speed to drive on a 7 foot wide road, they should not be allowed out on their own, never mind being given a drivers license.