30km phr speed limit rant

gabsdot40

Ever since I got 2 penalty points for speeding coming off the M50 I always stick to the stupid 30km speed limit now.
yesterday I had some idiot driving right up behind me, beeping and flashing his lights. Then he zoomed past flashing a bit more.
I was driving at the speed limit. ffs.

ThisRegard

It's a 100, 120 in places, on the M50. There's only a handful of places where it's 30.

chucknorris

The spot you're talking about is a nightmare.

The best thing to do when someone is tail gating is to let him over take and make sure you look straight ahead with a big smile on your face.

Murt10

ThisRegard wrote: »

It's a 100, 120 in places, on the M50. There's only a handful of places where it's 30.

Coming off it there's loads of places. Everyone just ignores it.

Pixxes me off no end having such stupid limits. Making criminals of people for driving at a normal appropriate speed for the road and the conditions.

I accept that sometimes 30 kph (18 mph) may be an appropriate speed, but to drive on the motorway anyway, we must (should) have a full driving licence. This means that we should be in a position to choose the appropriate speed, without the Nanny State putting in some stupid slow speed limit (just because they can).

The only thing about the recent penalty point fiasco that really pleases me is that the Gardai will now be caught by the same cameras.

As they can no longer wipe their own fines (and friends and relatives)and points with impunity, maybe they will try and get the RSA to set more reasonable and realistic speed limits, which I believe they (the Gardai) have an input in setting.

Gaspode

It's a pain alright, and driving that slow tends to create a danger as you can be ear-ended very easily.
However, for trucks/HGV it might be sensible - check out the walls on some of these bends - absolutely full of scrapes & dings where large vehicles are hitting them. The side of the road always has lots of bits of glass etc, so maybe there's some logic to the 30kph alright.

ThisRegard

Ah, you weren't very specific about where you're talking about. The exits from the M50 you mean. Yeah, they're a bit low, but as Gaspode says, there's no shortage of debris and marks from previous accidents. I rarely stick by it myself.

BohsCeltic

I got fined there aswell, it should only be for the likes of HGV's, it's more dangerous driving that corner at that speed in my opinion

Larbre34

A nonsense limit. If I was caught there id take it to court and challenge the decision to place the limit at that in the first place. I was able to do 30 on it in the bad ice a few years back.

It can be safely taken at 50, and 70/80 on the ragged edge.

dodzy

Larbre34 wrote: »

A nonsense limit. If I was caught there id take it to court and challenge the decision to place the limit at that in the first place. I was able to do 30 on it in the bad ice a few years back.

It can be safely taken at 50, and 70/80 on the ragged edge.

+1

I defy anyone here actually saying they stick to 30 at that point. It's not possible. I pass it every day and have NEVER seen anyone chock it up "driving miss daisy". Police vehicles included.

beauf

The limit would be too slow for cars, but maybe not for trucks on a bend like that? Is that the lowest common denominator.

Larbre34

beauf wrote: »

The limit would be too slow for cars, but maybe not for trucks on a bend like that? Is that the lowest common denominator.

Not by law. There are split limits in some continental countries and theres even a precedent here where some dual carriageways have 60 for the bus lane and 80 for general traffic.

Truck drivers would drive to the conditions there and on both approaches there is a decent uphill stretch which would naturally reduce the approach speed of heavy vehicles

I saw one poor sod in a Cavan reg Passat this morning trying to keep to the 30 limit on the lane heading for the City, he got cut off and blown out of it on all sides. Caused far more danger than if everyone had been making reasonable progress at 50/60.

bluefinger

try coming around one of those bends on a motorbike in wet/icy conditions. Even at twice the limit you still get reprobates tail-gating which is pure dangerous egomania.

beauf

I don't get your point. Do you think its appropriate for trucks and buses to do 60 on those curved exits? If not how can you legally restrict them to a lower limit. Personally I'm not a huge fan overtaking a truck on those bends.

The lane to the city centre starts of with 4 lanes of merging traffic then goes into a light controlled cross roads with more merging. If you are not used to the junction its a very confusing layout. While I feel its a bit slow for me. I know the whole junction very well. If that was a junction I didn't know well, I don't think I'd be barrelling in to it at 60.

beauf

I think people are assuming idea conditions, for setting the limit to the maximum they would drive through at.

That said I quite a dramatic drop in speed from the M50 to 30. It should be more gradual. Easy to get caught.

Maybe I'm wrong. I think the whole junction was is compromised because they didn't buy the site at total fitness. So everything was squeezed tighter as a result. Maybe that's overly simplistic.

muckwarrior

beauf wrote: »

I don't get your point. Do you think its appropriate for trucks and buses to do 60 on those curved exits? If not how can you legally restrict them to a lower limit.

The US has separate speed limit signs for HGVs. Don't see why we couldn't have the same here.

beauf wrote: »

I think people are assuming idea conditions, for setting the limit to the maximum they would drive through at.

How is that relevant? Surely every speed limit is for ideal conditions, otherwise they'd all be a quarter of what they are to allow for fog/snow/black ice etc.

beauf

But we don't have it here now. People want the speed limit set for their own ideal speed limit. They aren't thinking other lesser drivers in lesser vehicles. A lot of people don't have the sense to slow down. I don't think ye are thinking of the lowest common denominator.

Reminds me of the NSX story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/303005.stm

dodzy

beauf wrote: »

...... don't think I'd be barrelling in to it at 60.

surley 60kmh cannot really be classed as barrelling ??

beauf wrote: »

Maybe I'm wrong. I think the whole junction was is compromised because they didn't buy the site at total fitness. So everything was squeezed tighter as a result. Maybe that's overly simplistic.

you are not wrong. They made an absolute boll*x of it. Just look at the hoops you have to jump through to head southbound on M50 if you are leaving blanch village. It's a joke.

vickers209

Larbre34 wrote: »

Not by law. There are split limits in some continental countries and theres even a precedent here where some dual carriageways have 60 for the bus lane and 80 for general traffic.

Truck drivers would drive to the conditions there and on both approaches there is a decent uphill stretch which would naturally reduce the approach speed of heavy vehicles

I saw one poor sod in a Cavan reg Passat this morning trying to keep to the 30 limit on the lane heading for the City, he got cut off and blown out of it on all sides. Caused far more danger than if everyone had been making reasonable progress at 50/60.

Its split with buses here

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.2670349,-6.1598141,3a,75y,306.6h,84.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sOJNynDOl7FVcqi3_OwEJGg!2e0!6m1!1e1

beauf

dodzy wrote: »

surley 60kmh cannot really be classed as barrelling ??...

Everything in context.

Past30Now

dodzy wrote: »

They made an absolute boll*x of it. Just look at the hoops you have to jump through to head southbound on M50 if you are leaving blanch village. It's a joke.

Slightly off topic, but I agree 100% with this statement. The way they have set up that route actively encourages people to use Beechpark Avenue to access the southbound M50. A joke.

dodzy

beauf wrote: »

Everything in context.

Nope, anyway you slice it, that 30kph limit at that particular section of road is ridiculous, plain & simple.

beauf

dodzy wrote: »

Nope, anyway you slice it, that 30kph limit at that particular section of road is ridiculous, plain & simple.

Not in context? So you think you should do 60 regardless of conditions, or location.

Dr_Teeth

beauf wrote: »

Not in context? So you think you should do 60 regardless of conditions, or location.

30 on that stretch is completely unreasonable as a speed limit. That there may be poor conditions at times, or types of vehicles that need to drive more slowly than usual is not the issue. The limit on the motorway itself is a reasonable 100, but that doesn't preclude people driving slower than that if necessary.

beauf

What stretch do you mean. We were talking about the banked sections off/on the M50 but then it was switched to the blind dip and crest down to a cross roads. What speed do you think that stretch should have? It can be queued back a bit, which could be a nasty surprise, as (I'm open to correction) the sight lines aren't fantastic.

Dr_Teeth

The route from M/N3 to M50 southbound is the one that annoys me the most.

beauf

Thats a different bit again. Thats a really steep bank.

Dr_Teeth

There is no reason for that section to be 30. When absolutely every single type of vehicle is doing double the so-called limit, safely and without incident every day, that limit is ****ed.

beauf

Out of curiosity where do you look up the accident statistics for a specific bit of road?

spooky donkey

I heard that that bit of road got tested and that it was determined that it was safe to use at a limit of 40KPH But as we only had a limit of 30 they went with that. I did notice that in Spain recently that they had a 40kph limit, so why cant we.... I took that bend at 30 one day for the laugh and had some guy in a van behind me going mad and blowing his horn at me .... never did it at 30 after that.....
surprised to see they actually do people for it. I think ill stop using the M50 from Blanch from now on.....

dodzy

Dr_Teeth wrote: »

The route from M/N3 to M50 southbound is the one that annoys me the most.

1. The above section
2. The 30kph limit coming off the M50 Navan bound.

30kph in any conditions on above areas is a joke. For anyone who does not agree, try doing it, and you will see just how ridiculous it actually is.

rolion

And...in other news, the Garda speed van has few days since is parked on N3 left side towards M50,just before the entrance to Hospital.
I think is broke down since is so well hidden and moved off the driving path...waiting for AA recovery maybe !? They wont see it there until is too late...

Larbre34

beauf wrote: »

Out of curiosity where do you look up the accident statistics for a specific bit of road?

The National Roads Authority keep them and are available for a fee.

Are any of you crazy kids testing the 30kph limit? Ive seen a lot more bits of crash barrier and black a yellow arrow signs after being hit by cars on that section since this discussion started!