Why was the standard of motorways downgraded?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123686459#Comment_123686459

In reality, anything going between 50 and 70km/h slower than the rest of the traffic on a motorway is just a rolling hazard. Every motorway has an alternative route open to all vehicles so why not make these manifestly unsuitable vehicles use that?

KrisW1001

Heavy goods vehicles can travel at 90 km/h on roads under motorway regulations that have a speed limit of 120 km/h. (The law is specific about “motorway”: on a dual-carriageway with 120km/h limits, they cannot exceed 80)

Road tractors are speed limited to 60 km/h so that they remain safe off-road, so raising their speed limit is pointless.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123699330#Comment_123699330

M1 to J7 will he widened at some point, beyond that I don’t think so. I’m not sure if the McAleese Bridge has enough room for D3M like the estuary one had.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123697916#Comment_123697916

I do agree it is the parochial mindset when it comes to infrastructure projects that has held Ireland back.

medoc

Wasn’t me that mentioned anything about truck drivers. When the regulations were made no agricultural vehicles could get anywhere near 50k but that’s no longer the case. Rather than prohibiting vehicles by use surely a higher minimum speed is the way to go. In normal circumstances (excluding heavy traffic or poor weather) any vehicles slower than 80k are a danger on a motorway.

Hotblack Desiato

It's not a minimum speed though, it's a "capable of exceeding" speed.