Miles to Kms - converter for dash ?

Silvera · 10-01-2005 12:52am #1

Have any motor maufacturers/maindealers/motor factors in Ireland stated that they will provide permanent stickers, for speedo dials, due to the new metric changes ?

i.e. a transparent sticker with kms marked on it, which you would simply stick onto the dashboard cover directly over the speedo.

[CrimsonGhost] · 10-01-2005 11:05am

Every house is getting delivery of a little card with details and it includes 2 stickers for your dash with conversions on it. Not exactly what you're looking for I know, but it should suffice.

CJhaughey · 10-01-2005 11:43am

Silvera
I would say you would be better to buy a proper Km speedo face and get it fitted.

CrowdedHouse · 10-01-2005 11:48am

Silvera...to hell with it..buy an 05 !!

FX Meister · 10-01-2005 11:55am

Surely to get a KM dash fitted would cost quite a bit? Isn't in pretty labour intensive to get to that past of the dash.

Alun · 10-01-2005 12:30pm

Seriously, folks, you'll get used to the equivalents after a few days, believe me. Haven't any of you driven on the continent before?

Chalk · 10-01-2005 12:33pm

just use a calculator like that chap on the news said,
theres probably one on your phone........

Clinical Waste · 10-01-2005 12:36pm

Chalk wrote:

just use a calculator like that chap on the news said,
theres probably one on your phone........

And if you can text whilst driving should be no prob using the calc.... :eek:

egan007 · 10-01-2005 12:41pm

.....it's not that hard to see the KMph on the dash, anyway you can still drive in Miles ph!!!

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 12:46pm

Silvera wrote:

Have any motor maufacturers/maindealers/motor factors in Ireland stated that they will provide permanent stickers, for speedo dials, due to the new metric changes ?

i.e. a transparent sticker with kms marked on it, which you would simply stick onto the dashboard cover directly over the speedo.

Just thinking - unless the motor factors stock model specific stickers then they will be of no use. Also when putting the stickers on, will these be on the glass of the instrument cluster on on the actual dial? If they are on the glass then there could well be inaccuracies because people won't line them up correctly.

loyatemu · 10-01-2005 1:21pm

yeah - they would be inaccurate due to the parallax effect (i think)

any the equivalents are very easy to remember
50k=30m
60k=40m (actually 37)
80k=50m
100k=60m
120k=75m

the 60k limit is the one to be careful with as its slightly less than the previous equivalent, but then again the chance of being clocked going 3 mph over the limit (or indeed going any amount over the limit or committing any other motoring offence) is very small.

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 1:23pm

loyatemu wrote:

then again the chance of being clocked going 3 mph over the limit (or indeed going any amount over the limit or committing any other motoring offence) is very small.

not according to some recent posts here!

D!ve^Bomb! · 10-01-2005 1:49pm

so will the guards be a little more leniant when it comes to drivers who are slightly over the limit when this thing comes into play?

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 1:50pm

I would doubt it - it is a great opportunity for them to flex their muscles!

FX Meister · 10-01-2005 2:34pm

loyatemu wrote:

but then again the chance of being clocked going 3 mph over the limit (or indeed going any amount over the limit or committing any other motoring offence) is very small.

I got a ticket for doing 43 in a 40 zone. Woops

Eoin · 10-01-2005 2:42pm

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

so will the guards be a little more leniant when it comes to drivers who are slightly over the limit when this thing comes into play?

Not a chance - I think it even made the front page when they said that absolutely no breaks would be given.

seamus · 10-01-2005 2:43pm

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

so will the guards be a little more leniant when it comes to drivers who are slightly over the limit when this thing comes into play?

No, gladly.

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 2:49pm

I wonder will the gardai now show up on some minor roads now that the limit is dropping to 80kmph/50mph or around areas with the new 30kmph/19mph limits.

edit: there is a website for the changeover but its pretty crap - www.gometric.ie

FX Meister · 10-01-2005 4:20pm

Didnt the minister for transport say the gardais were told to take it easy for a little while?

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 4:24pm

I would doubt it as the Min. for Transport has no jurisdiction over the actions of the gardai.

joolsveer · 10-01-2005 4:38pm

Now I'm no mathematician but there seems to be an error on the official web site where it says "Some speed limits are going up and some are coming down.* The most significant change is that the speed limit on regional and local rural roads will drop from 60mph to 80 km/h (50mph), a reduction of 20%.".
By my calculations the reduction is 16.67%.
It isn't a very informative site either.

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 4:47pm

I did say it was pretty crap!

Micra_Man · 10-01-2005 7:39pm

If any of you's drive a Japanese car, try and source a speedo from a Jap import, there all in kilometres, I have a '90 Micra, and I got a speedo from a Jap import Nissan March, shouldn't be too hard to fit either.

Our man in Havana · 10-01-2005 7:59pm

It should be noted that though by-laws councils will be able to set 100 km/h limits on some R roads if they choose.

Silvera · 10-01-2005 8:07pm

The reason I asked is that somebody here mentioned (a few months ago) that there MAY be such converter stickers available.

I'm sure we will get used to the new limits soon enough.

Strangely though, most people will still be thinking in mph rather than kph as we will have to mentally convert the new signs back to mph

........ kinda defeats the purpose of kph signs ?!!

Also, I suspect the price of sechondhand 'jap import' kph speedos will go up :rolleyes:

Our man in Havana · 10-01-2005 8:23pm

I see the new signs are now actually in use. Saw council workers in kilkenny removing the old signs and fixing the km/h signs in place. All go now!

jlang · 10-01-2005 10:57pm

Parts of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown have had their signs changed - N11 and Fosters Ave at least, where 30s and 40s are now 50 and 60 respectively. With a mph speedo the difference between 31mph and 37mph is hardly worth the trouble.

From next week the most talked about 'ridiculously low' speed limit the Stillorgan Road at the Belfield flyover will actually have been reduced (from 40mph to 60km/h). Could they not have gone for 70km/h for at least some of the 40mph limits?

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2005 11:01pm

from last week's Oirish Times...
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/motoring/2005/0105/1215490647MOT05LEAD.html

Chance to alter too-low speed limits missed
Patrick Logue

Local authorities have missed an opportunity to change inappropriately low speed limits during the metrication of speed limits, according to motoring representatives.

From January 20th, new kilometres-per-hour limits will be indicated by thousands of new signs. Limits will range from 30km/h (18mph) in some high risk locations to 120km/h (nearly 75mph) on motorways.

But Conor Faughnan of AA Ireland told Motors he believes the changeover provided an opportunity for local authorities to get rid of some controversially low limits which "drag speed limits in general into disrepute".

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) chief executive, Cyril McHugh, agrees. Local authorities and the National Roads Authority "have a job to do in ensuring there are no unrealistically low limits on roads capable of taking a better speed," he says.

Faughnan, a member of the Metrication Changeover Board (MCB), says: "It's to be regretted that some inappropriate limits were not addressed during this exercise. It's dis-appointing that locations where so many drivers have incorrectly earned penalty points have not been addressed. A badly set low speed limit is as bad for road safety as a badly set higher limit."

Dublin's Stillorgan Dual carriageway at the Belfield fly-over, Galway's Quincentennial Bridge and Cork's Blackpool bypass have been the subject of repeated complaint from motorists to the AA. A list of such locations was sent to local authorities last March. "Some local authorities responded well but others did not," says Faughnan.

He believes, however, that new 30km/h (18mph) limit at high-risk locations is appropriate in some cases but will be "very, very rare".

"For example, it could be used on Grafton Street during the delivery window or in housing estates," he said. "It certainly won't become widespread. One of the bits of misinformation is that the limit will be outside every school."

He also welcomed the new 80km/h (50mph) limit on non-national secondary routes as "unreservedly a good thing".

McHugh said metrication would "refocus people's minds on the speed limits. We certainly saw when penalty points came in and were being properly enforced, people did slow down and deaths on the roads decreased."

Local authorities will be able, for the first time, to apply different limits on different lanes, allowing slower speeds on lanes leading to sliproads on motorways.

The authorities will also be able to apply different limits on motorists travelling in opposite directions so that motorists leaving a village will not have to travel as slow as vehicles approaching it.

A €2 million information campaign, including distribution of 1.8 million leaflets and TV advertising, was delayed until the end of December to avoid clashing with Christmas advertising.

Brian Farrell of the National Safety Council, also an MCB member, says the "heavyweight campaign of intense messaging" would be sufficient to reassure motorists. "If we had gone too early it would have caused more confusion."

unkel · 11-01-2005 1:45am

joolsveer wrote:

By my calculations the reduction is 16.67%

What way do you calculate? Using 4 significant digits as you are, the reduction is 17.13%

joolsveer · 11-01-2005 8:06pm

60
50
10
0.166666667

I divided the difference by 60

unkel · 12-01-2005 2:20am

joolsveer wrote:

Now I'm no mathematician

joolsveer wrote:

drop from 60mph to 80 km/h (50mph), a reduction of 20%.".
By my calculations the reduction is 16.67%

Still using your 4 significant digits, 60 mph = 96.54 kph

So the (relative) reduction in the limit is 100% * (96.54-80.00) / 96.54 which is 17.13%

joolsveer wrote:

60
50
10

Ah in that calculation you are only using 2 significant digits. In which case the reduction is 100% * (60-50) / 60 = 17%

ambro25 · 12-01-2005 8:45am

Most (reasonably) modern cars already have secondary km/h markings, so why all the fuss?

Or has this been instigated by the "I-drive-with-my-eyes-on-the-speedo-and-not-1-mph-above-the-limit" brigade?

Miles to Kms - converter for dash ?

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