Reduction in motorway speed limits proposed 120 km/h to 110 km/h

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 19-07-2020 01:41PM #1

What do people think of this?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40018148.html

On one hand, I can see the positives of reducing speed which will reduce the accordion effect when people waltz across two or three lanes to their exits, which will also reduce emissions and accidents and congestion.

I'm all for rigid enforcement of reduced speed limits in residential and built up areas with harsh penalties but will the reduction in motorway speeds really have an impact? Especially if it's only haphazardly enforced with speed cameras at ridiculous locations, ie at the end of a slip road where people accelerate to merge safely.

Motorways are among the safest roads in Ireland, I'd guess most accidents are not speed related, although I've nothing to back this up. Irish motorways are very modern and you could probably travel upto 160 km/h without crashing.

It's a dreadfully written article, btw:

It is reported that during negotiations on the Programme For Government, the Greens looked at cutting the 120 km an hour speed limit for cars and trucks to 110 km/hr.

Rigid trucks are limited to 100 km/h and artics to 90 km/h anyway.

Is the new proposed reduced limit applicable to motorbikes?

In saying all this. A 100 km commute will only take an extra 4.5 minutes

Mooooo · 19-07-2020 01:44PM

Optics, bring in something to say they did it when it'll make f-all difference, even if enforcement was there. With covid pushing public transport is off for the next 12 month's anyway seeing as capacity won't be there.

nthclare · 19-07-2020 01:45PM

Some car's run cleaner when going faster, this is just the Greens being control freaks again.

I say bring it up to 130 kph

bazz26 · 19-07-2020 01:46PM

They might be better off focusing on staying awake first.

Thierry12 · 19-07-2020 01:46PM

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

What do people think of this?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40018148.html

On one hand, I can see the positives of reducing speed which will reduce the accordion effect when people waltz across two or three lanes to their exits, which will also reduce emissions and accidents and congestion.

I'm all for rigid enforcement of reduced speed limits in residential and built up areas with harsh penalties but will the reduction in motorway speeds really have an impact? Especially if it's only haphazardly enforced with speed cameras at ridiculous locations, ie at the end of a slip road where people accelerate to merge safely.

120km/h is nothing to modern cars

We should be increasing if anything

Everyone will be in electric/pluggin hybrids with close to zero emission in future anyway

Waste of time and money imo

19-07-2020 01:47PM

Greens going out of their way to alienate the voting public. Daft proposal which will meet stern resistance.

YellowBucket · 19-07-2020 01:47PM

Completely pointless. 120km/h is also a de facto norm across most of Europe and cars are designed to be efficient at those speeds.

All it will do is annoy people and cost a load of money in redoing thousands of road signs.

If we are going to move to zero emission cars, we need to put reliable infrastructure in place and that’s precisely why they have been very slow to take off.

Can we perhaps tackle some of the actual issues:

Poor public transport infrastructure & lack of frequency.
Poor cycling infrastructure.
Poor EV infrastructure.

Bashing people over the head with unpopular stuff like this is a way to drive Ireland towards being resistant to green policies. It’s counterproductive nonsense.

jimmycrackcorm · 19-07-2020 01:49PM

Motorways are the safest of our roads so it's pointless.
If it's a climate based argument them focus more on public transportation.

99nsr125 · 19-07-2020 01:50PM

Deregulate, be progressive and liberal follow
the strongest country in Europe Germany :-)

pete4130 · 19-07-2020 01:52PM

I'm in Australia and its pretty much 110kmh bar parts of the Northern territory.

There isn't a huge difference. It takes an extra 5 minutes to drive 100km reducing from 120khm to 110kmh. Most commutes wouldn't be 100km in Ireland. and then, only a portion would be on roads that are 120kmh.

ratracer · 19-07-2020 01:52PM

The spin being put out from the greens is that it will help people reduce their fuel costs!! What a load of tripe! I know going 10km/h slower reduces my cost by a few cents.

Motorways are by far the safest segment of our road network, if anything the speed limit on them should be increasing by 10km/h not decreasing.

DriveSkill · 19-07-2020 01:54PM

Sorry but this type of proposal if it was in any way serious just shows how out of touch Greens are if they think this is a sensible option. The logistics and costs associated with making this change (all physical signs, rules of the road publications, Driver Theory test etc) would far out-weigh any negligible benefit.

There are better incentives where money could be spent (if we had the money given everything else going on!)

YellowBucket · 19-07-2020 01:54PM

Isn’t that simply because they rounded the speed limits differently though?

Australian cars are generally far less CO2 efficient than European counterparts too. So I wouldn’t be citing Aussi as a wonderful example to follow on most environmental issues, particularly CO2 reduction.

Leonard Hofstadter · 19-07-2020 01:55PM

If the Greens have their way we'll all be back to living in caves.

This is an utterly daft and moronic proposal on so many levels.

120 is NOT, I repeat, NOT fast for a motorway. There is no safety issue - none whatsoever with travelling at 120 on a motorway. Motorways were designed the express intention of allowing people to travel quickly - and safely - around the country.

If anything, we should be raising them to at least 130 or even 140 to be in line with other European countries like France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, etc.

This will allow the wealthy voters in south county Dublin who make up a substantial portion of the Green party's voter base feel that little bit better about their exotic holidays and SUVs, but it will make SFA difference for cutting carbon emissions.

In other words, it's virtue signalling at its absolute worst.

un5byh7sqpd2x0 · 19-07-2020 01:55PM

YellowBucket wrote: »

Completely pointless. 120km/h is also a de facto norm across most of Europe and cars are designed to be efficient at those speeds.

Isn’t 130 the norm across the continent? It is in France anyway

cj maxx · 19-07-2020 01:58PM

It will make things easier for me.
Living close to the border there's nothing as annoying as driving behind a northern car doing 70mph while you're doing 120 kph. That 4mph less is annoying.

The Tetrarch · 19-07-2020 01:59PM

Fwiw I think about 75 kmph is the most efficient speed for saving fuel.
Dawdling along at that speed could be a negative for the economy, with expensive skilled workers spending more hours in their cars, and less hours in production.

Motorists would probably agree with better policing of motorways, but that is not of interest to the Greens.
The Greens will only focus on the climate change aspect of any situation.
The bigger picture, or the whole picture, is not for the Greens.

is_that_so · 19-07-2020 02:04PM

Not an outrageous notion, find myself about that speed more often these days. I do agree that the bigger immediate issue will be capacity, with public transport not looking like it'll pick up the usual slack.

YellowBucket · 19-07-2020 02:04PM

Adriel Angry Food wrote: »

Isn’t 130 the norm across the continent? It is in France anyway

120 seems to be the most commonly implemented motorway speed limit. A few places with 130 (France and lot of Eastern Europe).

What would make a hell of a lot of sense here for emissions and smoothness of journey would be to have variable speed limits on the entire M50, the N40 and all major clog prone motorway / dual carriage way and even some single carriageway routes.

If for example at peak times you dropped the speed limits on the clogged bits of motorways to realistically low, and had a public education campaign, you could get rid of the “red wave” brake phenomenon that causes huge tailbacks and also reduce stop/start rev / brake of engines, which would cut local emissions and save a lot of fuel.

Also regular reminders to keep your distance and allow merges / merge like a zip signage would make a hell of a lot of sense in those areas.

KaneToad · 19-07-2020 02:09PM

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

120 is NOT, I repeat, NOT fast for a motorway. There is no safety issue - none whatsoever with travelling at 120 on a motorway. Motorways were designed the express intention of allowing people to travel quickly - and safely - around the country.

They don't want the reduction to improve safety. They want it to decrease emissions - which it would. I hope they're not successful.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 19-07-2020 02:12PM

YellowBucket wrote: »

Also regular reminders to keep your distance and allow merges / merge like a zip signage would make a hell of a lot of sense in those areas.

'Tis my lane.

Some Irish motorists are vindictive and tend to accelerate to prevent people merging.

Some even speed up and slow down to thwart other drivers.

YellowBucket · 19-07-2020 02:12PM

The other issue is a very high % of drivers are cruising along at well over 120 all the time anyway.

Set your cruise control to 120 and you’ll be passed on the M8 by I would reckon 70% of traffic.

So you’re really looking at a very expensive signage project that will result in no changes.

punisher5112 · 19-07-2020 02:13PM

France is 130km/h and 110km/h in wet.

Germany autobahn is no limit mostly.

The greens will absolutely ruin what bit of enjoyment there is left in driving.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! · 19-07-2020 02:16PM

YellowBucket wrote: »

The other issue is a very high % of drivers are cruising along at well over 120 all the time anyway.

Set your cruise control to 120 and you’ll be passed on the M8 by I would reckon 70% of traffic.

So you’re really looking at a very expensive signage project that will result in no changes.

If they want to enforce it then average speed cameras are the only answer.

Changing signage, updating the theory book and CD updating the statue book etc will cost more than the reduction in emissions and saving in fuel.

Haphazard speed vans will cost more than the fines will bring in and will probably cause accidents by lunatics braking who are already below the limit.

kona · 19-07-2020 02:21PM

The sooner this government is gone the better. Its just git ****show written all over it.

nthclare · 19-07-2020 02:36PM

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

If the Greens have their way we'll all be back to living in caves.

This is an utterly daft and moronic proposal on so many levels.

120 is NOT, I repeat, NOT fast for a motorway. There is no safety issue - none whatsoever with travelling at 120 on a motorway. Motorways were designed the express intention of allowing people to travel quickly - and safely - around the country.

If anything, we should be raising them to at least 130 or even 140 to be in line with other European countries like France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, etc.

This will allow the wealthy voters in south county Dublin who make up a substantial portion of the Green party's voter base feel that little bit better about their exotic holidays and SUVs, but it will make SFA difference for cutting carbon emissions.

In other words, it's virtue signalling at its absolute worst.

The only problem is if we're living in cave's these greens won't allow us to light a fire to warm ourselves.

Most of the Greens I know are upper middle classes who have plenty of money and contact's to sustain a comfortable lifestyle.

Another bunch of looney lefties telling us all to live in poverty while their buddies are profiteering off us with their oil and diesel guzzling windmills on hills.

They're mostly social justice warriors too.

is_that_so · 19-07-2020 02:38PM

kona wrote: »

The sooner this government is gone the better. Its just git ****show written all over it.

Eh, they've only been there for about 3 weeks.

boggerman1 · 19-07-2020 02:40PM

Didn’t the lettuce party not try this the last time they were in power too

punisher5112 · 19-07-2020 02:41PM

is_that_so wrote: »

Eh, they've only been there for about 3 weeks.

Yeah and look at how terrible they are, they were in before and ruined us with extra tax and stealth taxes....

NSAman · 19-07-2020 02:53PM

Stupid and wasteful of public finances at a time when money is haemorrhaging out due to a virus.

Changing signs, changing many aspects of motoring. If this is what is proposed straight off, it is a sign of the ridiculous crap that is to come.

Leave it alone.

pete4130 · 19-07-2020 02:54PM

YellowBucket wrote: »

Isn’t that simply because they rounded the speed limits differently though?

Australian cars are generally far less CO2 efficient than European counterparts too. So I wouldn’t be citing Aussi as a wonderful example to follow on most environmental issues, particularly CO2 reduction.

I didn't point out Australia as an environmental example. I pointed out the time difference to drive 100km at 110kmh compared to 120kmh.

Australian cars are just as efficient as any car that is available in Ireland and Europe. There is more choice here for larger engine vehicles considering it is about 91 times the size of Ireland.

If you were to drive the Wile Atlantic Way in Ireland at 2600km long, it would take 21.6 hours at 120kmh or 23.6 hours at 110kmh. If you could drive at thos speeds the whole time.

Reduction in motorway speed limits proposed 120 km/h to 110 km/h

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