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130kmph instead of 120kmph on motorway

quantum_technician

The rest of Europe seems to have chosen 130kmph as a safe maximum speed. Ireland sticks to 120kmph.

This sacred cow should be reviewed.

Some countries like the Netherlands are looking to abolish lower speed limits which were introduced in the interests of safety and environment.

https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/new-130-kmh-speed-limit-be-introduced-selected-dutch-motorways

In the U.S. it can't be established that the National Maximum Speed Law which reduced speeds to 55mph in the 70s had any meaningful impact on fuel consumption or safety and it was repealed.

Apart from the RSA and the anti personal transport Activists who would object to speed limits being increased on stretches of road designed for a maximum safe speed of 130kmph.

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Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123201955#Comment_123201955

That’s because you’re doing less than 125. Speedos on cars are rarely accurate.

quantum_technician

If you are travelling on the M6 with few cars around 120kmph is needlessly slow.

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123201518#Comment_123201518

120 average. From junction 17 or 18 at portlaoise to junction 11 on M8 there's no congestion whatsoever and the same applies when continuing on until I hit the 100kph limit on the old glanmire bypass. The only time to momentarily slow down is going through the express lane at the tolls. Having driven to/from Dublin on the M7 regularly, a consistent 120 can be done all the way to/from Waterford, Cork and Limerick from/to junction 11 on the M7. However from that junction there on in towards Dublin it gets congested fairly quickly.

The entirety of the M9, M7 from Junction 11 to Limerick and M8 until you reach junction 18 could be increased to 130 were tractors banned from the network.

Buddy Bubs

I think increase it to 130kmph and change to driving on the right hand side on the same day. Be grand.

Kaybaykwah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123201468#Comment_123201468

Does it matter what the highway configuration is?

I’m telling you that the speed at which you travel in a vehicle dictates dangerousness. That’s not too hardcore for you is it?

Buddy Bubs

Taking Northern Ireland out of the equation, newry to cork is probably the longest motorway journey you can do in Ireland and it's 360kms

At 120kmph you can do it in 3 hrs or 180 mins, at 130kmph you can do it in 2 hrs 45 or 165 mins.

There's an almost 50kms section of m50 where I dont think even 120kms would be a good idea at most times of day considering the volumes so that 15 min gain above is reduced further.

Where is the benefit here and why would we go to the time and effort of debating it in government, changing all the road signs and increasing fuel consumption and emissions?

To hell with what Europe do, it's 100% not going to happen here and saying it's a good idea is only theoretical.

Zero upside to it, just leave your house earlier ?

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123202872#Comment_123202872

My take is the gains are only noticeable on very long drives, and at that distance, any stops to refuel, eat, or use the loo make it useless.

I do the Cork to Dundalk drive once a month, I've never gotten under 3 and a half hours. Once I hit Naas I'm into traffic and it's impossible to maintain 120kphm. It is barely possible to maintain 100kph without weaving between slower cars using the incorrect lane, and that continues until past the airport. All bets are off at rush hour, and the near daily crashes on the M50.

quantum_technician

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123202061#Comment_123202061

So you come to a figure of 6m58 and you are exclaiming that I am wrong. Should I have rounded down to 6 minutes to keep you happy? I too calculated from just past Lucan and just before entering Galway excluding the Athlone bypass. This is a road I know well and Google maps tells me 182km minus 7.9km now as it did this afternoon.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123202754#Comment_123202754

With tractors the closing speed can be problematic even travelling at 120.

Why exactly do we allow tractors on motorways ?

It would seem obvious that the majority of their work is off motorways and the locations of that work are served by other roads.

Lewis_Benson

Bring it upto 140kph.

Reduce the 100 zones to 80

80 to 60

Put speed cameras on all roads every kilometre.

Job done.

I'll have my government salary please.

Kurooi

We're only a small country with short roads, I don't see the point? cut 10 minutes out of my once in a year road trip to the other side of the country?

Rather than upping the limit I'd say focus on making sure people can go that 120kmh because most of the time there's fat chance of that.

quantum_technician

Your once in a year trip to or from the big smoke is a daily or weekly slog for others especially as Dubs have been priced out of the city.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203050#Comment_123203050

That's an absolutely nonsensical argument. You've already seen the numbers around how little difference a change like this would be on long long motorway journeys ....the difference would be miniscule on far shorter journeys.

Lots of people commute large distances to their workplaces or indeed lots of people travel exclusively for work, there are far more things that can be done to enhance their lives/jobs that don't include a 10km increase in speed limits on the lowest density roads in the country.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203050#Comment_123203050

You're not doing 120 or 130 if you're commuting into Dublin. Average speed on my car since I got it is about 30kmph!

quantum_technician

You don't know how far people are commuting these days. I pity them.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203009#Comment_123203009

It's a complete nonsense. 6 or 7 mins difference between Dublin and Galway? Big deal!

KrisW1001

Raising the limit by 10 km/h is a bogus suggestion to start with. Even the pitifully small projected time savings are based on some kind of fantasy universe where average speed equals the posted limit.

Raising limits on roads where those speeds are not attainable reduces traffic flow overall. This phenomenon is the reason why Variable Speed Limits (VSL) exist: like it or not, drivers treat the number on the signs as a recommendation, not a limit. If you tell someone "130" instead of "120" on a stetch of road where traffic volume has already limited speeds to 110, then the overall effect will be an even lower average travel speed, with uneven flow.

The only way this measure could work is as part of a national rollout of VSL on the entire motorway network, but I don't think that's what the OP is looking for, as it would result in lower limits than 120 applying in bad weather or busy periods.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203094#Comment_123203094

I do actually, the CSO publish the stats every now and again.....I commute myself.

quantum_technician

You are no clairvoyant. I like properly operated variable speed limits. I don't expect they would be properly operated in Ireland but where I have encountered them, they work well.

Big Gerry

Why can't we be like Germany and have no speed limits on the motorways ?

quantum_technician

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203170#Comment_123203170

There have been so many new estates built in the last two years that I don't think you actually do understand how quickly towns in Leinster are turning in to dormitory towns.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203183#Comment_123203183

How many of these people do you think, would benefit from a ten k per hour increase in speed limits on a motorway? The motorways going into Dublin on a rush hour day wouldn't be conduscive to anyone safely doing that speed unless far enough out from Dublin and at that the distances involved would mean absolutely miniscule improvements in commute time.....

quantum_technician

Loads but you just don't know them so aren't in a place to begin to empathize with them

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203147#Comment_123203147

yep, lots of people don't realise that in broader terms of getting people from A to B, it's not just how fast an individual commuter/vehicle is going, it's about how many of them per unit time you can get from A to B.

assuming a standard two second gap between each car (regardless of speed), each lane could only allow 30 vehicles per minute, max, arriving at point B. increasing the permitted speed does not actually change that. but it does increase the chance of a 'shock' to the system.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203173#Comment_123203173

The risk of death on a German motorway is around twice as high as on a British or Danish one.

https://etsc.eu/autobahn-speed-limit-would-save-140-lives/

quantum_technician

And some people don't realize that the default speed can be 130kmph dropping as needed proactively at times of the day when nearing full capacity. Proper systems drop in steps e.g. 110, 100, 90, 80 and then rise as rush hour eases...but 130kmph is the default speed, not 120. With adaptive cruise control linked to sign recognition it requires no effort/vigilance from drivers

quantum_technician

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203477#Comment_123203477

Thanks for the link to that opinion piece.

What you may not know is only a small percentage of the population travel above 130kmph on those increasingly fewer unrestricted stretches of motorway. Personally, I think the speed limit should be capped at 130kmph in Germany but that is off topic whataboutery which you are engaged in because my OP is about Ireland's 120kmph limit.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123203508#Comment_123203508

Thanks for the link to that opinion piece.

you're welcome! i'm glad you liked it. you probably spotted this line in it.

This finding aligns with a recent ten-country study by the OECD which showed speed increases are associated with an increased occurrence and severity of road crashes and vice-versa.

so that's very relevant to the topic of increasing speed limits on motorways. hope that helps.

quantum_technician

...and yet the speed limit in most European countries didn't reduce in the last 6 years. What does that say to you. I direct you to the Dutch pushing speed limits back up. See link at start of thread.

magicbastarder

that countries rarely change their motorway limits. is that a trick question?