[Article] New speed limits get minister's green light

Victor

By "single-lane country roads" I presume they actually mean two lane (one each way) country roads.

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/1261150?view=Eircomnet

New speed limits get minister's green light
From:The Irish Independent
Monday, 25th August, 2003
Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

SPEED limits are to be cut on some roads and increased on others.

The limit will come down by 10mph on single-lane country roads and in some urban areas where there is heavy pedestrian use, the Irish Independent has learned.

But there will be a slight increase in the maximum speed allowed on motorways, and some other roads will have their limits raised.

These will include the busy Stillorgan dual-carriageway in Dublin where the present 40mph ceiling is often criticised as being too slow.

A Government review group suggests the new limits should be introduced next year when the country is changing from miles-per-hour (mph) to metric measurements of speed.

The increase in motorway speeds is proposed for simplicity of conversion but the others are recommended for safety reasons.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan said last night he accepted the broad thrust of the group's recommendations and would move to bring in the changes from next June.

One recommendation is that the white circle with a black cross sign denoting the end of a restricted limit should be scrapped in favour of signs showing specific speeds.

The current 60mph on narrow single lane country roads is to be reduced to 50mph.

Many fatal accidents occur on these roads. They account for more than 70pc of the country's total road mileage.

The review group proposes cutting the 30mph limit to less than 20mph at schools and other high-risk areas where there is a concentration of pedestrians.

But speeds on other roads are being increased. The Stillorgan and other dual-carriageways on the approaches to cities will have their limits increased to 50mph.

The general motorway speed limit is to rise to 74mph - an increase of 4mph - to bring it to 120kph.

The 60mph limit for wide single-lane highways with hard shoulders will remain though it may be marginally tweaked upwards to accommodate the new metric speeds.

The recommended metric limits for other roads are:

* 80kmh (50mph) on narrow country roads.

* 50kmh (30mph) in urban areas.

* 30kmh (just over 18mph) at high-risk pedestrian areas such as schools.

Speeding is one of the main causes of deaths and serious injuries.

The group proposing the changes was set up to examine speed limits in the context of the changeover to metric and the safety implications involved.

Mr Brennan is due to meet the group them within the next few weeks.

However, he stressed he did not want to see a proliferation of speed limits.

The minister said he would favour a 20mph limit around schools.

Meanwhile from today, drivers face two penalty points and fines of €60 for every child under 17 years not wearing a seatbelt or strapped into a suitable child seat. Under the extension of the penalty points scheme to seatbelts, passengers will also be fined €25 for not wearing seatbelts.