Revised Rules of the Road booklet published

Navan Junction

From ireland.com, 02.06.06

A revised draft of the Rules of the Road booklet has been published this morning by the Department of Transport.

The new rules are designed to reflect changes in Irish motoring in the 11 years since the last Rules of the Road was published.

Most road users read the Rules of the Road when faced with the prospect of sitting their driving test, but all road users should be aware of the need to constantly update their knowledge and skills

The booklet contains details of the new metric speed limits, penalty points and on-the-spot fines, as well as providing information and guidance on the use of motorways, cycle lanes, bus lanes and rules applying where the Luas is in operaton. It also addresses the Theory Test and the National Car Test.

In 1995, when the then environment minister, Labour's Brendan Howlin,

there were 1.26 million licensed vehicles on Irish roads. That number has now almost doubled to over 2.1 million.

"Most road users read the Rules of the Road when faced with the prospect of sitting their driving test, but all road users should be aware of the need to constantly update their knowledge and skills and to be aware of changes to road traffic legislation," Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said.

"Driving is a lifelong skill which requires lifelong learning and I urge road users to use the initiatives which are being launched to improve their driving skills," he added.

They will be displayed on the Depatrment's website to give motoring organisations and ordinary drivers a chance to comment. The consultation process ends on June 30th.

When finalised, the rules will be published in the autumn in a variety of languages.

© The Irish Times/ireland.com

robfitz

Here is a link to the Draft.

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=7604&lang=ENG&loc=1225

Alun

At a first glance, it appears to be just that ... a slightly revised version of the old ROTR, with just a few minor revisions, although there's no change log or anything so difficult to be 100% sure what's actually changed.

IMO, they missed an opportunity to scrap the whole miserable thing and start all over again and produce something decent along the lines of the UK's Highway Code.

Chris_533976

I bet they havent included the new 120kmh DC limit.

cyclopath2001

Have a look at the 'Shared Footpath/Cycle Track' sign on page 39. As far as I can tell (from looking up the relevant statutory instruments) that's not a legally defined road sign.

Cycle tracks on footpaths have to be separated from the pedestrian part. There's no mention of this either.

Looks like a rush job.

probe

Navan Junction wrote:

From ireland.com, 02.06.06

A revised draft of the Rules of the Road booklet has been published this morning by the Department of Transport.

This document is nothing more than a half-baked poorly designed, highly selective summary of the laws governing road use.

It does little to show the driver of a vehicle how to drive in a professional manner.

I don't know why they didn't just translate the French Code de la Route (published by Michelin) into the Irish environment. While the French book costs about €16 a copy, it does the job it is supposed to do in a comprehensive way (over 300 pages).

How can they expect an improvement in driver behaviour and safer roads if the government continue to foist crap signage that is totally at variance with the norms used in the rest of the world (ie Geneva convention etc), crap driver training, crap driver testing, crap motorway wire crash barriers, and now a crap code de la route on the travelling public?


http://www.eyrolles.com/Loisirs/Livre/9782067117617/livre-code-de-la-route-permis-vehicule-leger-2006.php

ISBN: 2067117610

probe

robfitz

cyclopath2001 wrote:

Have a look at the 'Shared Footpath/Cycle Track' sign on page 39. As far as I can tell (from looking up the relevant statutory instruments) that's not a legally defined road sign.

That is correct.

cyclopath2001 wrote:

Cycle tracks on footpaths have to be separated from the pedestrian part.

I don't think that is correct. A shared use surface is fine but for a cyclist to be able to cycle on the footway the surface must have left and right hand white lines.

cyclopath2001 wrote:

Looks like a rush job.

It can't be, they had something like ten years to work on it.

cyclopath2001

robfitz wrote:

I don't think that is correct. A shared use surface is fine but for a cyclist to be able to cycle on the footway the surface must have left and right hand white lines.

SI 274/1998:
"cycle track' means part of a road, including part of a footway or part of a roadway, which is provided primarily for the use of pedal cycles"

A 'shared surface' is not fine.

The law provides that part of the footway can be provided for cycling & it describes in detail that how that part should be marked. Clearly that part is intended to be separate from the part reserved for pedestrians.

I would agree that more time has been spent drafting many exceptions for motorists to use cycle tracks than has been applied to properly describing how cycle tracks should be constructed.

The sign depicting a bicycle and pedestrians is not a lawful road sign, it has no place in the ROTR.

Lennoxschips

GENERAL Motorways may not be used by:

• Persons not holding full driving licences for the category of vehicle being driven,
• Vehicles with an engine capacity of 50cc. or less,
• Vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50km/h (vehicles capable of a speed of 50km/h may use a motorway whether or not propelled by an internal combustion engine),
• Vehicles which do not use pneumatic tyres, • Certain invalid carriages, • Pedal cyclists,
• Pedestrians,
• Animals.

Does this mean you can go on the motorway with a 124 cc Vespa, provided you have a full license?

dr zoidberg

Yes most people think that mopeds are banned from the motorways but technically most of them aren't as they're nearly all at least 50cc and capable of 50-55 km/h (certainly with the speed limiter removed, and even with it) - of course most moped drivers are provisional licence holders anyway so it doesn't come up
-Edit- officially a moped is a vehicle capable of not more than 45 km/h so anything above requires a motorcycle licence - so officially they're not allowed.

Chris_533976 wrote:

I bet they havent included the new 120kmh DC limit.

I don't believe the law has changed regarding this, the standard DC limit is still 100 but a Local Authority can impose the maximum 120 speed limit on certain stretches, as in the case of the N2 Finglas-Ashbourne.

--

The rules mention

the name of the county of registration in Irish at the top of the plate

as a requirement. Now I've never understood why then the Dublin registration plates all say "Baile Átha Cliath". This means Dublin town, and refers only to the city, in irish the county is "Contae Áth Cliath". So technically a lot of licence plates are violating the rules of the road. You could argue the city as being everywhere that has a postcode, but even so Lucan, Rathcoole, Balbriggan, etc. should not be "Baile Átha Cliath", they should be "Áth Cliath". It's very strange that the government would seem to get this wrong, and depressing that nobody notices.

Victor

dr zoidberg wrote:

Now I've never understood why then the Dublin registration plates all say "Baile Átha Cliath". This means Dublin town, and refers only to the city, in irish the county is "Contae Áth Cliath". So technically a lot of licence plates are violating the rules of the road. You could argue the city as being everywhere that has a postcode, but even so Lucan, Rathcoole, Balbriggan, etc. should not be "Baile Átha Cliath", they should be "Áth Cliath". It's very strange that the government would seem to get this wrong, and depressing that nobody notices.

Nope.

There is only one licencing authority in Dublin - Dublin City Council and all the cars that have "..-D-...." in their reg are registered in the city.

dr zoidberg

I see - that clears that one up then.

Lennoxschips

-Edit- officially a moped is a vehicle capable of not more than 45 km/h so anything above requires a motorcycle licence - so officially they're not allowed.

So if you have a motorcycle license you can go on the motorway with a 60 km/hr Vespa. In most other countries in the EU only full-on motorcycles are allowed on the motorway.

seamus

Lennoxschips wrote:

So if you have a motorcycle license you can go on the motorway with a 60 km/hr Vespa. In most other countries in the EU only full-on motorcycles are allowed on the motorway.

Actually, the problem is the minimum motorway speed. You are not allowed drive on a motorway if the vehicle you are driving cannot maintain 50km/h. In reality, it should be higher.

Scooters/mopeds with an engine capacity of 50cc or less can't be brought onto a motorway, regardless of how fast it can go, or the licence of the person driving it. The bulk of mopeds that you see teenagers on are 49cc. A vespa with a 125cc engine can do a little more than 60km/h

Victor

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=7607&lang=ENG&loc=1887

Cullen publishes Draft Revised Rules of the Road
2 June 2006

Transport Minister, Martin Cullen T.D. has announced today (Friday, 2nd June 2006) that the revised draft of the Rules of the Road booklet is now available on the Department of Transport's website for public consultation Draft Rules of Road The draft follows a comprehensive review of the booklet and the public are now being given an opportunity to have an input into the revised document.

"The Rules of the Road is an essential tool for all road users. Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers of all types of vehicles need to be fully familiar with the Rules of the Road. In 1995, when the Rules of the Road booklet was last published, there were 1.26 million licensed vehicles on Irish roads. Ten years later that number has almost doubled to 2.14 million and it is growing. For this reason, I am engaging in a public consultation phase in order to give road users the opportunity to comment on the revised booklet and to contribute to the development of the new revised version" the Minister stated.

"Most road users read the Rules of the Road when faced with the prospect of sitting their driving test, but all road users should be aware of the need to constantly update their knowledge and skills and to be aware of changes to road traffic legislation. The Road Safety Authority recently launched the first in a series of instructional type road safety advertisements dealing with specific driving manoeuvres. Driving is a lifelong skill which requires lifelong learning and I urge road users to use the initiatives which are being launched to improve their driving skills", the Minister stated.

The revised booklet includes information on new initiatives in road traffic law that have been introduced since the last version of the document was produced. These include the revised metric speed limit system, penalty points and fixed charges, cycles lanes, the Theory Test, the National Car Test, and rules for road users where the LUAS is in operation. The Minister said that road users should be aware that the document reflects the most up to date position with regard to road traffic law.

Road users will in future have access to an updated document on a regular basis. The revised document will be an evolving one. It will be updated on the website as new initiatives come on stream. The changes will be clearly highlighted. When finalised, the document will be made available in a number of other languages to ensure that as many drivers as possible from other countries become familiar with the rules of the road.

Individuals and interested parties have until the 30th June to submit comments on the draft revised Rules of the Road. They can do so by writing to Road Safety Division, 25 Clare St., Dublin 2, or by e mail to, rulesoftheroad@transport.ie by 5pm on Friday 30 June 2006.

ENDS

Iób

dr zoidberg wrote:

Now I've never understood why then the Dublin registration plates all say "Baile Átha Cliath". This means Dublin town, and refers only to the city, in irish the county is "Contae Áth Cliath". So technically a lot of licence plates are violating the rules of the road. You could argue the city as being everywhere that has a postcode, but even so Lucan, Rathcoole, Balbriggan, etc. should not be "Baile Átha Cliath", they should be "Áth Cliath". It's very strange that the government would seem to get this wrong, and depressing that nobody notices.

Dublin is Baile Átha Cliath.
Co. Dublin is Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath

Stark

The city pretty much is the county these days anyway. Urban sprawl and all that.

D'Peoples Voice

dr zoidberg wrote:

The rules mention as a requirement. Now I've never understood why then the Dublin registration plates all say "Baile Átha Cliath". This means Dublin town, and refers only to the city, in irish the county is "Contae Áth Cliath".

Same with TAXIs, I had to pay a taxi driver mad money to dirve me from the Barge pub(charlotte quay) to Dundrum, because Dundrum I was told was in another local authority district. Ever since i stick to nightlinks!

dr zoidberg wrote:

So technically a lot of licence plates are violating the rules of the road. You could argue the city as being everywhere that has a postcode, but even so Lucan, Rathcoole, Balbriggan, etc. should not be "Baile Átha Cliath", they should be "Áth Cliath". It's very strange that the government would seem to get this wrong, and depressing that nobody notices.

The same with the GAA, we have been playing "bangers" for years! No other county has noticed that although we call our team Dublin city, we still allow players from Dublin county play. It is the GAA after all, a retarded organisation if ever there was one!

Victor

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

Same with TAXIs, I had to pay a taxi driver mad money to dirve me from the Barge pub(charlotte quay) to Dundrum, because Dundrum I was told was in another local authority district.

You were ripped off. Yes they are in different council areas, but they are in the same meter area.