Spain to reduce speed limits by 20%

245

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080729/tpl-spain-energy-oil-inflation-politics-9eb7866.html

Apparently it'll reduce its oil imports by 10%

Imagine the attraction for the government here - greater speeding fine revenue while people adjust and the Greens get to look like they've got influence in government/Fianna Fail get to prove their green credentials

drunkmonkey

the higher the price of oil the more the government get in vat, the faster we drive the more fuel we use, the more vat the government get....the more penalty points we get the higher our insurance premium, the more vat the government get...I think there getting enough as it is...no need for another stealth (green) tax...

If John Gormley thought this was a good idea and started upping fines i'd start to throw my rubbish out the car window.....I despise that man and his meglomanic logic, i'll say it again, no human or Island can change the weather......

Cookie_Monster

drunkmonkey wrote: »

the higher the price of oil the more the government get in vat, the faster we drive the more fuel we use, the more vat the government get....the more penalty points we get the higher our insurance premium, the more vat the government get....

So if they raised all limits, we'd all use more fuel they'll get EVEN more money. Surely one of the idiots up the in Kildare St would have though of this by now:)

useless

drunkmonkey wrote: »

the more penalty points we get the higher our insurance premium, the more vat the government get..

There's no VAT on insurance, but there is a 2% "Government levy".

Which smiley best describes pedantry?:)

Beta Ray Bill

BOOOOOO!!!!!!!

thats not good!

and as far as I am aware eco cars driven at high speed are less environmentally friendly than normal cars driven at the same speed.

perhaps thats why they are doing it also?

I just hope they don't lower the speed limit here.

ninty9er

grahambo wrote: »

BOOOOOO!!!!!!!

thats not good!

and as far as I am aware eco cars driven at high speed are less environmentally friendly than normal cars driven at the same speed.

perhaps thats why they are doing it also?

I just hope they don't lower the speed limit here.

Have you not noticed E92's sig. All designated dual-carriageways will become 120km/h up from 100km/h zones this September.

Zonda999

ninty9er wrote: »

Have you not noticed E92's sig. All designated dual-carriageways will become 120km/h up from 100km/h zones this September.

Oddly, thats the only place ive heard of these changes.Does anyone know where i'll find some official word on this??Cant wait for them, though, the 24th September afaik.There are some roads that are clearly as geood as motorways but still classed as national primarys, e.g the Ballincollig Bypass in Cork

E92

Speaking of speed limits, I only got back from Bantry(that's in Wesht Cork for those of you who think Ireland begins and ends in the pale) this evening and I was pleasantly suprised to find that when I went down the back road as it's known(that's when you go via Crookstown and Ballylickey) to find a speed limit of 100 rather than 80 km/h not far after Crookstown(the road is an R-road once you turn off for Crookstown on the main Cork-Tralee road) all the way up to just after Ballylickey when it becomes the N71 and goes back to 100 km/h anyway. That's the bones of 30 odd miles of R road that has had a speed limit upgrade.

Even better was on the way back to Cork I went up the "front road"(that's via Drimoleague, Dunmanway and Bandon) and again once you go left off the N71 for Drimoleague I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of that road has been upgraded to 100 km/h even though that road is an R road too until you hit Bandon.

Anyone who is familiar with these roads will know that they aren't exactly the widest roads in the world, and I can think of many other R roads that deserve 100, even in Cork(the old Cork-Dublin road being the obvious example), but no matter I'm not going to complain about being allowed to legally travel 25% faster:D!

As for the increase in speed limits mentioned in my sig, this was announced in the Irish Times a few weeks ago at this stage AFAIR; it concerns the the main Dublin to Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway roads and it involves the re-classifying of around 180 miles of Dual Carriageway; most of it under construction though at the moment), but the Carlow bypass(on Dublin-Waterford), the N6 Kilbeggan - Kinnegad scheme and the Cashel-Mitchelsrown as well as the Cashel bypass are all open to the public already and from September 24 these roads will be upgraded to Motorway and will as a result get a speed limit of 120 km/h(bar the 4 mile Cashel bypass) rather than the present 100 km/h.

Not that we should get totally carried away, remember that 90%+ of our roads got a speed limit decrease of 10 mph back in 2005, all those old 40 mph limits were downgraded to a painfully slow 37 mph(60 km/h), the M50 will be down to 100 rather than 120 when it is fully upgraded and all those N roads get decreased by 20 km/h whenever a new road gets built and they get downgraded to R roads too.

cyclopath2001

Here's a bit more on the Spanish proposal:

Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba has said lower speeds on the roads will only be introduced after an ‘agreed study’. The Interior Minister said that driving at 90kms/ hour did save 30% fuel compared to travelling at 120kms/ hour but any lower speed limits could only be introduced after a study was carried out. Rubalcaba also noted that correct tyre pressures could save 4% on fuel bills and claimed that driving with the windows open was 10% more expensive.

tw0nk

E92, do you know if it covers the 2 dual carriageways between dublin and wexford?

Matt Simis

E92 wrote: »

Speaking of speed limits, I only got back from Bantry(that's in Wesht Cork for those of you who think Ireland begins and ends in the pale) this evening and I was pleasantly suprised to find that when I went down the back road as it's known(that's when you go via Crookstown and Ballylickey) to find a speed limit of 100 rather than 80 km/h
snip

Many of the roads around Navan are like that too (100km/h), windy, twisty and not very good roads at that.

wil

They did reduce speed limits during the last oil crisis.
55mph in 1979 and not officially raised again until 1990.

Hope they dont go back to
1963 - 50mph,
1933 - 25mph
1896 - 12mph
1875 - 6mph

cyclopath2001

wil wrote: »

Hope they dont go back to
1963 - 50mph,
1933 - 25mph
1896 - 12mph
1875 - 6mph

Spain does have some 19 kph limits in residential areas. Sounds very civilised to me.

But, I think people are missing the point (deliberately?). It's not some kind of spiteful attack on the way of life of Ordinary Decent Speeders, its about reducing reliance on imported oil. It might not be fun, but better to be able to able to drive at some kind of speed than none at all.

ninty9er

Use renewables instead so!
Criminalisng something causing speed to be the issue, does not affect oil imports. In fact I get more mileage at 4000rpm on the motorway than I do doddling at 110 on N routes

Gurgle

Matt Simis wrote: »

Many of the roads around Navan are like that too (100km/h), windy, twisty and not very good roads at that.

Yeah, the good old Meath county council, their transport department has a combined IQ about equal to a labrador puppy.

My favourite is the wandering-donkey-track from Navan towards Slane @100km/h.

Then theres the new road they've build between Navan and Trim: Decent surface, reasonably straight..... 80km/h :rolleyes:

unkel

Matt Simis wrote: »

Many of the roads around Navan are like that too (100km/h), windy, twisty and not very good roads at that.

Indeed. I drove the N52 from Kells to Mullingar in the wet yesterday (100km/h limit almost everywhere). I mostly did just under 100km/h in a very capable car and it required my full concentration.