Metrication - the final steps?

flyz

lomb wrote:

speed limits will increase 5 to 6% hence deats may increase by that.

taken from http://www.gometric.ie/faq.html

3. As a result of these changes, the speed limit on 91% of Ireland’s 96,000 kilometres of roads will decrease. On 9% of our safer public roads, the speed limit will increase.


Go do some research before you make vague statements like that :rolleyes:

lomb

lomb wrote:

http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/2004/december/1612041.asp

limits will increase

MrPudding

lomb wrote:

speed limits will increase 5 to 6% hence deats may increase by that.

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but this is a load of sh1t.

Motorway speeds will increase slightly, this should be OK as they are generally safe. Country road will have a decrease in the legal speed allowed. There is also a new lower speed available for builtup areas. I can't remember what is happening to the 30 MPH limit. I think on balance the trend is to lower the speed where apropriate and raise it slightly where apropriate.

MrP

lomb

flyz wrote:

taken from http://www.gometric.ie/faq.html

3. As a result of these changes, the speed limit on 91% of Ireland’s 96,000 kilometres of roads will decrease. On 9% of our safer public roads, the speed limit will increase.

the gometric site is propaganda bullsh1t

flyz

Originally Posted by lomb
limits will increase

on 9% of the Irish roads!!!
Did you not read my post at all???


Lomb, read this , it's taken from an official government website (www.gometric.ie).
And if you have to criticise it, please try to do it in more than once vague statement

Detailed Information

1. Effective from January 20th, 2005, the measurement of speed limits on Irish roads will change from miles per hour to kilometres per hour. In addition, there will be significant changes to speed limits on certain roads and there will be some new vehicle speed limits.

2. This is being done to bring consistency on to our public roads. We display distance in kilometres on most of our national roads so it makes sense to have our speeds also measured in kilometres. The remaining distance ‘mile post’ signs on local and regional roads will be converted to kilometres by the end of 2005.

3. As a result of these changes, the speed limit on 91% of Ireland’s 96,000 kilometres of roads will decrease. On 9% of our safer public roads, the speed limit will increase.

4. The speed limit changes are as follows:

The current “general speed limit” of 60 mph , which applies to roads outside built-up areas other than motorways, is being replaced by the introduction of separate speed limits on rural national roads and rural regional and local roads.


*The speed limit on rural national roads, which includes most Dual Carriageways, will see a slight increase from 60 mph to 100 km/h (62 mph).

*The speed limit on rural regional and local roads (sometimes referred to as non-national roads) is changing from 60 mph to 80 km/h (50 mph), a reduction of 20%.

*Built-up areas – towns and cities change very slightly from 30 mph to 50 km/h (31 mph).



*Motorways, which represent just 1% of our network, will change from 70 mph to 120 km/h (74 mph).


5. Speed limits in respect of certain vehicle types will also change. The Minister for Transport will make Regulations under the Road Traffic Act 2004, to prescribe the maximum speed limits for heavy goods vehicles, large passenger vehicles and vehicles towing a trailer, etc. [This will be publicised as soon as the Regulations are made].

6. Over 58,000 metric speed limit signs will be erected by the local authorities in a short period prior to 20th January involving replacement of 35,000 existing speed limit signs and provision of 23,000 new signs.

7. Each new metric speed limit sign will show the value of the speed limit in figures together with the unit ‘km/h’. Special information signs will be provided on cross-border roads, ferry ports and airports to advise visiting motorists that speed limits are in kilometres.

8. The changeover from mph to km/h will be supported by a major €2 million nationwide integrated public awareness programme involving TV, radio, press and outdoor advertising, and public relations. Every household in the country will be receiving a special leaflet outlining the new km/h speed limits. This leaflet, which contains a conversion table will also be available through the press and from petrol stations, Garda stations, libraries and other outlets. The leaflet will be available in both English and Irish and is also being produced in five foreign languages to cater for different ethnic groups. A dedicated Lo-Call number will be available to cater for individual queries.

9. The total cost of this changeover is estimated to be €11 million - €9.0m for signs and €2.0m for the public information campaign.

10. Nearly all new vehicles on sale after January 2005 will be fitted with metric only or metric pre-dominant speedometers.

11. Gardai will be enforcing the new speed limits from 20th January (midnight on 19th January).

12. Irrespective of the new speed limits outlined above, a driver must never driver a vehicle at a speed exceeding that which will enable him or her to stop within the distance he or she can see to be clear. This rule applies irrespective of the speed limit.

13. The Government, through the Department of Transport, has overall responsibility for the changeover. The Minister for Transport established a Metrication Changeover Board - incorporating members of an implementation group that has been working on the changeover for some time - to oversee the logistical elements of the changeover and also to develop a comprehensive and concentrated public information campaign to ensure that all road users are familiar with new metric signs.

The Metrication Changeover Board includes representatives from the Departments of Transport and Environment & Local Government, An Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority, The County and City Managers Association, the National Safety Council, the Department of Psychology in Trinity College, the Automobile Association and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.

flyz

lomb wrote:

the gometric site is propaganda bullsh1t

I give up :eek:

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

Boggle

This has to be one of the stupidest discussions I'ne seen in a while.

The only point worth maiking is that there should be measures taken to ensure that ALL speedometer's are changed over. Reason being the time your eyes are off the road while reading your speedo will increase a fair bit if you have to read the smaller secondary print...

(based on that report on www.safespeed.org)

mackerski

Johnny Storm wrote:

I am a conscientous and safe driver

Followed by:

Johnny Storm wrote:

1) What is the spped limit on this road in MPH?
2) Look at KPH speedo.
3) Look at post-it pad
4) Try to calculate current speed in MPH
@in' clue. Jam on brakes.

Examine your conscience - would you really, really, not be better served by being, maybe, 10km/h over the limit but keeping your eye on the road? What is it about speed limits that sucker people into thinking that they represent the only road traffic law worth observing?

Speeding is a straighforward, fixed-penalty offence with points. What you get up to consulting a notepad in the cockpit sounds a lot like something between driving-without-due-care-and-attention and dangerous-driving. IMHO, this is a lot more serious.

Johnny Storm wrote:

This is the same situat6ion that everyone with an MPH speedo will find thmselves in when we go metric

Could they not just compare the km/h speed limit to the km/h inner dial of their speedo? That's what I'd do if I didn't already have a German-issue car - but maybe I'm just very clever.

Dermot

Johnny Storm

mackerski wrote:

Followed by:Could they not just compare the km/h speed limit to the km/h inner dial of their speedo? That's what I'd do if I didn't already have a German-issue car - but maybe I'm just very clever.

Dermot

Good points. In my defense the dail on my wifes car is KPH only and the KPH inner dial on my car is small and hard to read. I will probably change the dial on mine to KPH at the next dervice, depending on cost.

JohnBoy

Totally in favour of the changeover as a concept here, however I think it's a bit of a blanket approach to lower non national roads to 50mph

I do at least 50% of my driving on non national roads and some of em are more capable of safe sustained 60mph than stretches of the N7


I personally think it sucks and is being introduced with the "if it saves one life then it's worth it" logic. if people drive too fast for the conditions accidents are going to happen, and reducing the speed limits is not going to change that

(just annoyed cos my drive to work will get 5 minutes longer)

mike65

JohnBoy wrote:

(just annoyed cos my drive to work will get 5 minutes longer)

Dont worry, to get caught the Gardai need to be out there doing thier jobs!

Mike.

CrowdedHouse

.....Ah I think I'll just buy a new car so I can get the big Km numbers on the clock.How else could I justify changing a nine month old car with 3,800 miles on it!

unkel

MrPudding wrote:

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but this is a load of sh1t

Was going to post same, you beat me to it

lomb wrote:

what a crock of sh£^

The correct spelling is "what a crock of sh€^". You're giving the game away there, rantmaster flash

dermot_sheehan

Anyone want to complain to Dun Laoghaire Co. Co. about the ridculous limits on the N11, nows the time..........





http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=128337386&p=yz8338x9z&n=128338146

Motorists to have input into new metric signage
23/12/2004 - 14:29:53

Drivers are to have their say on changes to speed limits on the country’s roads, it emerged today.

Local authorities will offer a 30-day public consultation period before new limits can be imposed on motorways, regional and local roads as part of the Government’s move to metric.

Gardaí and the National Roads Authority will also be asked for input on any changes in a bid to improve driver safety.

The metric changeover, on January 20, will see speed limits and distances displayed in kilometres, bringing consistency to signs on the country’s roads.

Brian Farrell, National Safety Council (NSC) spokesman, said the consultation process would ensure any changes were open to debate.

“It’s all about bringing transparency and a level of consistency on speed limits around the country. If people are offered an opportunity to have an input, then the changes will be more readily accepted," he said.

The NSC confirmed councils would be allowed to impose different limits on individual lanes of the same dual carriageway or motorway from next month.

The €2.5m metric changeover will allow officials to place one limit on the outer lanes and a different one on the inner lane.

The switch will also see motorists confronted with two sets of signs, metric and mileage, for a number of days before and after the changeover begins on January 20.

An information website dedicated to the move to metric – www.gometric.ie - also shows the new converted speeds.