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Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

irishnews.com

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Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#21

Post by koolba »

wiredfool wrote: post #11
jiofj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A limit of 120km/h in a good motorway is a bad joke. The only purpose is to be able to give tickets to take money from people.

There are 2 countries I've driven in in Europe with higher limits, France (130 in good weather) and Germany (unlimited in some sections). UK is 70mph. Max I've seen in the US is 75mph. Most traffic in Germany, even in the unlimited sections, tends to max out around 130. France tends to hit that 130 and not go above it. I stand by 120 as a generally reasonable speed for a motorway with a speed limit.

There’s some 85 mph in the USA in Texas. Mostly 65 mph in the rest of the country though.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#22

Post by wiredfool »

For reference, we've just had "Speed Day" where the Garda goes out and mans the speed cameras. There are generally a set of known locations where this happens, and motorists being motorists, there's a bunch of headlight flashing just out of view.

The Garda then give statistics of 0.3% are speeding, but look how fast some people went (typically 160 in an 80 or similar). The RSA, when they did free flow analysis, found more than 50% speeding, and higher percentages in urban areas than rural motorway.

Meanwhile, small roads have slowly had their speed limits upgraded without corresponding infrastructure changes, such that 2 lane N roads over bogs with no shoulders can have 100kph (up from 80), in places where you can see the scrapes from frames hitting the pavement. The boundaries of towns have moved in, so that places that used to be 50 are now 60.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#23

Post by hulitu »

wiredfool wrote: post #11
jiofj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A limit of 120km/h in a good motorway is a bad joke. The only purpose is to be able to give tickets to take money from people.

There are 2 countries I've driven in in Europe with higher limits, France (130 in good weather) and Germany (unlimited in some sections). UK is 70mph. Max I've seen in the US is 75mph. Most traffic in Germany, even in the unlimited sections, tends to max out around 130. France tends to hit that 130 and not go above it. I stand by 120 as a generally reasonable speed for a motorway with a speed limit.

> There are 2 countries I've driven in in Europe with higher limits,

Austria, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Italy all have 130 km/h speed limit on highways.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#24

Post by zoky »

saiya-jin wrote: post #10

Switzerland has 120kmh instead of typical EU limit of 130kmh. Slightly less pollution of all types, slightly safer roads, cars last slightly longer. Typical swiss driver is anything but typical driver basically anywhere - polite, respectful, and just doesn't break rules in mormal situations. I really like it this way, and couldnt care less for the limit, saving 1-2 minutes is neglible every time. That being said, any…

Nah. No speed limits is great, as long as everyone behaves by the rules.

Stay the hell out of the left lane, unless you’re passing. If you’re in the left lane and someone is in your rear-view, you move right. Otherwise, drive as fast as you feel like you can safely go, without having to worry about being pulled over and cited for doing something perfectly safe.

Driving on the Autobahn in Germany was one of the more liberating experiences of my life. I was genuinely sad when I got to the Netherlands and had to worry about keeping my speed below 130 when passing.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#25

Post by JeanMarcS »

Ideal would be speed limit based on the road. I drove some "roads" in Ireland, where speed limit is 80km/h but driving faster than 40km/h is daredevil behavior. And don't mention the fact that some roads are not large enough for crossing another vehicule, but it can happen (and sometime the locals drive at 80... A lot of surprise braking !)

But it's obviously more difficult to implement, and more difficult for the speed camera management.

Yet, it would be better and certainly safer than the "one speed for those type of road fit all"

(to be honest, this proposal is more advanced than other countries where you hav three or four types of speed limit, and that's all)

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#26

Post by ReactiveJelly »

cameronh90 wrote: post #17
lazzurs wrote: post #4

Anyone that thinks this is going to change anything in Ireland has never driven around Ireland. To say speed limits as taken as an amusing suggestion here is the biggest understatement I’m going to make all day.

In the UK we're starting to install average speed cameras in lots of places. Almost every major road in my area has an average speed camera on some stretch. And I, for one, I think it's great. It's not a popular position but I'm a speed limit enforcement maximalist. I think if you're going 31 in a 30, after accounting for measurement errors, there should be enforcement action. Driving is one of the most dangerous thi…

Me too. There has to be a hard limit. It might as well be the posted limit.

Encouraging everyone to break the law just means selective enforcement is a bigger problem. If safety depends on cars moving the same speed, then everyone else should slow down to the speed limit to match my speed.

I really don't get this brinksmanship stuff. "Oh it's just 5 MPH, it's just 10 MPH." A limit was posted. The negotiation process doesn't happen _after_ the sign is put up. It's very simple.

All that said, I don't like ALPRs. They're so bad for privacy. I just know that they'll be connected to the Internet and used to track people wherever they drive, many of them already are.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#27

Post by xcskier56 »

serpix wrote: post #15
saiya-jin wrote: post #10

Switzerland has 120kmh instead of typical EU limit of 130kmh. Slightly less pollution of all types, slightly safer roads, cars last slightly longer. Typical swiss driver is anything but typical driver basically anywhere - polite, respectful, and just doesn't break rules in mormal situations. I really like it this way, and couldnt care less for the limit, saving 1-2 minutes is neglible every time. That being said, any…

130km/h is just ludicrous. The consumption compared to 100km/h is about 50% extra and the time saved is wiped out with just one bathroom break.

But that bathroom break is going to happen anyways

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#28

Post by jiofj »

wiredfool wrote: post #11
jiofj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A limit of 120km/h in a good motorway is a bad joke. The only purpose is to be able to give tickets to take money from people.

There are 2 countries I've driven in in Europe with higher limits, France (130 in good weather) and Germany (unlimited in some sections). UK is 70mph. Max I've seen in the US is 75mph. Most traffic in Germany, even in the unlimited sections, tends to max out around 130. France tends to hit that 130 and not go above it. I stand by 120 as a generally reasonable speed for a motorway with a speed limit.

So basically you are saying that you have seen 130, that it works well, but you still stand by 120. Makes no sense.

Where I live the upper limit is 120. If you drive at 120 people won't stop overtaking you. It's done this way because they have those mobile car radars to give people tickets when they need money.

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#29

Post by whelp_24 »

wiredfool wrote: post #11
jiofj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A limit of 120km/h in a good motorway is a bad joke. The only purpose is to be able to give tickets to take money from people.

There are 2 countries I've driven in in Europe with higher limits, France (130 in good weather) and Germany (unlimited in some sections). UK is 70mph. Max I've seen in the US is 75mph. Most traffic in Germany, even in the unlimited sections, tends to max out around 130. France tends to hit that 130 and not go above it. I stand by 120 as a generally reasonable speed for a motorway with a speed limit.

The speed limit being 70 in the us is a bad joke. A relic from the gas shortage we had once that must have proven lucrative. Our roads are long wide and straight, it shouldn't be so low. (though Texas has some 85mph sections)

Re: Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister

#30

Post by YakBizzarro »

saiya-jin wrote: post #10

Switzerland has 120kmh instead of typical EU limit of 130kmh. Slightly less pollution of all types, slightly safer roads, cars last slightly longer. Typical swiss driver is anything but typical driver basically anywhere - polite, respectful, and just doesn't break rules in mormal situations. I really like it this way, and couldnt care less for the limit, saving 1-2 minutes is neglible every time. That being said, any…

Swiss don't break rules because there are speed cameras everywhere and fines are huge. But as soon they are outside of Switzerland, they will be the first to drove like hell is coming. Also, if you don't react to green light in a microsecond, or drive less than 10 km/h under the limit, they will start to honk. Rules and their enforcement are perfectly fine and I'm really happy about that, but it doesn't make drivers better
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