Dublin drivers - new speed limits 30kmph!

[Sebastian]

30kph city centre speed limit ,the new limit comes into effect on Sunday and will now apply from Bolton Street in the north inner city to Kevin Street Lower and St Stephen's Green on the other side of the Liffey.
It will also extend from the Church Street and Bridge Street areas in the west to Gardiner Street, Tara Street and Dawson Street on the east.
And it will operate 24 hours a day -- taking in periods when there is very little traffic on the roads.
The limit is being imposed on busy roads like the North and South Quays, Parnell Street, College Green, Dame Street, Dawson Street and Kildare St.
AA director of policy Conor Faughnan said there was " just no sense" in expanding the 30kph area, adding the move would infuriate motorists.
He said applying the lower speed limit "en masse" on roads that were engineered for high volumes at flowing speeds was "absurd".
"In road safety terms, Dublin City is one of the safest places in the country. The road safety justification does not exist and nor is there any reason to believe an assertion that a 24/7 30kph limit will improve traffic flow," Mr Faughnan said.
The Dublin City Business Association (DCBA) said the speed limit was appropriate for the main pedestrian streets like Clarendon St and South William St, where there are lots of cafes and bars.
"In areas like the quays and St Stephen's Green -- the main transit routes in and around the core of the city area -- such a low limit is probably inappropriate," the DCBA told the Herald.
A council review of accident statistics for the Dublin city area between 1998 and 2007 showed 47pc of fatalities and 24pc of people injured were pedestrians.

The local authority also pointed to research showing that 45pc of pedestrians died when struck by a car at 50kph but the fatality rate was only 5pc when hit at 30kph.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emer Costello, is in favour of the plan.
She said it was "well recognised" that inappropriate speed was the "primary contributing factor to road fatalities".
The zone extends around 2km north to south and 1.5km east to west. However, drivers have vented their anger on internet message boards. "30km/h on the quays? That's a joke," wrote one contributor to the boards.ie website.
"Does this mean that running will attract penalty points and a fine?" quipped another.
A third contributor wrote: "The way they've sneaked this out ... with little advance notice or advertising, makes it look like a set up to 'catch' as many as possible Monday morning."

The council said: "Motorists can circumnavigate the zone by using the inner orbital route, which is signposted along the perimeter of the zone or travel through the zone at the appropriate speed."
It added: "The new speed limit will reduce speeding between junctions and facilitate smoother traffic flow.
"It will also promote modal shift to walking and cycling."

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city ... 39084.html



Areas where the 30 km/h speed limit is in force

Roads in the Marino Area

Brian Road
Brian Terrace
Brian Avenue
Carlton Road
Casino Road
Croydon Green
Croydon Gardens
Croydon Park Avenue
Croydon Terrace
Fairview Avenue Upper
Fairview Avenue Lower
Fairview Green
Fairview Terrace
Haverty Road
Marino Green
Marino Mart (part of, from Haverty Road south to Fairview)
Marino Park
Merville Avenue
Morrogh Terrace
Philipsburgh Terrace
Shelmartin Avenue
Shelmartin Terrace
St. Aidan’s Park Avenue
St. Aidan’s Park
St. Declan Road
St. Declan Terrace
St. Joseph’s Terrace
Torlogh Parade
Windsor Avenue
Windsor Lane
Windsor Villas
Roads in the Ballsbridge Area

Pembroke Lane.
Wellington Lane.
Heytesbury Lane
Raglan Lane.
Waterloo Lane
Roads in the City Centre Area

Roads in a city centre zone – Bounded by King Street North, Bolton Street, Dorset Street Upper, Dorset Street Lower, Gardiner Street Upper, Mountjoy Square West, Gardiner Street Middle, Gardiner Street Lower, Beresford Place,Butt Bridge, Tara Street, Pearse Street, College Street, College Green, Grafton Street, Nassau Street, Leinster Street South , Clare Street, Merrion Square West, Merrion Street Upper, Merrion Row, St. Stephen’s Green North, St. Stephen’s Green West, Cuffe Street, Kevin Street Lower,Bride Street, Bride Road, Nicholas Street, High Street, Bridge Street Upper, Bridge Street Lower, Father Mathew Bridge, Church Street excluding these boundary roads with the exception of Pearse Street ( between Tara Street and College Street), College Street, College Green, Grafton Street, Nassau Street, St. Stephen’s Green West, St. Stephen’s North( between Dawson Street and Grafton Street)

Roads in the Ringsend Area

Aikenhead Terrace
Celestine Avenue
Dermot O’Hurley Avenue
Doris Street
Fitzwilliam Quay
Gerald Street
Gordon Street
Hastings Street
Hope Street
Howard Street
Joy Street
Magdalen Terrace
Ormeau Street
Oliver Plunkett Avenue
Philomena Terrace
Penrose Street
Somerset Street
South Dock Place
South Dock Street
Rosary Terrace
Veronica Terrace

[Kace]

It seems like there was already a 30kph limit in a lot of the city centre. Attached map shows the existing 30kph area and the new area being added from tomorrow.

Pink area is existing and Yellow area is the new. I think the biggest change here will be along the Quays

http://www.dublincity.ie/Documents/Map.pdf

[colm_mcm]

what a dose if you got a speeding ticket for doing 20mph in an 18mph zone, I fear they're in this one for the money.

[soc]

what a dose if you got a speeding ticket for doing 20mph in an 18mph zone, I fear they're in this one for the money.

I think they're (dublin city councillors) are just plain stupid and this is a typical irish over reaction/knee jerk reaction to a problem that doesn't exist. Same as all the useless QBCs they built - sure there are a few good ones but there was no real thought or planning put into where was suitable for QBC. And now there's talking of a cycle path from the Grand Canal? to Clontarf at the cost of 270 city centre parking spaces.

Useless idiots the lot of them - this kind of stupidity is systemic in the upper echelons of the civil service, city councillors and our well proven idiot politicians (incinerator anyone?)

[Dilogoat86]

It's such an un-natural driving speed. I tried it today for a while and it's next to impossible. There was a taxi driver on the radio last night complaining that his "Powerful" E200K makes it impossible to drive that slowly and he has already got 4 penalty points. 40Kmph is a far better speed and I'd imagine the difference is negligable.

They keep playing the "If it even saves one life it'll be worth it" card, but at that rate you can ban driving, ban talking and ban EVERYTHING...it'll save all the lives but by god wouldn't we be all VERY bored. I'm bloody sick of their narrow minded look on these things. They get an idea in their head and there's no letting up. Drunk people are the root of an awful lot of the problems, drunk driving, drunk people walking onto roads and under buses and what not. Lets ban being drunk instead.

[soc]

There was a taxi driver on the radio last night complaining that his "Powerful" E200K makes it impossible to drive that slowly and he has already got 4 penalty points. 40Kmph is a far better speed and I'd imagine the difference is negligable.

Interesting - I was out on test drive in a bm 330d and could do 30kph in 2nd/3rd without my foot on the accelerator

I'd already stopped going into the city centre months back so I'd imagine business might suffer more now as people don't bother with the hassle.

[CJ]

I'd already stopped going into the city centre months back so I'd imagine business might suffer more now as people don't bother with the hassle.

I'm the same myself, I try to avoid driving into town unless I really have to. Rotarys need to be revved otherwise they bog down @ low rpm, looks like the FTO is my new town car!

Give it a few weeks for this unrealistic speed limit business to kick in, it will be interesting to see if the resistance continues (we Irish tend to complain then just accept whatever's thrown at us).

I was out on test drive in a bm 330d...

OT - Shane, you've been test driving BMs for as long as I can remember, are you going to actually buy one some day!

CJ

[Kace]

Gotta love the FTO for low rev low speed driving in 3rd, 4th or even 5th. We have a diesel as well and the bloody thing conks out going around corners slowly in 2nd. No such issues with FTO.

[soc]

I was out on test drive in a bm 330d...

OT - Shane, you've been test driving BMs for as long as I can remember, are you going to actually buy one some day!

CJ

Tell me about it - right now I'm just waiting for the right car/right price. I have the brother-in-law lined up for the TT and ideally want to get a 335 but I'm losing the battle on a coupe cause we "apparently" need to a family 4 door and saloon 335's are rare. Hence the 330d is in the mix. If the right 330d m-sport saloon came along or if by some magic the boss relents on the coupe then I'll finally make a purchase And cause I'm getting old I'd rather an auto as well - the car I drove was a manual.

[Sebastian]

just drove in a 30 kmph zone . it's brutal ! I saw everyone braking I thought it's a checkpoint or something , but behold , nothing on the road

[Dragonheart]

If they want to reduce crashes and make the roads safer the solution is simple, maintain the bloody roads!! We drove around the South Island of NZ and didnt see one pothole! Not one! And the kiwis think they're roads are awful! Any one who has ever been there will verify that. We arrived back yesterday and outside Graces house, where the road has been 'redone' a few months ago, there is a patch of about 10 in a row, which you swerve to avoid, thereby going onto the opposite side of the road into oncoming traffic. Reducing a speed limit wont help, improving the roads will! Wake up government, drive on real roads where everyone else has to, and you'll soon see what will help.

[Sebastian]

The funny thing is , I was driving around city centre and couldn't see 1 speed limit sign !!! nuts