Sorry, but putting up a sign is not a good way to lower speeds

COMMENT & ANALYSIS: National “Slow Down Day” is over. The name is a bit of a weird one… shouldn’t every day be a slow down day? But anyway, Gardai and GoSafe have recorded a load of speeds way above 50km/h and 60km/h urban limits. So, we looked at the designs of a good few of those roads and streets.

None of the streets and roads are designed for 50km/h and 60km/h. Putting up a sign is not a good way to lower speeds.

This isn’t IrishCycle.com agreeing with the AA etc. Former AA spokesperson, Connor Faughnan, used to say putting up a sign alone isn’t good enough — wrongly — about batches of streets set for 30km/h, including those with traffic calming.

I hear Faughnan has been on Newstalk for some reason today talking about the new 30km/h limit in the Phonix Park this morning. Sorry (again), but Faughnan has a point if he said 30km/h doesn’t really work on Chesterfield Avenue without any changes — you need more than a sign.

The ‘design speed’ is a speed which a road or street is designed for. Roads need their design speed to be suited to the speed limit which you want. Otherwise, you’ll end up with the below example where the design speeds are not fit for the speed limit.

Look at these example locations from the Gardai list (full list below), and then watch the NotJustBikes video below. Just to add: The images are just examples of the design on the named roads and streets, I don’t know where the speeding happened:

95km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R139 Belcamp, Dublin 17

94km/h in a 50km/h Zone on Main Street, Oola, Limerick

71km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N22 Farranfore, Kerry

70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Church Road, Carrigaline, Cork

90km/h in a 50km/h Zone on Cork Street, Dublin 8

70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R194 Mullagh, Cavan:

70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the L2211 Coolroe, Ballincollig, Cork

69km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R510 Dock Road, Limerick

90km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R267 Portnason, Ballyshannon, Donegal

92km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R680 Adamstown, Kilmeaden, Waterford

68km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N80 Main Street, Stradbally, Laois

Now, here’s the NotJustBikes video on speed limits:

And the Garda examples of speeds detected for National Slow Down Day:

• 122km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N2 Annamarran Carrickmacross Monaghan
• 152km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M7 Mooretown Kildare Kildare
• 94km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Main Street Oola Limerick
• 119km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the N4 Doddsborough Lucan Dublin
• 124km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N13 Listellian Letterkenny Donegal
• 109km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the R577 Coolnageragh Castleisland Kerry
• 105km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the R178 Redbog Carrickmacross Louth
• 182km/h in 50 km/h zone on Church Street Clara Offaly* Motorbike 
• 95km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R139 Belcamp Dublin17 Dublin
• 130km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the M50 Tymon North Dublin24 Dublin
• 92km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R680 Adamstown Kilmeaden Waterford
• 90km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Cork Street Dublin8 Dublin
• 89km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Skehard Road Cork Cork
• 80km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R339  Monivea Road Galway Galway
• 79km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Davis Road Clonmel Tipperary
• 78km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R265 Porthall Ballindrait Donegal
• 78km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N6 Baile An Phoill Gaillimh Gaillimh
• 77km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N72 Fossa Killarney Kerry
• 75km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Dodder View Road Dublin14 Dublin
• 90km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R267 Portnason Ballyshannon Donegal
• 73km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Bridge Street Kilcormac Offaly
• 72km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R600 Ballindeenisk Belgooly Cork
• 115km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the M50 Kilmore Big Dublin17 Dublin
• 86km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R463 Rosmadda West Parteen Clare
• 114km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the N4 Ballydowd Lucan Dublin
• 71km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N22 Farranfore Farranfore Kerry
• 85km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R188 Doocassan Drung Cavan
• 70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Church Road Carrigaline Cork
• 70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R194 Mullagh Cavan
• 70km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the L2211 Coolroe Ballincollig Cork
• 69km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R510 Dock Road Limerick Limerick
• 69km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N15 Ballinphull Cliffoney Sligo
• 68km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N80 Main Street Stradbally Laois
• 81km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the N15 Mullandrait Stranorlar Donegal
• 78km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the N63 Mountbellew Demesne Mountbellew Galway


...That's the end of the article. Keep scrolling if you want to the comments, but IrishCycle.com *NEEDS* readers like you to keep it that way. It only requires a small percentage of readers to give a bit each month or every year to keep IrishCycle.com's journalism open to all. Thank you.


2 comments

Leave a Reply to RobertCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.