Illogical speed limits should be changed

I RECENTLY spent a few days in Mayo, driving around the Newport/Westport area.

Although many of the roads there are narrow, winding, undulating and with uneven surfaces in many places, the speed limit is 100km/h. I rarely felt it appropriate to exceed 80km/h.

I was puzzled by the fact that the County Council could paint the instruction “slow” or “very slow” on the road without any reduction in the legal speed limit. Similarly, there was no reduction in speed limit where yellow warning signs — eg, “dangerous corner ahead”, “road narrows” (particularly for small bridges) etc, were displayed. I assume this situation is replicated in other counties, too.

I understand that the local authority must pass a resolution for each local variation from the official speed limits as set down by the Department of the Environment, and this clearly could be a huge exercise for a county the size of Mayo.

Surely, the logical solution is for the national rules to be changed so, where it is deemed appropriate to put up certain warning signs, the speed limit should also be automatically reduced.

The corollary is that, on national roads where there is no justification for a warning sign (eg, stretches of the N11), local authorities should have their wings clipped with regard to the imposition of unreasonably low speed limits.

Peter Molloy

9 Haddington Park

Glenageary

Co Dublin