Ireland’s nonsensical ‘system’ of road speed limits is riddled with absurdities

Your correspondent Bob Quinn (Letters, January 1) has highlighted the nonsensical “system” of speed limit signage on Ireland’s roads. 

This, sadly, is just one example of the incompetence which has come to afflict policy-making and administration in this country.

We have a national road speed limit system which is riddled with absurdities. There are numerous instances of stretches of unimproved national roads with 100km speed limits which are, in my view, criminally irresponsible. The same applies to the even more frequent instances of narrow, twisting, rural roads with 80km speed limits.

To make matters worse, when the motorways were built, the existing national roads were downgraded to regional status and had their speed limits automatically reduced to 80km, where a 100km limit had previously been considered quite appropriate.

Last year I was in a rural village in County Tipperary and left it via a narrow road, barely the width of my car and with grass growing down the centre, which had an 80km speed limit. Five minutes later I was driving on the old main road between Urlingford and Cashel, wide enough to land a large aeroplane, which was also governed by an 80km speed limit.

Further on, on the old main road between Cahir and Mitchelstown, also governed by an 80km limit, but carrying little traffic, I was surprised to find a speed detection van in operation. Driving on this fine, wide, straight road at 100km per hour – which was the speed limit for many years – is quite safe. Operating a speed detection van on this stretch of road has little to do with road safety but is an easy way to raise money.

We also need a system of national long-distance routes for those who don’t want to drive on motorways. Tourists, for example, might prefer to drive on the old national routes in order to drive through our towns. However, these roads are no longer shown on road maps and signs on these roads do not show major upcoming destinations.

Proinnsias Breathnach

Na hÁirsí

Má Nuad

Co Chill Dara.