New speed limit for Dublin city centre

Delighted to hear that cars will now have to drop speed to almost a crawl because it will give me more time to dash out in front of any car , truck or bus . As I have slowed down due to joint injuries, It will give me extra time on a red light.
 
Purple said:
I cycle in the city centre the odd time. As 18MPH is so slow I hope I don't get done for breaking the speed limit while on my bicycle...
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The law apparently does not apply to cyclists only motorists - I read that in the Herald so it must be true
 
Councillors trying to justify their existance. They got so little to do that this is the best they can come up with.
 

+1
 
Capt. Beaky said:
Cyclists and jaywalkers cause a lot of accidents to themselves by dangerous behaviour.
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Ok, the idea is duff, be really: they cause a lot of accidents themselves?

There's enough irrationality behind the decision without playing the "But sir! They do it too" card when you get clocked messing about in class. I don't see why whenever there's an issue relating to driving a vehicle the justification for either the banality of the new rule or the defending of dangerous driving comes down to what a few ignorant cyclists do. One piece of idiotic behaviour does not justify your own.

In this case, none of the engineers or technical experts agreed with the decision and gave valid justifications against it at the meeting (according to Conor F at the AA who was at the meeting) and yet the council still voted in favour. That's where our ire should be, ignorant officers being officious in an office.

Greater enforcement of the existing traffic laws would have been a start. In particular (in my cyclist mode) against buses and taxi drivers who consider the bus lanes/cycleways to be immune from any road traffic legislation or anything as menial as a speed limit.

And yes greater enforcement includes fixed notices to those cyclists who can't obey basic rules.

But then we'd be back on here complaining of the gardai out pulling everyone in and not out catching real criminals.

There aren't enough gardai to go around detecting all crimes. So some people take advantage on the roads with reckless driving. It'd be great if everyone just drove with a tad more common courtesy and we wouldn't have the need for greater enforcement or unachievable speed limits.
 
johnd said:
The law apparently does not apply to cyclists only motorists - I read that in the Herald so it must be true
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Sounds strange to say the least. I thought any laws relating to speed applied to any 'vehicle' on the road?
 
No. The posted limits only apply to mechanically propelled vehicles.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1961/en/act/pub/0024/sec0047.html#zza24y1961s47
 
RonanC said:
In my experience of driving in the city every day morning and evening, MOST cyclists do not obey simple road signs or traffic lights.
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I'd certainly agree that this is the case for many cyclists. Have you compared this against the number of car drivers that break the speed limit in everyday driving?
 
RonanC said:
In my experience of driving in the city every day morning and evening, MOST cyclists do not obey simple road signs or traffic lights.
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And most motorists don't check their mirrors when pulling in or out, break the speed limit, don't slow down enough at junctions or lights, don't allow enough room for cyclists or pass them too closely...blah blah blah.

As a cyclist I know there are some bad cyclists, I wouldn't say most though. They make my cycle more dangerous too. But then as a driver, I know there are some bad drivers who make my journey more dangerous also. But then we've no way of demonstrating who's right without a boring tit for tat (as above) contradiction exercise.

It's futile and a pretty boring argument against what is a stupid impractical rule. Isn't it more worthwhile showing how the rule is on the simple points like actually trying to drive any car under 100 years old at that speed?
 
The problem is Latrade, most of Dublin City streets were not designed for cars, buses and bicycles all using the same piece of tarmac. I have seen crazy cycle lanes that are part of a main driving lane, no actually there is no driving lane at all if you look at it from one perspective.

My experience is of driving the M50, Chapelizod by-pass, Conyngham Road, Quays, Bolton Street, Dorset Street is;

Most cyclists ignore traffic lights, road signs and cars & pedestrians. A lot even ignore safety guidelines by not wearing appropriate clothing and lighting.

Many drivers ignore the Bus Lane in operation on Conyngham Road.

Most drivers are ignorant to the fact that they must drive in the left hand lane of a motorway unless overtaking. Most drivers seem to think they should and are allowed sit in the middle lane.

Most pedestrians ignore crossings and lights and simply walk out anywhere they like.

Some drivers think a red light means put the foot down and hope nothing hits them from the side

Most truck drivers totally ignore their speed limits on all roads
 

Ok, I can't really dispute that and completely agree in terms of the design of roads. Bus lanes are squeezed in and then cycleways on top of that.

The upshot is that everyone in some way contributes through their actions or inactions and effects the safety of the roads. I just dispute singling out one example either to in some way state they mostly contribute to their own downfall or that their actions justify someone else's breach of road traffic laws.

Though you did forget motorcyclists, don't ge me started on them...

Anyway, even as someone the new law is said to be aimed at protecting when I cycle, I think it's stupid. I've had a couple of close calls and accidents while cycling, not one of which was actually my fault (I would say that) but also not one of which would have been in anyway avoided with the new speed limits. I'd have still been knocked off and ended up with the dislocated shoulder and the myriad other war wounds.

Again, most accidents for cyclists in the city centre have nothing to do with speed, it's positing at traffic lights, drivers/buses/taxis pulling out or in, etc.

Pedestrians? Well yeah, it's pretty much a fact that of you're hit at 20mph it does less damage than at 30mph. But it's also pretty much a fact that if you use the pedestrian crossings you tend to keep your legs anyway.

Just enforcing the laws we have already would have been enough, but then that would have meant people getting pulled in at a greater rate than before, which I'm sure would have been labelled as a waste of gardai time.

I remember visiting Monaco and crossing the road, the lights had changed for us to cross and we were literally one foot off the pedestrian crossing marking. There was a Policeman across the road and he shouted at us to halt, go back and walk on the actual walkway (once the lights changed again).
 
More police time doling out points and collecting fines and crimnality going underdetected because of extra gardai being shifted to stop people driving at 66% of a top sprinters speed.
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The sooner Usain Bolt is banned from Dublin the better. We also need to ban those head shops too.
In fact, why not ban everything as a default, and start letting us know what we can actually do?
 
The 30kph zone is another nail in the head for business and commerce in central Dublin. Shoppers, Diners, Commercial traffic etc are being driven away from the city because DCC is making it more and more difficult for motorists to use their car. The anti business 30kph zone inflicted by Labour councillors (spokesperson for the Traffic Commitee and cycle propagandist Labour councillor Andrew Montague) is hard to fathom during the worst recession Dublin has seen. Commerce is the life blood of the city and it is being strangled by being turned into some sort of a pedestrian footpath.

Setting an arbitrary limit right across the city 24/7 is the worst form of traffic planning to come from DCC. Apart from being anti-comerce the Labour councillors have now increased traffic pollution due to car,commercial traffic engines now coupled with artificially increased congestion, being forced to drive in a lower gear with the resultant increase in emissions.

The majority of motorists drive at a safe speed they consider reasonable for the prevailing conditions and at one that is suitable for the road. The impractical 30kph zone that is now set only brings safe road use and the law into disrepute. The Gardai need to be better deployed to fight crime in town rather than motorists.

Speed limits should be set to match the condition of the road and not for ideological reasons by the cycling lobbby that have no effect on road safety. Due to the 30kph zone, the Quays are now more dangerous as anyone may witness, apart from the all day law breaking by cyclists there is now an increase in jay-walking pedestrians dodging thru' the traffic gaps. The 30kph zone is a smokescreen to hide the seriously dangerous cycle lanes that DCC have rolled out and their failure to reduce pedestrian fatalities. Instead of addressing the real problem (most fatal accidents in town occur after midnight with pedestrians on the Quays) of late night bar extensions and associated drunkedness that leads to these fatal accidents it is easier to be seen to inflict needless penalties on law abiding motorists.

The anti-commerce and anti private motorist 30kph zone must be rolled back now! I suggest that you contact your local councillors and express how you feel about the zone.

In case anyone imagines I have a political axe to grind against Labour councillors I havn't, so I am happy to quote Labour leader Eamon Gilmore as heard on Newstalk radios this morning when he was asked about the 30kph limit

[broken link removed]
"Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has said a 30 kilometre an hour speed limit in city centres is impractical.

The new limit controversially came into effect in Dublin this week. It is slated for Cork by next Christmas, and Galway city council has also proposed introducing it in the future.

A Labour councillor was behind the original proposal in Dublin.

But his party leader said it is not a good idea.

"I accept it was done for good reasons," he said.

"I think it's impractical.

"I'm not sure it's even a good safety measure… trying to stay at under 30kph probably means you are spending more time looking at the clock."
 
A good idea which saves you constantly checking your speed and taking your eyes off the road is to reverse your car so that the rear of your car is facing up the quays and then go into reverse gear
 
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