Speed limits will be metric from January

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has announced January 20th as the date for the changeover of all speed limits from miles to kilometres.

A Metric Changeover Board has been established to oversee the changeover and to oversee a public awareness campaign to ensure all road-users are familiar with the new system.

Mr Brennan said the board would also assume responsibility for the implementation of the recommendations of the Working Group on Speed Limits. These included a reduction in the speed limit on non-national, or country, roads from 60 to 50 m.p.h.

The working group also recommended speed limits be increased on some major roads. These included the Stillorgan dual carriageway, the Glen o' the Downs and, among others, major roadways in Galway.

A spokesman for Mr Brennan said last night that the unsuitability of some speed limits had only become apparent with the introduction in 2002 of penalty points for speeding. Before that motorists had been much less likely to comply with speed limits.

Mr Brennan said he was confident that the changeover from miles to kilometres would happen "safely and smoothly".

"This will be the most significant change to speed limits in the history of the State and it will be accompanied by a vigorous multi-media and public information campaign.

"I am asking the motor industry, local authorities and all relevant agencies to work closely with the Metric Changeover Board so that the transition can be achieved in the same highly efficient and professional manner as was the change from punts to euros," he said.

He added that the decision to adopt metric speed limits reflected a need to bring all road signage into line, based on metric values. The programme for metrication of distance signs, which had been ongoing for some years, had resulted in a confusing situation for road-users because most distance signs on national roads were shown in kilometres, and in miles on non-national roads.

Among the recommendations which the changeover board will oversee are:

A standard limit of 120 k.p.h. on motorways.

A new limit of 100 k.p.h. on national roads.

A new limit of 80 k.p.h. on non-national roads.

Special speed limits of 100 k.p.h., 80 k.p.h. and 60 k.p.h. to be available for application by local authorities as deemed appropriate on road safety grounds.

Limits of 30 k.p.h. to be applied at areas of pedestrian concentration where appropriate speed reduction measures are deployed.

New structures to provide for the application of special speed limits in the vicinity of schools at selected restricted times.

The establishment of a road signage information campaign on roads near the Border to highlight the use of metric distances in the Republic and to urge motorists crossing the Border to exercise care.