I have tried to explain, repeatedly, that things like 65 and 95 km/h should be temporary and that it should stop when the limits are changed at last. There are enough cops who would tag someone for going just over the limit. Nowadays many visitors come to Ireland on car ferries, large cruise liner like ships that carry hundreds of cars. There are car ferries between France and Ireland; many others take their cars through Britain. Yes, many visitors do take their cars to Ireland as car hire is very expensive there. So, it makes sense to keep as close to the legal speed limits as possible. To-day metric speed limit figures are only given for the benefit of visitors. If I had a car and took it to Ireland I would NOT do 100 km/h in a 60 mph zone, but I would keep the needle halfway between 90 and 100 km/h. It just does not touch Irish people now. When the limits are changed at last, all this 65 and 95 km/h business is over once and for all, when it is done sensibly, as I proposed in that letter. It was clearly stated there that the speed limits should be in tens of km/h as they are now in tens of mph. I do know, that in the USA there are 25 mph speed limit zones; I saw that often on TV.
Han . ----- Original Message ----- From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, 2002-11-03 21:32 Subject: Re: [USMA:23077] Re: Letter to the Editor > 2002-11-03 > > Your letter at the end of this post clearly states ...........70 m.p.h. = > 110 km/h; 60 m.p.h. = 95 km/h and 30 m.p.h. = 50 km/h;....... > > I see no revision to show that 60 murphys is equal to 100 km/h. I still see > 95 km/h. Where is the revision you are speaking of? I see none. > > ............A speed of 95 km/h in Ireland would just apply to visitors > until the change comes100 km/h for 60 mph today would expose them to > prosecution............... > > How many visitors bring their own car to Ireland? Wouldn't it be more > economical to rent one there? Plus, what about the visitor who does not > have a 95 mark on his speedometer? What does that person do? And only a > real stinker of a cop would make an issue of 100 km/h vs. 95 km/h, > especially when a majority of motorists who do speed, speed by much faster. > The cops would worry more about those going 110 or 120 or even higher km/h. > > I just don't like to present ideas that will in the long term hurt our > efforts. We want to present rational usage as much as possible. > > John > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, 2002-11-03 14:48 > Subject: [USMA:23077] Re: Letter to the Editor > > > > John, > > > > I have done just that in the revised letter. Propose tens of kilometers. > You > > have not read that version; please, read it; I have left it down this > > message page. A speed of 95 km/h in Ireland would just apply to visitors > > until the change comes. AFTER METRICATION that speed becomes 90 or 100 > km/h, > > according to road conditions. 100 km/h for 60 mph today would expose them > to > > prosecution. > > > > Han > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "U.S. Metric Association" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Sunday, 2002-11-03 15:53 > > Subject: Re: [USMA:23068] Re: Letter to the Editor > > > > > > > 2002-11-03 > > > > > > All you want to do is suggest the use of rounded numbers that end in a > > zero. Let the local authorities decide what speed is best for certain > roads. > > The people will accept the change more easily and quicker if the numbers > are > > neat and rational. > > > > > You want too make suggestions that make SI look better than FFU. If you > > don't, the public will hate SI because they will have to deal with funny > > numbers. The BWMA would love to see irrational metric values. Then they > > have an argument for saying that FFU is more user friendly. > > > > > > Canada, and I'm sure the other countries did the same, changed their 60 > > murphys to 100 km/h. There were no problems. NOBODY has a speed limit of > > 95 km/h. Absolutely no body. Every place I have been to the speed limits > > always end in zero. Use the KISS principle: Keep It Simple! > > > > John > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Saturday, 2002-11-02 16:47 > > > Subject: [USMA:23068] Re: Letter to the Editor > > > > > > > > > > I have not sent it yet; I will change it a bit. But as long as the > speed > > limit is 60 mph it is risky to advice people to drive 100 km/h; that is > > simply against the law. More than 2 km/h too fast often is enough. When > the > > change comes, then 60 mph should become 100 km/h. The present speed limit > of > > 40 mph has the same problem. 70 km/h is too fast and leads to prosecution > if > > stopped by the police, or Gardai in Ireland. The new limit could indeed > > become 70 km/h. I will send it as follows (see below), > > > > Han > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Saturday, 2002-11-02 21:04 > > Subject: [USMA:23062] Re: Letter to the Editor > > > > 2002-11-02 > > Han, > > I hope you did not send this yet! > > > > The recommended speed for 60 murphys is 100 km/h, nor 95 km/h. 100 is a > > nice, neat and rational number. No 65 km/h. Either 60 or 70. Choose > numbers > > that end in zeros. No fives. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Saturday, 2002-11-02 13:16 > > Subject: [USMA:23060] Letter to the Editor > > > > I am going to send this message to the Irish Times. > > > > Madam, > > > > I saw in Saturday's Irish Times the following recapitulation of speed > limits > > in Ireland: "And just for the record, the speed limit is 70 m.p.h. or 112 > > k.p.h. on motorways and dual carriage ways; 60 m.p.h. or 96 k.p.h. on > urban > > stretches and outside built-up areas and 30 m.p.h. or 48 k.p.h. in > built-up > > areas." > > No visitor's car with a metric speedometer can hold such funny speeds. > > Sometimes metric values like that are used to ridicule the metric system. > > Until metrication makes its debut a sensible conversion is: 70 m.p.h. = > 110 > > km/h; 60 m.p.h. = 95 km/h and 30 m.p.h. = 50 km/h; the future Irish > limits > > should be rounded to tens of kilometres, just as they are now in tens of > > miles. These, for instance, are the Dutch speed limits in kilometres per > > hour: 30 in residential streets, 50 on through roads in built up areas, 80 > > on country roads, 100 to 120 km/h on motorways, the latter according to > > motorway conditions. "Soft" metrication, like 30 m.p.h. becomes 48 km/h, > is > > disastrous. It is to be hoped that metrication will not be used to lower > the > > limits, just to make them sensible. In fact, 50 km/h in residential > streets > > is too high; it should be 30 km/h, so that many of the old '30' signs can > be > > re-used. And on > > splendid through-roads 50 or even 70 km/h (rounded up from the old 40 > > m.p.h.) is too low. Make it 80 or 90 km/h and up to 120 km/h on the > emerging > > Irish motorway network. Another article on this metrication issue in > > Friday's IT, used the word 'confusion'. I would not think so. Metric road > > distance signs have been present in Ireland for many years and many Irish > > motorists drive in metric mainlaind Europe. Almost all Irish cars have a > > double speedometer, and when metric comes in all new cars will have > > metric-only speedometers. In the contrary, it will end the confusion that > > now reigns on Irish roads, as in a sense, it will be a return to one > system > > of measurements, only it will be metric and not Imperial. And last, but > not > > least, I have to mention that the international and correct symbol for > > kilometre per hour is km/h; k.p.h. is deprecated. > > > > Yours faithfully, > > > > Han Maenen > > Nijmegen, The Netherlands > > > > > > >
