I missed those two items, and just found them in the Archives section:
Han
Irish Times:
September 11 last
Speed limits will be metric from January
Conor Lally
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.
� The Irish Times
October 6 last
'Education' blamed for metric limit delay
Daniel Attwood
The latest delay in changing the country's speed signs from miles to kilometres has been attributed to the need to educate motorists about the new signs - and the new limits.
The Department of Transport has confirmed that the changeover will now be on January 20th, 2005, more than three months later than the date recommended by the working group on the review of speed limits.
There is confusion about the new delay among the three companies involved in producing the 59,000 new signs. Frank Murphy from Rennicks, which was awarded the tender to produce over half of the new signs, said he had found it difficult to tie the Department down to an absolute deadline. "I had great difficulties in finding out dates," he said.
Despite this, Murphy confirmed that its 29,000 signs have been delivered to county councils and are awaiting erection.
The Metric Changeover Board, which includes members of the Metrication Implementation Group, has now been established to oversee the changeover, which includes erecting and unveiling the signs, and also to structure "a vigorous multimedia campaign" which will begin immediately after Christmas.
A Department official said that running such an important information campaign in the run-up to, or during, Christmas would not reach all motorists. Therefore the decision was taken to delay the entire project.
Any further delay in the roll-out will have major implications at a time when new-car sales peak. Car importers were until recently working towards a January 1st deadline. Many new cars already have km/h-only speedometers. By January 1st, all new cars will have these.
Speaking last week at the launch of the new Ford Focus, Ford Ireland chairman and managing director Eddie Murphy said: "Nobody's going to quibble with the introduction of metric limits. It's long overdue and part of the European ideal. But I'm sure I speak for most people when I say the transition frightens me.
"We were set a deadline by the Department. We acted on it. The result is that our cars will be available in metric versions only in 2005. Now the Government needs to stick to its deadline. It has been na�ve in its dealings to date, betraying a lack of comprehension of lead-times, production complexities and so on.
"There is an unspoken concern that a delayed transition would hamper early-2005 sales, which are essential to our profitability."
The Department is adamant there will be no further delays.
� The Irish Times
