22 November 2001: The Association of British Drivers has called for the British government to re-think its policies on setting and signing speed limits.

The ABD's Chairman, Brian Gregory said the increasing lack of uniformity in the setting of limits and the abysmal level of signing 'leaves drivers guessing' what the limit actually is.

"We certainly don't condone law breaking or inappropriate speeds," he said. "But we believe that many speeding offences are a result of poor signing, not a deliberate wish to break the law. In some areas more responsible Local Authorities are erecting 'This is still a 30 Zone' signs as a way of reducing speeds and getting round restrictive guidelines on the use of repeaters. Others just erect a 'safety' camera."

The ABD's Road Safety Spokesman, Mark McArthur-Christie said some drivers 'drive like idiots' and need their speed curbing, but the 'vast majority of drivers' would stick to speed limits if they were more clearly posted, or councils put up repeaters where the environment changes.

The association says the present rules on posting speed limits in the UK do not always make the legally acceptable speed obvious. The biggest problem appears to be in 30 mph areas.

When 30 limits were first introduced they were for urban areas. At the time street lighting was mostly restricted to residential areas, and the presence of lighting was a good guide as to areas suitable for a 30 limit. It became understood in law that street lighting indicated a 30 limit unless indicated otherwise.

Nowadays street lighting can be found on motorways, by-passes, ring roads and many other sites miles from any habitation. Some Local Authorities use the presence of street lights as an excuse not to maintain the proper signing of the beginning of a 30 limit, because 'the law says that lighting means a 30 limit'.

"While a 30 limit indicates hazards that should merit street lighting, it is no longer the case that street lighting automatically indicates a 30 limit, and the link should be severed," says the ABD, an organisation run on a voluntary basis to lobby for the beleaguered British motorist under the themes 'Reclaiming the roads for the people who pay for them' and 'Demanding proper roads (and railways) in exchange for paying one seventh of all taxes'.

The ABD wants the British Government to join 'high risk' residential areas with limits of at least 40 mph, allowing 30 mph demarcations where the nature of the road changes, and repeater signs on the joining stretch.

"Consideration should be given to easing the guidelines on '30' repeaters to allow, or even require, their siting at points where excessive speed is an identified problem." it says. "It may simply be due to an unclear limit, where the general characteristics and level of development of the road are such that a driver would not in general expect the road to be subject to a 30 mph limit. This problem should be treatable without adding to the projected millions of speeding convictions."

ED NOTE: The above is the UK experience, but we reproduce it substantially here because we'd like some feedback about how Irish motorists feel about speed limit signage here.