After over twenty years of confusing both the Irish and tourists by having distances in kilometres and speed limits in miles per hour, Ireland has just become fully metric. however, there is some confusion over the sixty thousand new speed signs – and not only on the part of drivers. for example, one speed sign gave an 80kmh (50mph) speed limit down a dead-end street while another had a limit of 100kph (62mph) outside a primary school.
There was a nation-wide publicity campaign, including newspaper and television advertisements and brochures posted to every house, before the new signs were introduced. The government believes this will be enough to prevent drivers misunderstanding the new ‘120’ speed limits and trying to imitate Michael Schumacher on the motorways. Northern Ireland’s transport department has also launched a campaign encouraging drivers to be extremely careful when they cross the border.
The Irish police expect a certain amount of confusion, mistakes and high speeds. In spite of this, they have no intention of being lenient and giving drivers a period of time in which to get used to the new signs. Ignorance is not an excuse and any driver who exceeds the speed limits will suffer the consequences. Unfortunately for the police, half their instruments for measuring speed still register them in miles per hour and they have to convert from miles to kilometres, which makes it a little complicated for them.
When Ireland first converted distances to kilometres in 1983, motorists never quite knew where they were because any new signs were in kilometres while the old ones still reported the distance in miles. however, schools have been teaching the metric system for thirty years and the Irish government is ready to change to be in line with the rest of Europe.
The UK remains the only European country using the imperial system on its roads. A spokesman for the department of Transport stated that it was improbable that Britain would change in the near future. Although the Irish have replaced one system for the purpose of greater European harmony, they are still left with another British legacy – they drive on the left.