Dublin City Council will be introducing a new traffic signalling system to encourage motorists to obey the new 30km speed limit that will be enforced from next Monday.

Click here to see map of new system

Motorists keeping under 30 km/per hour could meet continuous green lights on a clear road but those travelling any faster will meet a red light according to Cllr Andrew Montague (Lab) chairman of the council’s Transport Committee.

The council will be introducing the system on selected routes like the Quays when the new 24 hour speed limit comes into force.

Cllr Montague said that congested traffic moves slower when there are stops and starts but will be slightly faster with a smoother traffic flow.

He also said the new limit will make the city centre a more attractive place for pedestrians and cyclists.

The new speed limit area will cover an area North to South from Bolton St to St Stephen’s Green and West to East from Church St to Gardiner St.

But the Automobile Association has claimed the new limit will ‘infuriate’ motorists.

AA Director of Policy Conor Faughnan responded ‘There is just no sense in this, 30 kph zones work when they are engineered properly, in traffic calmed areas where they are self policing.

He continued, That’s what they are for, applying them en masse on roads that are engineered for high volumes at flowing speeds is absurd.

He said we have problems enough countrywide trying to end the scourge of badly set speed limits without the capital city making a mockery of sensible road design.’

Heavy fog is making driving dangerous around the country this afternoon.

AA Roadwatch says there is heavy fog in the east, midlands and west of the country.

Visibility is reduced because of the fog and drivers are asked to use their fog lights in the affected areas.

The worst affected routes are the M4 near Kilcock, the M6 between Rochfortbridge and Oranmore, and the N7 around Portlaoise.

There were also icy road conditions in many parts earlier today as a result of freezing overnight temperatures.

Motorists are warned that despite some improvement, care is still needed as ice may linger.

Meanwhile, a truck carrying chemicals overturned on the N52 Kells to Ardee Road in Co Meath. There were no injuries.

There have also been a number of crashes on the Dundalk to Castleblayney road, including a three-car accident. Motorists are advised to avoid the road if at all possible.

Latest registration statistics from car history provider Motorcheck.ie show that year on year sales for new passenger cars are down 31% on 2009 figures.

 The latest statistics which include all new car registrations up to January 12th show a total of 5,521 new passenger registrations in 2010 as against 8,032 for the same period in 2009.

 Commenting on the results Shane Teskey, Director at Motorcheck.ie said “These are not the sales figures the industry was hoping for. All indicators toward the end of 2009 pointed to a relatively strong order book for 2010. There have been a lot of changes to the way dealers finance the stocking of their forecourts and it may be that cars are not being registered until the new owner is on site to collect. With the recent bad weather it may be that customers simply can’t get to their dealership to collect their new car”.

 Ford have the top spot in both petrol and diesel segments. The Ford Fiesta has sold in excess of two hundred and sixty petrol units while the number of new diesel Ford Focus sold is over three hundred and thirty. At the luxury end of the market, BMW have registered thirteen of the prestigious 7 Series and Mercedes Benz have plated nine of their S-Class models.

 Dublin has the greatest number of vehicles registered at 1,603 (29%) with Leitrim bringing up the rear at just 20 (0.4%) new cars.

The statistics also show that the number of used cars being imported into the country is down drastically on last year. For the first twelve days of 2010 only 942 second hand cars have been registered. Compared to 2009 figures of 1,934 for the same period the fall is over 51%. 

NOTE TO EDITOR 

The Motorcheck.ie Car Index is compiled on a daily basis from new vehicle registration statistics supplied by the vehicle registration office and published online at http://www.motorcheck.ie/blog/stats/. Regional statistics by county are also available.

Flooding caused by heavy rain overnight is affecting some roads in the south and east of Ireland.

AA Roadwatch is advising motorists to drive with extreme care.

Parts of counties Wicklow and Wexford are the worst affected where some primary and secondary roads are impassable.

Flooding has been reported in Arklow after heavy rain fell overnight and melted snow flowed from higher ground.

Gardaí are advising that the area from Vale Road to Aughrim is completely flooded and will be closed for some time.

Anyone travelling from Dublin should take the Arklow South exit to reach Arklow town as other routes have heavy surface water.

In Enniscorthy, the quays have been closed and diversions are in place around the town. People have been asked to avoid the area completely. Gardaí have removed all cars parked on both sides of the quays because of flooding.

In Cork, surface water is affecting roads around Clonakilty and Skibbereen.

AA Roadwatch is also reporting excess surface water in counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Monaghan and Waterford.

All national and secondary schools are to remain closed until Thursday 14 January 2010, Minister for Education Batt O’Keefe announced this afternoon.

The decision was taken following a review of the weekend weather forecast at a meeting of the Government’s Emergency Response Committee.

The Minister accepts that the closures will cause inconvenience but said the safety of student, teachers and parents was more important.

The decision comes amid growing fears among school principals and boards of management about the impact of further severe weather on school communities. It will be widely welcomed by them.

Schools have been telling RTÉ News of strong health and safety concerns, centred on footpaths and roads in their wider areas.

A decision on whether Ireland’s 4,000 schools will remain closed or re-opened later next week will be made following a review by the Committee at a meeting on Tuesday.

There are severe weather warnings in place across most of the country, with Met Éireann forecasting at least another three days of sub zero temperatures.

Drivers are being advised to take extra care on all routes but especially on secondary roads which may not have been gritted.

The unexpectedly long cold snap is also draining supplies of grit with several local authorities in the Midlands and in Dublin running low.

The National Roads Authority says the N5 Charlestown, N6 Loughrea, N8 Mitchelstown, N13 between Brigend and Burt in Donegal, and the N81 Baltinglass are all icy.

The Sally Gap in Wicklow is still closed, and secondary roads and housing estates in most of Dublin are described as treacherous.

In the South, Thurles has been badly affected with gardaí are warning of severe black ice in many places.

AA Roadwatch says it is very icy on secondary routes in Co Clare and also on the N18 Ennis Bypass.

In Co Cavan there are very icy in spots on the N3 Dublin/Cavan Rd and in the Baileboro and Virginia areas.

Gardaí have advised motorists to drive with extreme caution on the M7 between J12 Newbridge and J14 Monasterevin, or avoid if possible.

Bus Éireann services in Cork are severely disrupted.

All city services and many suburban routes and several services in the county have been suspended.

Services between Limerick and Dublin have been suspended due to road conditions, and there are long delays on the service between Dublin and Ballina.

Meanwhile, Dublin Bus services are operating on a restricted basis and services on routes on higher ground and through housing estates are again being limited.

Motorcheck.ie today announced that the Ford Focus is officially Ireland’s number one selling car of the decade. The Motorcheck statistics show that Irish motorists have registered in excess of 90,000 Ford Focus’s in the past decade bringing the total number of cars registered in the Republic to well over 1.5 million cars.  

The year 2000 registered an unprecedented high of 225,269 with this past year 2010 recording a low of just under 56,000. 

The Toyota Avensis comes in at second place with the Volkswagen Golf following closely at third position. 

Commenting on the announcement Shane Teskey co-founder at Motorcheck said “The Ford Focus has certainly earned its position as the number one selling car of the decade. Proving itself popular in times of economic boom and recession it has been Ireland’s best-selling car for eight of the past ten years. Total sales have clocked up more than 90,000 units and the car continues to be a leading choice in the second hand market”. 

Twice voted Semperit Irish Car of the Year by the Irish Motoring Writers Association, and a former European Car of the Year, placed bumper to bumper, the Focus cars sold to date in the country would stretch from Dublin to Limerick and back. 

Commenting on the accolade, Eddie Murphy, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, said: “We are delighted that Focus has been named Ireland’s favourite car of the decade in Ireland.  Since its introduction in 1999, the car instantly became a favourite with Irish motorists.  From young motorsports fans to families to empty nesters, the Focus customer base has always been a broad church.  It’s that very breadth of appeal that has made it a perennial favourite for Irish drivers.”

SOURCE:

Shane Teskey
Director
Benchmark Fleet Services Limited