Ireland Ends Speed Quirk

It is a quirk which has befuddled motorists visiting Ireland for many years. Distance signs are measured in kilometres - but speed limits have always been displayed in miles per hour.

The anomaly will finally be removed today when the government uncovers 58,000 new road signs and begins enforcing a new set in kph.

The change, costing €11m (£7.5m), has prompted fears of chaos and confusion as motorists struggle to get to grips with a new set of laws.

To complicate matters, Irish ministers have taken the opportunity to slow down traffic by cutting the default national speed limit from 60mph to 80kph (50mph).

Conor Faughnan, public affairs manager at AA Ireland, said: "We've lived with this ridiculous situation for years now." He pointed out that tourists reading signs were expected to understand that Dublin could be 70km away but that they had to travel there at 60mph.

Ireland's speed limit on motorways will increase from 60mph to 100kph (62mph). But the limit on rural roads, which account for 91% of its highway network, will drop sharply.

British campaigners want a similar change. A spokeswoman for Brake, the safety charity, said: "Rural roads are the most dangerous roads in Britain because of the high speeds people go at round twists and turns. To be going at our national speed limit of 60mph can be extremely dangerous."

There is concern in Ireland about the short-term impact of "metric day". Ireland's RAC has complained that advertising has been inadequate.

The switch will leave Britain as the only European country to measure road speeds in miles rather than kilometres per hour.