Winter speed limits about to be removed

Speed limits to rise on nearly 10,000 km of Finnish roads

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In the coming days, speed limits on roads in Southern and Central Finland are set to rise as the Finnish Road Administration is about to take down the lower winter speed-limit signs.
      The speed limits will rise on nearly 10,000 kilometres of roads. As a rule, the road districts of Uusimaa, Turku, Häme, Southeastern Finland, and Savo-Karelia will lift speed limits that were lowered to 80 km/h for the winter season back to the normal 100 km/h.
      On about a thousand kilometres of roads, however, the lower 80 km/h limit will stay in force because of reduced visibility or roadworks.
     
On motorways the speed limit rises to 120 km/h, apart from certain urban sections where the limit is permanently lower.
      The changed speed limits come into effect as soon as the road signs signifying the speed limit have been changed.
      In Uusimaa, no temporary 80-km/h limits will stay in force after the change. In Savo-Karelia, on the other hand, the speed limit is to be permanently reduced from 100 to 80 km/h on 215 kilometres of the roads.
      By contrast, on the motorway section of Highway Five between Vuorela and Siilinjärvi just north of the City of Kuopio, the top limit rises from 100 km/h to120 km/h.
     
The period of compulsory use of winter tyres ended some while ago, and technically winter tyres with studs are outlawed from Monday (yesterday), but the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the police, and tyre specialists still urge citizens to be prepared for slippery roads.
      "Common sense should be used when switching from the studded winter tyres to summer tyres", Tyre Specialists of Finland announced on Monday.
      The law allows the use of winter tyres even after the deadline, if the weather conditions require it, or if a trip to the north is likely in the next few days.
      According to Tyre Specialists of Finland, half of the Finnish car owners change their own tyres without outside help.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Summer speed limits to be raised just in time for Easter (6.4.2004)

Links:
  Finnish Road Administration

Helsingin Sanomat