A significant overhaul of speed limits is planned on Irish roads to make them safer and bring down road deaths.
The proposals will shortly be brought to Cabinet by Minister of State for road safety Jack Chambers following a review.
The review will form the basis of new guidelines to be developed over the coming period which will then issue to local authorities recommending new default speed limits for different categories of roads. Local authorities will then use these recommendations to set new speed limits.
Under the proposals, the new default speed limit on national secondary roads would drop from 100km/h to 80km/h. The default speed limit for the network of local and rural roads throughout the country would be reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h.
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Urban roads, which include built-up areas like housing estates and town centres, would reduce to 30km/h. Arterial roads and radial routes around urban settings would be set at 50km/h. There are no proposed changes to the speed limits on motorways and national primary roads contained in the review.
The framework allows for some appropriate, upward variations where a road is deemed to be safe and good quality on assessment by local authorities. The changes to default speed limits will require legislation, as well as the development of new guidelines for local authorities.
Mr Chambers said the detailed guidance for local authorities will be ready for early 2024, with local authorities implementing the new limits next year and during 2025.
“After many successful years bringing road deaths down, there has been a really alarming spiral in recent times with 127 deaths already this year. Every single death is a tragedy for the victims’ families, friends and communities,” Mr Chambers said. “We have seen in the last few weeks particularly the devastating impact road deaths involving our young people have on the whole country.”
“The implementation of this will take a little bit of time but the impact of this will bring down road fatalities for many years when it is rolled out across the country.
Mr Chambers said the reductions were part of a suite of measures to improve road safety.
The speed limit review is a key part of the Government’s road safety strategy. A speed limit review group was established in late 2021 and comprised representatives of the Department of Transport, NTA, TII, local authorities, the RSA and An Garda Síochána.
The group carried out an assessment of the existing framework of speed limits in Ireland, looked at best practice internationally and carried out a modelling analysis of potential options having regard to safety, emissions and active travel needs.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Chambers said rural and local roads, which cover about 85 per cent of the network, have 75 per cent of fatalities. “We get feedback from many people that the speed limits on many of these roads are inappropriate and the proposal is to change that from 80km/h to 60km’h,” he said.
He said there would be “discretion” for good design within the new limits, allowing local authorities to increase limits where appropriate.
“I think bringing a safer baseline will improve road safety. It is a devolved function then of local authorities to implement that as appropriate within their local area,” he said.
Head of Communications at AA Ireland Blake Boland told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that he welcomed the plans.
“When we look at the number of road deaths we have had and in the wake of what has been happening over the last few weeks and months it is very difficult to argue with anything that is going to help us reduce fatalities on the roads,” he said.
“We have a couple of little concerns about how this is going to be implemented but we have to stand together and do whatever we can. And if that is reducing speed limits in some scenarios it is very difficult to argue with that.”
