Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Feb 2000

Vol. 514 No. 6

Written Answers. - Speed Limits.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

236 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will consider the recommendations of a study by the transport research laboratory in Britain which recommends dropping urban speed limits to 20 miles per hour with a forecast that this could cut the number of child deaths and injuries each year by half; and the plans, if any, he has to propose a similar speed reduction here. [5097/00]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

The Government Strategy for Road Safety, 1998-2002, indicated that changes to speed limit regimes, which were comprehensively reviewed some years ago, were not proposed in the immediate term: the priority must instead be to secure a much higher level of compliance with existing speed limits.

However, the option of revising speed limits downwards is not ruled out if enforcement of existing limits does not show good progress towards the strategy goal of reducing present excessive levels of speeding by 50%. Such downward revisions could address lower speed limits, such as 20 miles per hour, in urban built-up areas. The situation will continue to be monitored in line with this approach.