Vol. 572 No. 2
178 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the progress he has made in reviewing the structure of speed limits and the appropriate designation of roads within that framework; and if he proposes to give local authorities the power to introduce limits below 30 mph in certain residential or other appropriate areas. [22783/03]
For the purpose of facilitating a comprehensive review of speed limits, I established a broadly based working group in February of this year. The working group presented its report to me last week. A copy of the report is available in the Oireachtas Library. I am currently giving careful consideration to the report and the recommendations that the working group has made.
The review has addressed all of the relevant issues and has been pursued against the background of, among other things, plans to provide for the metrication of speed limits by the end of 2004 and the fact that the last review of speed limits was carried out some ten years ago. The issues which are discussed in the report include the question of extending the current range of speed limits to provide for the application of a speed limit of 30 km per hour in association with appropriate traffic calming measures in residential areas and a new speed limit structure that would take particular cognisance of national and non-national road classification.
