Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013
740. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has conducted an audit of speed limits in urban/residential areas across the country; the approximate cumulative total of roads with a 30km, 40km, 50km, 80km, 100km speed limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4527/13]
View answerAn audit of speed limits within its functional area is a matter for each local authority which I am informed is carried out at periodic intervals. Under the Road Traffic Acts, varying default speed limits have been set for general classes of roads. However, the power to decide the speed limit applying to individual roads within an area rests with the relevant road authority, i.e. City Council, County Council or County Borough Corporation, in consultation with the Garda Commissioner, and with the consent of the National Roads Authority in the case of national roads. Under Section 9 of the Road Traffic Act, 1994, the relevant road authority may make bye-laws in respect of the application of certain speed limits to specified public roads in their administrative areas. Road safety is a major consideration in the application of speed limits and enforcement is a matter for the Garda Síochána.
My Department issued Guidelines for the Application of Special Speed Limits in January 2011 to all local authorities and the onus is on them to take those Guidelines into account in relation to special speed limits to be set for all roads in their area of responsibility. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide advice and guidance in relation to the making of speed limit bye-laws by county and city councils for the purpose of applying special speed limits. After taking the guidelines into account it is considered best practice for local authority officials to advise the elected members of their respective councils on what a suitable speed limit regime should be for different roads in their areas of responsibility. For new roads the local authority will have the relevant information on the speed for which the road was designed. Thus, the detailed information which the Deputy has requested is maintained by each local authority and is not collated by my Department.
