Fergus O'Dowd
Ceist:494 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 411 of 25 February 2003, when he intends to introduce regulations reducing the speed of traffic in urban areas. [31196/03]
Written Answers. - Road Safety.
Further to my reply to Question No. 411 of 25 February 2003, a broadly based working group was established earlier this year to carry out a review of the present speed limits structure. The working group has addressed all of the major issues relating to speed limit policy including the range of speed limits deployed on roadways and for particular categories of vehicles, the policy on signage used to indicate speed limits and the implications of the adoption of metric values for speed measurement in 2004.
One of the issues discussed in detail in the report is the question of the deployment of special arrangements for a speed limit of 30 kph at locations with high levels of pedestrian activity. A copy of the working group's report is available in the Oireachtas Library and it is posted on my Department's website.
I am giving careful consideration to the report and the recommendations the working group has made. The implementation of new speed structures based on metric values will give rise to a range of practical issues, including the promotion of the legislative changes necessary to support that implementation. I have asked the working group to continue its work for the purpose of advising on that implementation programme.