Reduction in Ireland's speed limits 'can't come soon enough', road safety advocates say
Limits Denis Speed 60km/h Reduction Fall From Local Minihane On To See Proposed Roads Will In Picture: Limits 80km/h
Road safety advocates have said reductions in the country's national speed limits, which will begin to take effect from November, “can’t come soon enough”.
Junior Minister at the Department of Transport James Lawless said has said it is the “intention” from that month, the limit on local roads will fall to 60km/h from 80km/h. Further limit drops will follow in the new year. They are expected to include a fall on national secondary roads from 100kmh to 80km/h and from 50km/h to 30km/h in built-up areas.
The reductions follow 18 months in which road deaths have increase markedly.
The death of a male pedestrian in his 40s following a hit-and-run in Baldoyle in north Dublin on Wednesday morning brought the total number of people killed in road accidents to 105 so far in 2024. That is up from 91 in the corresponding period in 2023.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to that incident, while the matter has also been referred to the Garda ombudsman body Gsoc, though that referral is not believed to be specifically connected to the hit-and-run itself.
On the expected speed limit reductions, Donna Price, founder and spokesperson for the Irish Road Victims Association, said she “very much welcomes this much-needed intervention by the minister”.
“For us, it can’t come soon enough," she said noting that following a crash at 30km/h nine in 10 pedestrians will survive, with the reverse being the case for such a collision at 60km/h.
Susan Gray, spokesperson for Parc road safety, however, sounded a more cautious note, saying she did not believe a drop in limits could occur until each local authority had reviewed the limits within its own boundaries and submitted its findings to the Government.
“We’ve seen minutes from every different council and we know there is a lot of disagreement,” she said. “The Government set the guidelines, but they’re only guidelines. Have they the final decision on limits, or does the Government? We have to see the details."
On RTÉ Radio, Mr Lawless said work on the reviews “very much has” commenced, adding “in most cases the councils are ready for this, they’re waiting to push the start button on it... they have this ready to go”.