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Fri, 17 Sep, 2021 - 15:00

Paul Hosford

New laws will be passed in the coming months to enforce variable speed limits on Dublin's M50, the Transport Minister says.

Eamon Ryan, on Friday, launched the enhancing Motorway Operation Services (eMOS), which will allow authorities to slow traffic in response to collisions, roadworks, adverse weather conditions and congestion.

The M50 major incident control room at the launch of Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s (TII) enhancing Motorway Operation Services (eMOS) programme, which will see the phased introduction of variable speed limits on the M50.

The system is designed to ensure that drivers need to brake less suddenly, and will improve journey time reliability. Speed limits on the road, which currently has a limit of 100km/hr could go as low as 30km depending on conditions.

Mr Ryan said that the first digital signs will be switched on between Junction 4 Ballymun and Junction 6 Castleknock in the coming weeks. Laws will be brought in before Christmas to make the limits "mandatory and enforceable". He said that the limits would "help manage the road better" and would reduce accidents. The next phase of the motorway to get the changeable limits will be Junction 6 Castleknock to Junction 9 Red Cow in Spring 2022.

It's right and appropriate that it is advisory to start, but it will be law in the coming months. The M50 is full, we need to make it safe. The limit will be based on the circumstances.

"The M50 is a critical road in managing port and Airport traffic and that's why we need to keep it clear."

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan defended spending €80m on a major road at a time when climate change is such a major concern for his party.

Mr Ryan defended the spending of €80m on a major road at a time when climate change is such a major concern, saying that there will be environmental benefits to the scheme because traffic will "not all be caught" in the one place.

He said that carbon taxes would rise due to "complex circumstances", including global gas prices. He said that this was a message that Ireland needs to end its use of fossil fuels.

Sean O'Neill from Transport Infrastructure Ireland said that while CCTV would be added to the road, it was not designed to catch people speeding.

This is about implementing a safe environment. The enforcement elements will still be carried out by An Garda Síochána. These cameras will not be used for that - they're for monitoring and data collection.

Under the scheme, the Dublin Tunnel Control Centre will be expanded, with 19 new gantries, 386 lane control signals, 64 variable message signs, 45 CCTV cameras and 54 slip road signs on entry points to the M50 added.

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