Speed limits set to change in rural and urban areas
On Thursday the Department of Transport released new guidelines that gives local authorities greater power in setting speed limits for roads in rural and urban areas.
Local farmer Donal O' Donovan is pictured gritting the rural roads in the Ardfield area near Clonakilty in West Cork
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Speaking on Thursday on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport and Tourism, said his department is creating new criteria for the setting of speed limits and that there will be new signage for rural roads. These new guidelines are set to be implemented by his department within the next two years and will be reviewed every five years.
The changes for rural roads will be:
On roads that are less than seven metres in width, the speed limit will be 80km/hr
On roads wider than seven metres in width, it will be 100km/hr
Motorists will be told what the speed limit in each area will be and that speed limit will be consistent.
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Local authorities will be able to indicate that people should travel lower than the 80km/h speed limit by placing new signage of a white circle with black diagnol stripes on the road.
Donohoe added that motorists should use sound judgment when it comes to speed limits and travel below it rather than at the speed limit indicated.
Asked if 80km/h is too high a speed limit for some of the bóithríns in rural areas, he said he thinks it is too high for some small roads but that it will be within the remit of the local authorities to decide this.
Urban areas
The 30 km/h speed limit still applies in housing estates but there will be new signage in place to indicate "slowzones". Although minister Donohoe will provide the options for speed limits on roads, local authorities will have final say when it comes to choosing speed limits on roads in urban areas.
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Speaking on Thursday on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport and Tourism, said his department is creating new criteria for the setting of speed limits and that there will be new signage for rural roads. These new guidelines are set to be implemented by his department within the next two years and will be reviewed every five years.
The changes for rural roads will be:
On roads that are less than seven metres in width, the speed limit will be 80km/hr
On roads wider than seven metres in width, it will be 100km/hr
Motorists will be told what the speed limit in each area will be and that speed limit will be consistent.
Local authorities will be able to indicate that people should travel lower than the 80km/h speed limit by placing new signage of a white circle with black diagnol stripes on the road.
Donohoe added that motorists should use sound judgment when it comes to speed limits and travel below it rather than at the speed limit indicated.
Asked if 80km/h is too high a speed limit for some of the bóithríns in rural areas, he said he thinks it is too high for some small roads but that it will be within the remit of the local authorities to decide this.
Urban areas
The 30 km/h speed limit still applies in housing estates but there will be new signage in place to indicate "slowzones". Although minister Donohoe will provide the options for speed limits on roads, local authorities will have final say when it comes to choosing speed limits on roads in urban areas.
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