Many local roads to see speed limit drop
On Friday the vast majority of rural local roads in Cork will see a significant change.
On 7 February, speed limits on almost all rural local roads will reduce from 80km/h to 60 km/h. This is also the case in some rural local roads under Cork City Council control.
Speed reduction can significantly increase the chance of survival in the event of a traffic collision, so lowering speed limits is an effort to save lives.
This is part of a Government initiative to reduce the number of road deaths and will see default speed limits on rural local roads decrease from 80km/h to 60km/h. New speed limit signs will replace existing ones to reflect this change. The rollout of new signs may be delayed due to Storm Éowyn however.
Some local roads in rural areas may retain their 80km/h speed limit. 30 local roads under the control of Cork County Council will remain at 80km/h.
The meaning of the rural speed limit sign (a white circle with five diagonal black lines) will change from 80km/h to 60km/h as well.
Local authorities have received grants to change speed limit signs from ‘80’ to ‘60’ on relevant local roads. These will be in place on 7 February, so road users can see clearly which limit applies, according to the Government.
Later in 2025, the speed limit in urban cores, which include built up areas as well as housing estates and town centres, will reduce to 30km/h. The speed limit on national secondary roads will also reduce from 100km/h to 80km/h.
As part of the Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030, these changes aim to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by the end of the decade. These changes are being made under the Road Traffic Act 2024.
In Ireland almost three in four road deaths (73%) in 2020-2024 occurred on a rural road with a speed limit of 80km/h or greater. Almost half (47%) of all serious injuries occurred on these roads.
Slower Speeds, Safer Roads
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Seán Canney launched the Slower Speeds, Safer Roads awareness campaign recently to highlight the forthcoming change in speed limits on rural local roads.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said: “This Government is committed to reducing road fatalities and creating safer roads for everyone in Ireland. There is no doubt that speeding is a significant contributing factor to many collisions and going slower will benefit us all. By reducing speed limits on many rural local roads from 80km per hour to 60km per hour, the Government is taking action to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.”
Elena Leao, Marketing & PR, AA Ireland, said: “Reducing speed limits is a proven way to save lives. These changes reflect a commitment to tackling the factors that contribute to road traffic accidents and fatalities. We encourage all drivers to familiarise themselves with the updated speed limits.”
An Garda Síochána will continue to carry out speed checks and leverage advanced speed detection technology.
The Government say that countries across Europe including France and the UK have lowered speed limits on certain road types in recent years. Subsequent research has indicated that reducing speed limits contributed to a 10% reduction in road fatalities in France and to a reduction in insurance costs in the UK.