A rural road in England
Speed limits on rural, local roads in Ireland have been reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h, in a bid to improve road safety.
Rural, local roads primarily serve local traffic and connect rural communities. These roads are designated with an ‘L’ followed by a number, or do not have a number.
Reducing speed limits is part of the Irish Government’s Road Safety Strategy and is one of a range of measures intended to reduce fatalities and protect all road users.
Local authorities have received grant funding to purchase and install poles and signs to display the new speed limit on the relevant roads. The ‘rural speed limit sign’, which is used as an alternative to numeric speed limit signs on specific single lane rural roads, will now mean that a maximum 60km/h limit is in force.
As with all speed limits, it will be an offence to exceed the stated limit. The Irish Government has been working with the police, along with other stakeholders, to ensure that the 60km/h limit is enforced.
60km/h is the equivalent of approximately 37mph.
Darragh O’Brien, Ireland’s minister for transport, said: “[The] speed limit reduction will save lives, because driving slower saves lives. Driving at a lower speed means that if you get into a collision, either as a driver or a vulnerable road user, death or serious injury is a significantly less likely outcome. It also means you are less likely to be involved in a collision at all.
“Death and serious injuries on our roads are not inevitable, they are preventable through tangible, sensible measures. This government is taking action to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.”
Seán Canney, minister of state at Ireland’s Department of Transport, said: “[This] speed limit change is an outcome of many years of consultation, deliberation and engagement across the system, most notably from the evidence base of the 2023 Speed Limit Review and close collaboration with local authorities who are implementing this reduction.
“This welcome change will give us all safer roads. Systemic changes like today’s speed limit reduction and road safety education – along with enforcement – have helped us significantly bring down road deaths, but in recent years this trend has worryingly reversed.
“Together we can make our roads safer, by observing the speed limit, driving safely and looking out for one another on rural local roads.”
The new limits came into force on 7 February.
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