A NEW default speed limit of 60 km per hour for all rural local roads in Limerick and the rest of the country came in effect February 7.
This change, reducing the previous limit of 80 km per hour, aims to enhance road safety for all users.
The Department of Transport conducted a national review of speed limits in 2023, leading to the Road Traffic Act 2024, which introduced new default speed limits across Ireland. This initiative, they say, aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by influencing driving behaviours and improving road safety.
The new default speed limit of 60 km per hour will apply to all rural local roads in Limerick City and County, excluding regional and national roads, and roads with existing special speed limits of 30 km per hour or 50 km per hour. These changes are part of a phased approach to improving road safety, with further reviews planned for 2025.
However, not everyone is happy about the move.
Castletroy Aontú campaigner Eric Nelligan has called the blanket reduction of the speed limits as another prime example of this government engaging in “Nanny-state-ism”.
“What we are seeing are the lawmakers being overprotective as well as unduly interfering in efficient transportation,” Mr Nelligan hit out.
It is his opinion that the vast majority of people did not know this was planned. “To say that drivers were shocked and worried is an understatement.
“Many drivers are very concerned that this reduction and the planned reductions on urban and national roads will result is a surge in penalty points, fines and very quickly disqualification, all it takes is four incidents in a three-year period to be off the road or three as a learner or novice driver, that can happen very easily under these new limits,” he said.
The Department of Transport says that there will be a national communication campaign to highlight the rural speed limit and that councillors can change back speeds in bye-laws for a small number of roads if they fulfil certain criteria. Within a few months, in June, roads with a 100km limit will drop to 80km, and urban areas will drop from 50km to 30km per hour.
