Written answer
Road Safety
The Government is implementing a phased 30 km/h speed limit in built-up and urban areas, with local authorities to complete changes by March 2027. It says the measure, based on the 2023 Speed Limit Review, will significantly reduce fatality risks for pedestrians and cyclists while encouraging walking and cycling and improving urban environments.
346. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the assessment undertaken by his Department of the potential road safety benefits arising from the introduction of default 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas; and the expected impact on pedestrian and cyclist safety. [65706/26]
Comment on this
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021 to 2030 ‘Our Journey Towards Vision Zero’, published by the Road Safety Authority, includes the primary aim of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads in half by 2030 and to achieve ‘Vision Zero’, zero deaths or serious injuries, by 2050. To help achieve this aim, the Strategy included an action for a working group to be established to examine and review the framework for the setting of speed limits and to consider. Accordingly, this working group was established, and it comprised representatives from the County and City Management Association, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the Department of Transport. Their work led to the publication of the ‘Speed Limit Review’ in 2023, which set out three principal recommendations concerning speed limit reductions:
A reduction in the default speed limit on rural local roads from 80km/h to 60km/h.
The introduction of a 30km/h default speed limit in built-up and urban areas.
A reduction in the default speed limit on national secondary roads from 100km/h to 80km/h
These recommendations are being implemented by local authorities on a phased basis and with funding support from the Department of Transport.
The second recommendation, ‘the introduction of a 30km/h default speed limit in built-up and urban areas’, is presently being implemented by local authorities by way of ‘special speed limit bye-laws’, rather than a change in the ‘default speed limit’. As directed by the Minister for Transport, local authorities are to complete the bye-law process for this phase by 30th October 2026 and implement all permanent speed limit changes by 31st March 2027.
With respect to the Department of Transport’s assessment of potential road safety benefits arising from the introduction of 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas; and the expected impact on pedestrian and cyclist safety, these are set out in the Government’s ‘Speed Limit Review 2023’ report, together with supporting research, which is available for review and download from the Department’s website [here], www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/speed-limit-review/.
The Report notes that “protecting vulnerable road users must be a key focus when it comes to setting speed limits” and “the risk of being killed is much greater for collisions between a car and a vulnerable road user at 50 km/h compared to the same type of collision at 30 km/h”. Research highlights that “if you hit a pedestrian while travelling at 50km/h, there’s a 29% chance they will be killed, however, If you’re travelling at 30 km/h, it reduces to 5%”.”
Additional benefits which accrue from reduced traffic speed limits in urban areas include encouragement for more people to walk and cycle, young people and elderly people are more likely to move independently, minimal impacts on journey times, reduced danger for all road users, potential to reduce noise and air pollution, and opportunities to transform urban and village streets from car dominated through-roads to vibrant living ‘people-friendly’ space.