Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe. I understand that Deputy Dowds has been very proactive on this issue for quite some time and I thank him for raising the matter.

I understand that the background to this issue arises from the concerns of local residents living in the immediate area in relation to the use of surrounding residential roads by heavy goods vehicles and their wish to see a 3.5 tonne vehicle weight restriction applied to Kennelsfort Road for traffic management purposes. While I cannot comment on the specifics of any weight restriction currently applying to the Kennelsfort Road, decisions in respect of the application of such weight restrictions are entirely a matter for the relevant local authority. In this instance, and based on the intervention of Deputy Dowds, that would appear to be South Dublin County Council, though my script states it is Dublin City Council. The Minister does not have any role to play in such decisions.

However, should South Dublin County Council decide to apply such a weight restriction on Kennelsfort Road, this would be indicated by the use of the appropriate vehicle weight limit sign. The legislative basis underpinning the erection of such regulatory signage is provided for under road traffic legislation with which all local authorities must comply. Also, further details relating to regulatory vehicle weights signage are set out for local authorities in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's 2010 traffic signs manual.

The Road Traffic (Signs) (Amendment) Regulations 2012, SI 331 of 2012, and the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012, SI 332 of 2012, provide the legislative basis for weight restrictions on vehicles entering a road and associated signage. Relevant signage in this regard includes regulatory upright sign RUS 015, which is used in traffic management and road safety issues such as prohibiting heavy vehicles from using residential roads, and RUS 053, which is used in cases of entry restrictions relating to the structural integrity of the road network, including bridges. Sign RUS 015, giving maximum design gross vehicle weight, is used at the entrance of a road and provides that drivers of vehicles whose design gross vehicle weight exceeds the weight specified on the sign are prohibited from proceeding beyond that point except where it is necessary for a vehicle to gain access to, or egress from, premises accessible only from that road. RUS 053 indicates that the driver of a vehicle exceeding the design gross vehicle weight displayed on the sign shall not proceed beyond it. There are no exceptions to this regulation. The entry restrictions associated with traffic signs RUS 015 and RUS 053 apply to all vehicles, including buses, which exceed the design gross vehicle weight specified on either sign. Any decision by a local authority to apply such restrictions would have to take account of whether the road in question is used as part of a bus route.

In conclusion, individual local authorities are best placed to assess the particular local vehicle weight requirements, based on either road safety or traffic management grounds, which should apply to a particular individual road. However, as previously mentioned, if such weight limit controls are applied, local authorities must erect signage that is in full compliance with regulations. The enforcement of road traffic regulations governing vehicle weight limits on any particular public road is a matter for An Garda Síochána.

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