Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy and I are probably on the same page on this matter. The 20 km/h limit is slow and is only meant to be used in special circumstances such as on a street that is pedestrianised for most of the day but that allows limited access to delivery vehicles at certain times or on a shared surface street in an urban area where there are no separate footways. The Deputy can understand that, although he will the first to point out that 30 km/h can be a killer in certain circumstances as well. That justifies the use of the slow zones.

The Deputy mentioned the speed limit reviews. In recent years, the local authorities have been reviewing speed limits on rural roads in accordance with the 2015 speed limit guidelines. It is a major exercise and he will be aware of it. It should improve consistency in the application of speed limits across the country, which, in turn, should contribute to improved road safety. I have written to local authorities to urge them to complete their speed limit reviews urgently and my officials have been pursuing them since. I am pleased that as of April this year, 23 local authorities had completed their reviews, five were expecting completion in 2019 and only three were not clearly indicating completion this year. There is a need for a constant revision and review of speed limits of this sort to ensure consistency and to reduce speed limits in places where they are too high.

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