Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many of the HGVs and much of the logistics network use the motorway system and national primary roads, on which, as I said, the limits will remain as they are. They have a higher engineering standard compared with some of the other roads. It is important to have a lower baseline in highly urbanised areas, villages and towns where there are schools and vulnerable road users are at risk. We have seen 43 pedestrians killed last year and speed, unfortunately, was a factor in many of those instances. We also have to invest in junctions and other accident black spots the Deputy mentioned. TII has a work programme on that.

The legislation, which we hope the Deputy will support, will be enacted in the next number of weeks. Guidance will then be issued to local authorities to conduct speed limit reviews and they will then assess what the appropriate speed limit is on each road in the context of the guidance issued. That is how the process will evolve.

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