Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 430: To ask the Minister for Transport the legislative grounds on which local authorities designate the speed limit of local areas; the involvement his Department has in this process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4973/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Road Traffic Act 2004 sets out new speed limit structures and new processes for the application of special speed limits following the changeover to metric speed limits on 20 January 2005. Section 9 provides for the application through the making of by-laws by the elected members of county and city councils of special speed limits in lieu of the speed limits that apply on a default basis to roads and motorways. Procedural steps to be complied with regarding consultation, consent and publication notice requirements, as required, are specified in the section.

Section 9 also provides that the Minister for Transport may issue guidelines to county and city councils on the making of special speed limit by-laws. I issued such guidelines on 18 April 2005 and a copy is available in the Oireachtas Library and may also be viewed on my Department's website. Section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 provides that a county or city manager may make a road works speed limit order for the application of a speed limit on any road or part of a road, including a motorway, where road works are being carried out. A road works speed limit order can be applied for any period of not more than 12 months and the minimum speed limit that may be put in place by such an order is 30 km/h. Notice, consent and publication requirements to be complied with are set out in the section.

The determination of what speed limit should apply at particular locations in lieu of a default speed limit is a matter for the elected members of city and county councils in the case of special speed limit by-laws and for county and city managers in the case of road works speed limit orders. My Department has no involvement in these processes.