Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 449: To ask the Minister for Transport the procedure in which the default speed limit of 80 kph has been put in place on a route (details supplied) in County Cork. [33016/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The legislative basis for the application of speed limits on public roads is set out in the Road Traffic Act 2004. The 2004 Act establishes a range of speed limits that apply to particular classes of road on a default basis. It provides that a default speed limit of 100km/h applies to a national road and that a default speed limit of 80km/h applies to rural regional and local roads. The latter roads are non-national roads and come under the remit of each road authority.

With the construction the new national road that encompasses the Fermoy by-pass, the existing Glanmire/Fermoy route which was formerly national primary route N8 is no longer part of the national road network.

The default speed limit of 100 km/h applies to roads that are classified as national roads. Through operation of the 2004 Act this default speed limit no longer has any automatic application in respect of the relevant section of the former N8 route that has ceased, in law, to be classified as a national road. The default speed limit of 80 km/h that operates under the 2004 Act now applies because the former N8 route falls to be classified as a rural local road.

The 2004 Act permits the councils of county councils and councils of city councils to make special speed limit bye-laws to apply a lower or higher speed limit in lieu of a default speed limit at any location on a regional road or local road in their area where such is deemed warranted.

A decision to apply a special speed limit to the section of the former N8 road in question is a matter for determination by Cork County Council and can be pursued through the making of special speed limit bye-laws.