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MINISTER OF STATE for Transport Seán Canney has said that Storm Éowyn may cause delays to the installation of new reduced speed limit signs on rural local roads across the country.
Default speed limits on a number of rural local roads are set to decrease from 80km/h to 60km/h on 7 February, as part of a government strategy aiming to bring down the number of fatalities and injuries caused by traffic collisions.
As such, all speed limit signs on these will have to be changed by 7 February to enforce the new reductions.
Speaking at the launch of a Bank Holiday weekend road safety appeal, Canney warned that the storm, which caused a number of road blockages due to fallen trees and power lines, had caused some complications to the installation of the new 60km/h signs.
“I hope the signs will be installed by then, but with the storm that we’ve had, there could be some disruption,” Canney said.
“We’ve had such destruction over the last week in terms of the storm that our roads are still very much a risk, so we have to be very careful.”
The Department of Transport is working alongside local authorites to ensure the speed limits signs are entirely replaced by the time the speed limit reductions come into effect.
Cork County Council, who are responsible for replacing the signs for hundreds of kilometres of rural local roads, confirmed to The Journal that they intend to have all signs replaced by 7 February.
Canney said that he knows that “all the posts are in place and the signs are ready to go up”, adding that he was “confident” that all 80km/h speed limit signs on rural local roads will be changed or replaced by 7 February.
Speaking on the speed reductions, Canney warned that speed limits “are not a target”.
“I think young people may believe that because the speed limit is at 80km/h, they can drive at 80. That’s not the case,” Canney said.
“The fact that it’s been reduced to 60km/h puts the mindset that 60 is the upper limit. But in all cases, people should be driving safely.”
People aged 25 and under made up 35% of fatalities on Irish roads last year, with 60 young people dying as a result of collisions in 2024.
Seven in ten fatal road collisions occurred on roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or greater.
“You have to travel carefully, and you have to make sure that you have full control of your car at all times,” Canney said.
While the change to rural road speed limits will come into effect on 7 February, there are more reductions in store later this year, although the Department has not specified exactly when.
Later in 2025, the speed limit in some urban locations called “urban cores”, which include built-up areas, housing estates and town centres, will go down to 30km/h.
The speed limit on national secondary roads will also reduce from 100km/h to 80km/h.
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Another money racket!!
@Éanna o Sca: If only there was a way to avoid the fines.
@Éanna o Sca: The lower limit is suit EV drivers as it will reduce the ice engine start ups.
Lack of enforcement of the current speed limits is the issue rather than the limits themselves. Without enforcement the limits are meaningless.
@Alan Soutar: exactly…horse before the cart mentality on roads policing…… driving test needs to be completely changed as well to involve motorway driving and car control in event of a skid
@and the hit’s just keep coming: And….. if the student doing the test CAN’T control the skidding car??
@Alan Soutar: From a political point of view it’s clever tho, they no it’ll have no real effect, but are seen to be ‘doing something’ at the same time. Win win.
Great idea. Lower the speed limits that people already ignore.
@troolll balonius: Also, 60 km/h is stupid speed as it sits between the rpm of two gears. 70 would make more sense in fuel efficiency.
@Athena: 70 kmh would be more sensible.
Anyway I’ll be driving within the new limits because we can’t pick and choose which laws apply to us and which do not apply to us.
@Athena: Depends on the engine. Mine is running fine in 5th gear at 60km/h
@Gavan Hogan: why not? Most people pick and choose the laws they will adhere to. Others they will take the chance as the chance of being caught is so low. Higher Garda visibility is the key not shooting fish in a barrell. That being said I was at a busy junction in dublin, 2 cars went through as the light went red. There were 2 squad cars at the junction, and neither of them went after those drivers.
@Gavan Hogan: Sure you can, freedom of choice.
What a total waste of tax payers money.
@Bill Fitz: How so?
Like everything the government do in this space it’s all ‘visual’… millions on campaigns only to have the road deaths go up, they should do their jobs properly and really ask some honest questions as to ‘why’ our infrastructure is crumbling, particularly in the countryside where 65% of road deaths occur… this is more lame nothing from our spineless (elected) officials.
First a rotating Taoiseach and now a rotating Leas Ceann Comhairle
What a farce
@Sat Nav Maps: Crazy isn’t it? We shouldn’t be able to bypass our constitution like this. They should be forced to hold a referendum to ask the Irish people if they’d like to pay for more ministers.
The constitution is outdated and was written for a different time but workarounds to this should not be tolerated. This is our constitution!
If they’re looking for ways to bend the rules to get their friends into cushy jobs in plain sight, imagine what’s being done being closed doors!
Could I maybe get my electricity back first? Cool, thanks.
@Chop Chop: You think electricity and speed limit signs come from the same place? That explains a lot.
@Jason Memail: What does it explain? Please be specific.
@Chop Chop: he means you’re not very bright.
It won’t improve anything as I see. Those who break the speed limits currently will not suddenly comply on seeing the new signs.
@Richard Starling: It will greatly satisfy the ‘in the way’ sky-pointing fake cops tho (80% of Irish people), those who actually slow down if you need to go, deserve the ‘gasping shock’ of being overtaken at the speed limit imo. Too many terrified people who shouldn’t be driving in the first place! Oh for a world class public transport system.
People will be to busy looking at their phones to notice signs
Drive at a speed commensurate with road conditions. Some 80 kph boreens you wouldn’t do 50 on. This one size fits all is going to be a disaster. Driving at 60kph on some of these roads will be very difficult. Likely cause people to take more risks as they will feel the road conditions don’t align with the speed limit so more overtaking will occur. The frustration levels will go through the roof.
And as pointed out, the accidents are from people driving way above the limit already. No enforcement of current speed limits doesn’t help.
Even on national slow down days we have 99%+ compliance but they’ll stick up a few headline speed on facebook to make us all look bad.
All they are really doing in putting more people in the “speeding” category. Remember the speed vans in Ireland run at a significant loss because they don’t make enough in fines as it is to pay for themselves. This will boost the coffers nicely.
@Joshua Walsh: Then on those dodgy boreens just do 50kph. Speed limits are the the MAX speed you can do, not the speed you should try to achieve. You ALWAYS drive to suit the road keeping within the limit.
Wonder who got the tender some friend or a family member it’s worth millions
Brace yourself for the inevitable “speeding doesn’t cause accidents”, “slow drivers are worse”, “what about people hogging the outside lane?”, “it’s just a money racket” from the usual whingers on here. A huge numbers of roads around the country aren’t fit for the speed limits shown, and reducing the limit makes these roads safer for everyone – especially those that think it’s a target and not a limit
@Jason Memail: If you think for one minute these new speed limits have anything to do wth road safety you are sorely mistaken. Eamonn Ryan has been trying for the last decade to bring in these exact speed limits under the guise of climate change mitigation to try and pi55 people off enough to get them out of their cars onto almost non existant rural public transport. The heartless b used the tragic accidents in Tipp and Carlow to get his own way. People abiding by speed limits do not cause accidents, lack of enforcement is the major issue and changing speed limits is not going to change that. Absolutely lower speeds on local roads and boreens which have never been really been set but roads speed limit should be set by condition not standardised limits . There is also plenty of evidence that lowering speed limits too much leads to more accidents, there was plenty of debate about it on Matt Cooper with Faulkener from the AA
.
@Jason Memail: you’re deluded! And these rural roads will be patrolled?
@Michael McGrath: don’t forget jack Chambers was also quite eager
@Jason Memail: yes the amount of time you see the cause of the accident was because the driver was driving too slow is….. o wait never
@Jason Memail: I totally agree. Slower speeds are safer and saves fuel. We humans don’t like change and love complaining.
Watch as there’ll literally be no difference to fatalities due to people already ignoring speed limits, but give yourselves a round of applause and self-congratulatory pats on each others’ backs for “having done something”…
And while you’re at it ignore poor road conditions, poorly designed junctions and other black spots.
This will not be possible to implement. Madness
Lower speed limits save lives. I’m sorry but ill informed “bar stool” opinions don’t trump evidence and facts.
@Michael: Not true. More road casualties on German country roads with limits between 70-100 km/h than on motorways which unless indicated otherwise don’t have speed limits.
I’m sure the breakdown is there same here.
@Athena: Motorways are not relevant in this discussion. Of course they are safer than regional roads. Here is a quote from a BBC article on Wales similar policy to ours. “The first year of a controversial Welsh speed limit saw around 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on 20 and 30mph roads”
“the Labour politician who spearheaded the policy said it showed it was “the most successful road safety intervention in modern times”.
@Michael: Someone has to take a hit for the better comfort of society, my father died in a car accident, I nearly died too as a passenger child, I still support the current speed limits instead of lowering them. pay attention, the rest is unfortunately things of life.
@Michael: the reduced speed limit in Wales was in residential areas and built up areas that makes sense, road deaths in rural roads speeding was a factor how does reducing the limit stop people from speeding?? The idea of educating young people on driving behaviour into the school system has been knocking around for yrs, but no joy on getting that.
@J Ven: You clearly haven’t read the article, or you’re deluded. The decision was made to set speed limits on a case by case basis instead of saying “all ‘R’ roads should be 80km/h and all ‘N’ roads should be 100km/h”. The effect of that decision is the lowering of the limit on some roads that are not suitable for the current limits, such as narrow rural lanes having a limit of 80km/h. How anyone can think that’s a bad idea is beyond me.
@Amanda Morgan Reducing speed limits saves lives. That is a fact. Yes, there are other measures that would save lives if implemented and I think we should consider all of them.
As to your first point, it will not not slow everyone down but it will slow down enough people to save many lives. There is nothing more to be said.
@Michael: If they’re obeyed. The law abiding citizens will mostly keep to this limit. It’s not going to affect the careless, 140 km/h drivers. They’ll continue on speeding because they’re not caught often enough.
I keep to the speed limit, always. I’ll still keep to it with these stupid new signs but it’s not people like me who’s cause the accidents.
Mehhh thers enough farmers dilly dallying on the roads already, looking out Over the hedges without the whole country joining them! I guarantee you there will be more accidents with people trying to overtake each other when this law comes in.
I live on a so called regional road in the Midlands, virtually nobody obeys the 80km limits. Reducing the speed limits won’t make a difference on the likes of my road. If you want to improve the accident statistics, improve the condition of the roads. Fix the surfaces and improve the road markings, invest in Armco fencing and proper lighting at junctions
@rosemary flowers: it will make a difference. Try googling for evidence. There is plenty.
There should be no such thing as a marked traffic corp Garda car, they should be all unmarked car’s and that would be a further deterrent If the powers that be as serious about tackling road safety
@Chaotic State: Unmarked Garda cars will catch the odd person speeding. Marked Garda cars will make EVERYBODY on the road slow down if necessary.
At least some good came of the storm…
Another stupid move we need to fix our roads our signage is third world enforcement only on major roads compulsory course which the driver pays for to re educate num sculls who can’t drive properly put the money into that
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