A new speed limit will be introduced in residential zones this year that will see it drop from 30 km/h to 20 km/h.
Late last night, Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that the measure will be included in this summer's Road Traffic Bill, but rather than being a "blanket" ban it will be an option where certain zones could be lowered to improve safety in those areas.
According to The Irish Examiner, the legislation will allow county councils to choose whether or not they want to lower the speed limit to 20 km/h in residential zones in their areas, if they see fit to do so. The move comes off the back of a campaign, in particular from Roseann Brennan of Kilkenny, who lost her six-year-old son Jake tragically in a road traffic accident last June outside their family home.
The Minister responded to the request from Sinn Féin to include this legislation positively, in a move that has been widely welcomed, but he argued that the new limit may not be practical for certain more built-up areas, while the realities of applying the limit in each zone would need to be considered: "In cases where residential roads are major traffic thoroughfares it may not be appropriate to designate these as 20 to 30kph zones, not least because it is unlikely that such limits would be observed."
Despite that, the new limit looks set to come into force later this year in certain areas should the local authorities opt for it, and Donohoe further added that an extra €2 million would be allocated to help to introduce new measures that will make our roads a safer place to drive.