Speed limit of 19 mph urged in danger zones

Speed limits on the State's roads should be lowered to less than 19 miles per hour in special cases, a specialist group has advised the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.

The group, which was set up to review speed limits in the light of new road safety considerations and the proposed switch to metric limits, has the broad support of the Minister, his spokesman said last night.

The special cases designation would enable local authorities to set speed limits as low as 18.6 m.p.h. in danger zones such as outside schools.

The 18.6 m.p.h. limit would be introduced at the end of next year with the changeover to metric speed limits, as a 30 k.p.h. zone.

The expert group, which included Mr Conor Faughnan of the AA, Dr Ray Fuller of the psychology department of Trinity College Dublin, Mr Brian Farrell of the National Safety Council as well as gardaí, local authority and Department of Transport officials, also decided to recommend raising the speed limit on motorways from the current 70 m.p.h. to 74.5 m.p.h., a figure which corresponds to 120 k.p.h.

The changeover is expected to cost the State about €8 million plus €2 million for an advertising campaign.

Under the new scheme there would be five basic categories of speed limits: motorway; general; specials; built-up area; and ordinary.

In the general area, where the current speed limit is 60 m.p.h., it is proposed to increase the limit on national roads to 62 m.p.h. (100 k.p.h.) while reducing the limit on non-national roads to 50 m.p.h. (80 k.p.h). Four "special" limit zones are proposed where speeds will be restricted to either 62 m.p.h. (100 k.p.h.); 50 m.p.h. (80 k.p.h.); 37 m.p.h. (60 k.p.h.) or 18.6 m.p.h. (30 k.p.h.).

In the built-up area, the current limit of 30 m.p.h. would rise to 31 m.p.h. (50 k.p.h.).

In the ordinary limits there would be three categories: the current 50 m.p.h. limit would rise in some cases to 56 m.p.h. (90 k.p.h.) while in other cases it would remain at 50 m.p.h. (80k.p.h.). The ordinary 40 m.p.h. limit would be replaced by a limit of 43.5 m.p.h. (70 k.p.h.).

The report of the working group also confirmed other studies which showed that in 2002 more than 80 per cent of rigid vehicles and articulated lorries exceeded the speed limit, while just 24 per cent of cars did so.