New Speed Limits on Rural Roads
06/02/2025
On Friday 7th February, 2025, the speed limit on many rural local roads will change from 80 kilometres per hour to 60 kilometres per hour. Speed limits will reduce in the wider Blarney, Glanmire, Ballincollig and Douglas areas of the city.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle said: “Slower speeds mean safer roads for all road users from motorists to pedestrians to cyclists. Speed is a contributory factor in one third of fatal collisions – going slower significantly reduces the risk of death in the event of a collision”.
The striped ‘rural speed limit sign’, which is used as an alternative to numeric speed limit signs on specific single lane rural roads, will now mean that a maximum 60 km/h limit is in force.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030 has the primary aim of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% by 2030. In April last year, the Road Traffic Act 2024 was signed into law and included provisions to amend the default speed limits on rural, local roads, urban roads and national secondary roads.
Future implementation of this legislation will see speed limits in urban cores (which include built up areas as well as housing estates and town centres) reducing to 30 km/h. It’s recommended the speed limit on national secondary roads is reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
Countries across Europe including France and the UK have lowered speed limits on certain road types in recent years. Subsequent research has indicated that reducing speed limits contributed to a 10% reduction in road fatalities in France and contributed to a reduction in insurance costs in the UK.
As with all speed limits, it will be an offence to exceed the stated limit. Enforcement will be a matter for An Garda Síochána.
A map of the roads showing where the speed limits will reduce is linked here:
Speed Limit Changes February 2025
A copy of the bye-laws bringing the changes into effect is linked here: