Public can object to inappropriate speed limits under new appeals process

Objections to inappropriate speed limits can be made to city and county councils through a new speed limits appeal procedure developed by the Department of Transport.

The process is intended to facilitate a “legitimate query” a member of the public or interested party may have regarding a particular speed limit, the department said. It is also intended to speed up the process of reviewing speed limit queries raised between full local authority speed limit reviews which are normally carried out every five years.

Anyone who feels a limit on a particular road is not appropriate can download an appeal form at speedlimits.ie and send it to the transportation section of the relevant local authority.

The application will be assessed by a local authority panel which will issue a decision. If the applicant is not satisfied with the decision they can appeal to an independent regional panel for a €125 fee. There is no charge for the initial objection.

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If the limit change is considered appropriate, the local authority will notify the applicant and begin the process of rectifying the speed limit. The statutory power to adopt speed limit bye-laws will remain with city or county councillors.

The new process cannot be used to appeal penalties issued for speeding offences, the department said.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD said the new process would help in addressing safety issues, carbon emissions and greater compliance with limits. “This process will highlight speed limits that are deemed inappropriate, and which require further investigation. It is important to note however that this is not a mechanism for appealing penalties issued for speeding offences.”

Separately new street signage is being introduced to direct motorists to drive very slowly in spaces shared with cyclists and pedestrians in town and cities.

The shared space signs will be used where limits of 20km/h or 30km/h apply and will be used in particular in areas which were redesigned since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to be more pedestrian and cycle friendly and less car dominant, without full pedestrianisation.