Driving In Dublin: 30kmh Limit For City Centre Roads

We could very well be seeing a new 30 kmh (18.6 mph) speed limit in the centre of Dublin, as city council execs see to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in our fair capital.

Should they get the green light from the public, Dublin City Council will be imposing the new speed limit on every road in the D1 area. Read on for more details…

According to the Irish Independent  (check out the article for yourself), the city council have elected to lower the speed limit to no more than 30kmh on every single road in the centre of Dublin.

Speed limits in the Dublin 1 area have previously been set at the 50 kmh hour mark, which, city council traffic representatives believe, has resulted in a disproportionately high death toll amongst cyclists and pedestrians.

Like any city Dublin is made up of a network of roads, some of them fast moving and free flowing, some of them cluttered and frequently filled with pedestrians. In short, it’s just not safe to be travelling at 50 kmh on some of our capital’s roads, so it makes sense to cut the speed limit.

Tim O’Sullivan, Dublin City Council senior traffic executive, articulates the logic behind the measure perfectly:

“We are going to introduce a new lower speed limit of 30kmh in the very core of the city centre. It is a safety issue and is a no-brainer.

“The change is imminent. All of the studies show that when you have a speed limit of 20mph in the old values (roughly the equivalent to 30 kmh), then safety for cyclists and pedestrians is radically improved.”

Following a series of meetings, the council will put the measure up for public consultation before implementing it immediately.

With all roads having their speed limits reduced to a uniform 30 kmh, non motorists will enjoy a renewed safety on busy roads such as O’Connell Street, Dame Street and D’Olier Street.

As part of this measure all roads within the M50, Dublin’s orbital ring road, will be delineated as national primary roads. This basically means they’ll be maintained to a high standard by the National Road Authority.

So that’s the likely future for the roads of the Fair City – Dublin will be a safer (but slower) place to for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

While some of Dublin’s roads will be reduced to a crawl at rush hour, from our point of view it’s tough to argue with a logic that will ultimately preserve human life… and any measures that reduce the death toll on the roads of Ireland get our full support.

But what do you think of these new measures? There are plenty of people who’re already fed up of traffic congestion in the city centre – will this just make things even worse? Or are they a necessary evil to keep the city’s roads safe?

Drop us an email in the comment box and let us know your thoughts on the subject… we’re here for you, so if you’ve any questions, suggestions or things to say, just give us a shout… Happy motoring!