Waterford City and County Council will begin the process of reducing speed limits in urban areas from March, councillors heard at the January plenary meeting.

The changes form part of a wider national move toward 30km/h speed limits in towns, villages, and residential streets.

Concerns Raised by Councillor

Sinn Féin councillor Pat Fitzgerald raised the issue during the meeting.

He referenced last year’s reduction in speed limits on rural roads and asked for clarity on delayed plans to lower urban speed limits.

Councillor Fitzgerald said several streets currently carry a 50km/h limit despite being unsuitable for that speed.

He asked whether the council now has the legal authority to reduce those limits to 30km/h.

Department of Transport Changes Approach

Director of Services for Roads and Infrastructure Gabriel Hynes confirmed that the Department of Transport has changed its approach.

He said the council will introduce special speed limits through a statutory process rather than relying on a national default.

Mr Hynes said council officials will work directly with each district to identify streets suitable for 30km/h limits.

Workshops and Public Consultation Planned

The council plans to hold workshops with elected members from March.

These sessions will review urban streets and agree where reduced speed limits should apply.

The council will then open a public consultation process.

Officials will assess submissions and return recommendations to district meetings before bringing proposals to a plenary session.

Implementation Date Yet to Be Confirmed

Mr Hynes said the Department of Transport will likely set the final implementation date.

He confirmed that the council will formally begin the speed limit reduction process in March.

Background to the Policy Shift

The Department of Transport previously planned to introduce a default 30km/h limit in all urban areas.

However, the Government halted that plan due to the lack of a legal definition of an urban area in Irish law.

The Department now requires each local authority to introduce speed limit by-laws, supported by consultation and council approval.

Waterford City and County Council will now move forward under that revised framework.

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