Love 30 | Campaign For Lower Speed Limits

Call for Commencement of Default 30km/h Speed Limit in Urban Areas

Love 30 and the Dublin Commuter Coalition issued the following press release on 19 October 2025.

The Love 30 Campaign for Safer Speed Limits, the Dublin Commuter Coalition, the Irish Cycling Campaign and other road safety campaigners are calling on the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien to issue a commencement order without delay for the default urban speed limit of 30km/h as defined in the Road Traffic Act 2024. By issuing a commencement order the Minister would require local authorities to apply a default 30km/h to the 85 currently defined built-up areas (defined in the Local Government Act 2001). This is a straightforward process for local authorities and would mean that 85 cities and towns would get the immediate benefits of safer 30km/h speed limits.

We welcome the publication this week of the new Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland. However, we are utterly disappointed that Minister O’Brien has directed local authorities to introduce 30km/h speed limits in built up areas operational by 31 March 2027 through the use of ‘special speed limit bye-laws’. This approach is slow and cumbersome, liable to local political interference, and will require local authorities to define urban areas and assess each road within the urban areas to determine if a 30km/h speed limit should be applied.

The road by road, street by street assessment required by the special speed limit bye law process is the opposite of the default speed limit concept as enacted in legislation as recently as last year. It risks becoming a piecemeal process with inconsistent application across local authority areas, thus trivialising rather than reinforcing the case for safer speeds.

Mairéad Forsythe, a spokesperson for Love 30 said “2027 is too late. The Minister is turning the original concept of default speed limits on its head. Rather than evaluating which roads should be exempted from the safer speed limit he is asking councils to assess which should be included. A process that took 14 months in Wales will have taken 35 months at least in Ireland”

The primary stated aim of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021 - 2030 was to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% over the next 10 years. In 2025, after 4 years €3.8 billion investment in road safety, deaths and serious injuries are higher than in 2021.

Gary Marshall, spokesperson for the Dublin Commuter Coalition said “This trend is continuing in 2025 and road deaths for pedestrians & cyclists are already higher this year than at the same point in 2024. An analysis of road deaths by category has shown that while the total number of deaths on our roads has shown a decline in the last 20 years, deaths among vulnerable road users has increased as a proportion of total road deaths from approximately 21% in 2015 to 35% in 2025 to date.”

At a recent presentation to members of the Oireachtas, Muireann O’ Dea, co-founder of Love 30 said “Wales is an example of how a safer urban speed limit can be implemented nationally in a short space of time. Wales passed legislation setting a default speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) in July 2022 and fully implemented this across the whole country 14 months later (in September 2023). One year later they found significant drops in casualties and fatal injuries and the summer of 2024 was the safest since records began, including during the pandemic. “

The benefits of the safer urban speed limits in Wales include:

A 28% reduction in casualties and fatalities, with associated cost savings
Cheaper car insurance if you live in a 20 mph zone (as vehicle damage claims in Wales fell by 20%)

In Spain a 30km/h speed limit was introduced on all single-lane streets in September 2020. Since then, they have seen a 20% reduction in urban road deaths, and fatalities reduced by 34% for cyclists, 31% for the elderly, and 24% for pedestrians.

Campaign groups recognise that the definition of built-up areas needs to be revised to better reflect the reality that quite a few large urban areas were not towns under the Local Government Act 2001, and many towns have expanded beyond the built-up area limits. However this should not delay the implementation of a default 30km/h in the areas that fall within the current definition of built-up area, and special speed limits can be used for built-up areas outside of these.

We call on Minister O’Brien to immediately institute a Commencement Order for a Default 30km/h speed limit in the currently defined 85 built up areas in order to speed up the process, save lives, and reduce serious injuries

Appendix

List of built-up areas defined in Local Government Act 2001:

Cities: Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Waterford

Boroughs: Clonmel, Drogheda, Kilkenny, Sligo, Wexford

Former Urban Districts**: Arklow, Athlone, Athy, Ballina, Ballinasloe, Birr, Bray, Buncrana, Bundoran, Carlow, Carrickmacross, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Castlebar, Castleblayney, Cavan, Clonakilty, Clones, **Cobh, Dundalk, Dungarvan, Ennis, Enniscorthy, Fermoy, Kells, Killarney, Kilrush, Kinsale, Letterkenny, Listowel, Longford, Macroom, Mallow, Middleton, Monaghan, Naas, Navan, Nenagh, New Ross, Skibbereen, Templemore, Thurles, Tipperary, Tralee, Trim, Tullamore, Westport, Wicklow, Youghal

Former Town Commissioners: Ardee, Balbriggan, Ballybay, Ballyshannon, Bandon, Bantry, Belturbet, Boyle, Cootehill, Droichead Nua, Edenderry, Gorey, Granard, Greystones, Kilkee, Leixlip, Lismore, Loughrea, Mountmellick, Muinebheag, Mullingar, Passage West, Portlaoise, Shannon, Tramore, Tuam

Love 30 Protest Leinster House 2 October 2005

Delays to default 30 km/h rollout will cost lives

Love 30 and the Dublin Commuter Coalition made the case for a rapid rollout of the default 30 km/h speed limit at a presentation to Oireachtas members on 2 October 2025 and provided a briefing document to attendees. A rally by supporters of a default 30 km/h was aslo held outside Leinster House. As well as Love30 and the Dublin Commuter Coalition, this action was supported by Irish Doctors for the Environment, AccessForAll, Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Kilcully Residents for Safer Roads, Ballyhooly Road and Summerhill North Residents for 30 km/h, Cycling Ireland, Irish Cycling Campaign, Connemara Greenway Alliance, An Taisce, Irish Road Victims Association, Wexford Bicycle Users Group, IBikeDublin, Bus Róthiachta na Gaillimhe, Coiste Slí Shábháilte, Cycling Without Age, Mór Action, and the Climate and Health Alliance.

At the presentation to Oireachtas members, a spokesperson for Minister Sean Canney, the minister of state with responsibility for road transport, said that the Department has instructed Local Authorities to use special speed limits to apply 30 km/h speed limits, rather than applying the default 30 km/h to all built-up areas as defined in the Road Traffic Act 2004. The Department also expects this process to take 18 months and only then will they be in a position to update the definition of built up areas. This means it will be three years, at best, from the time the legislation was passed to the implementation of the default urban speed limit to 30 km/h defined in the Road Traffic Act in April 2024. The spokesperson cited the outdated definition of built up areas based on the Local Government Act 2001 as a reason for the approach.

Love 30 is concerned at the delay in implementing the new default urban speed limit. Other countries, such as Wales have implemented nationwide reductions in urban speed limits in 14 months or less. Leaving it up to each Local Authority to decide which roads should have a 30 km/h speed limit on a road by road basis, is a laborious way to apply the new default, and will lead to inconsistencies between different local authorities. Local authorities already have the power to set 30 km/h speed limits on urban roads, yet requests from residents of busy roads for a 30 km/h have fallen on deaf ears. We recognise that the built-up areas have expanded and new built-up areas created since 2001, however this is not a reason to delay the implementation of 30 km/h in the currently defined built-up areas.

Many major cities such as London, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Helsinki and Zurich and countries such as Wales, Spain and the Netherlands have adopted a default urban speed limit of 30 km/h and have seen significant reductions in serious and fatal injuries.

Wales passed legislation setting a default speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) in July 2022 and fully implemented this across the whole country 14 months later (in September 2023). One year later they found significant drops in casualties and fatal injuries and the summer of 2024 was the safest since records began, including during the pandemic. In Spain a 30 km/h speed limit was introduced on all single-lane streets in September 2020. Since then, they have seen a 20% reduction in urban road deaths, and fatalities reduced by 34% for cyclists, 31% for the elderly, and 24% for pedestrians.

The delay in implementation of the 30 km/h default urban speed limit will lead to avoidable fatal and serious road injuries. We urge the minister to recommit to the timely implementation of the new default urban speed limit.

Saving Lives on our Roads: Join Love 30 at the Dáil on 2 October!

The Love30 Campaign supported by Dublin Commuter Coalitionand 9 other supporting groups will be presenting to interested TDs and Senators in the Oireachtas at 10am on Thursday 2nd October 2025, on the delays to the implementation of the default 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas. After the presentation, between 10.30 and 11.30 approximately, we will be holding a gathering of supporters from around the country outside the Dáil Chamber on Kildare Street in support of this Love30 campaign. We will be inviting all TDs and Senators to meet our supporters. We will also be inviting the media to witness and report on the issue.

We are asking all supporters of lower urban speed limits to join us outside the Dáil Chamber on Kildare Street from 10:10-11:30 on Thursday 2nd October to demand urgent action on the implementation of the default 30 km/h urban speed limit. This issue affects everyone, so spread the word to other community groups!

The background to this demonstration is that the previous government introduced the Road Traffic Act 2024 following a comprehensive Speed Limit Review published in 2023. This Review carried out by an expert group (comprising members from the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), An Garda Síochána, City and County Managers Association (CCMA), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA)) unequivocally recommended the reduction of the urban default speed limit from the present 50km/h to a new safer 30km/h. The Road Traffic Act 2024 consolidated this decision and also the reduction of Default Speed Limits on Secondary and Local Roads. The change on Local Roads was instituted smoothly earlier this year without any major objections.

However, the Department of Transport are now reneging on the expert recommendation for a Default 30km/h urban speed limit, and its legislative backing in the Road Traffic Act 2024, by proposing the introduction of separate Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland, which will retain a default limit of 50 km/h in built-up areas and leave it up to individual Local Authorities to identify roads where 30km/h is an appropriate limit. The Love30 campaign, supported by Dublin Commuter Coalition and 9 other supporting groups, strongly objects to this u-turn by the Department, and demands that the 30km/h default urban speed limit be introduced as soon as possible.

We demand this on the basis that:

30km/h urban speed limit saves lives and reduces serious injuries
30km/h reduces emissions leading to a cleaner environment
30km/h reduces vehicle noise leading to a quieter overall environment
30km/h slows vehicle movement to a safer manageable level for interaction with pedestrians and others
30km/h promotes safer and quieter streets for all, in particular people with disabilities, children, wheelchair users, families
30km/h is a social justice issue giving balanced rights to non motor vehicle users in our towns and cities
30km/h is a manageable and comfortable speed for motor vehicles in an urban environment

This action is supported by:

Dublin Commuter Coalition
Galway Commuter Coalition
Dublin Cycling Campaign
Irish Doctors for the Environment
Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice
Climate & Health Alliance
I BIKE Dublin
Wexford Bicycle Users Group
Love 30
Irish Cycling Campaign
Cycling Without Age
An Taisce - the National Trust for Ireland

Love 30 urges Minister to implement default 30 km/h without delay

Love 30 has sent the following letter to Sean Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, urging him to proceed as soon as possible to instruct Local Authorities to implement the 2024 legislation by means of introducing Bye-Laws implementing the default 30km/h in built-up areas with exceptions to 30 km/h being dealt with by means of Special Speed Limits.

Dear Minister,

I write on behalf of Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h speed limits (www.love30.ie).

Firstly, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Transport and to wish you every success in your endeavours to make our roads safer for everyone. We hope your efforts will succeed in reducing the appalling numbers of deaths and serious injuries on our roads and bring us closer to Vision Zero. You will be aware that the 72 road deaths so far this year have included 26 drivers, 20 pedestrians, six passengers, 11 motorcyclists, six pedal cyclists and one pillion passenger. We are particularly alarmed at the shocking numbers of pedestrian fatalities.

Love 30 was very pleased when your predecessor, Minister Jack Chambers, succeeded in introducing legislation to reduce default speed limits on our roads and we are pleased with the implementation to date of 60km/h limits on local rural roads earlier this year. We had anticipated that your Department would proceed without delay to instruct Local Authorities on the implementation of the default 30 km/h in built-up areas, as provided for in Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act 2024. However, we are disappointed with the apparent delay in implementation and are disturbed to hear rumours that your Department may seek to implement the measure by instructing each Local Authority to introduce By-Laws for Special Speed Limits of 30km/h.

Love 30’s interpretation of Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act 2024 is that the default speed limit in built-up areas should be 30 km/h. Implementing 30 km/h in built-up areas by means of special speed limits would not accord with our interpretation of the Act. In our view, Local Authorities may introduce Special Speed Limits in built-up areas that are different from 30 km/h whether that be 20, 40, or 50km/h. There is also the practical issue that the By-Law process would be slow and laborious and demanding of the time of officials who are already stretched.

Wales introduced a 20 mph speed limit on all urban roads on 17 September 2023, with the exception of a small number of urban roads where the local authorities defined a speed limit of 30 mph. This ‘big bang’ approach enabled the Welsh government to run an information campaign to inform all road users of the new speed limits and ensured consistency across the country. In the year up to 17 September 2024 Wales saw a 28% reduction in casualties and fatalities, with associated cost savings, and cheaper car insurance. We believe a similar approach needs to be adopted here in Ireland.

Love 30 urges you to proceed as soon as possible to instruct Local Authorities to implement the 2024 legislation by means of introducing By-Laws implementing the default 30km/h in built-up areas with exceptions to 30 km/h being dealt with by means of Special Speed Limits. This approach worked well in the implementation of 60km/h limits on local roads and we fear that changing the process could not alone lead to extra work and delays but could give rise to widespread flouting of the intent of the legislation.

Love 30 would be very happy to meet with you to discuss this and other road safety issues.

Donegal Urban Speed Limit Review

Donegal County Council has undertaken a speed limit review of all public roads in towns, villages and settlements with an existing speed limit of 60km/h or lower. These speed limits have been assessed in accordance with the Department of Transport guidelines and proposed changes recommended. The proposed changes include 43 Urban Speed Limit Zones (USLZs) with 30 km/h speed limits.

We commend Donegal County Council on an early non-statutory consultation on urban speed limits and we welcome the USLZs. However, we note that there are many housing clusters outside the proposed USLZs. The boundaries of the proposed zones may need to be reconsidered. We also note that there are sections of roads with 60 km/h speed limits within the USLZ which we would not expect to see. The USLZs also have frequent changes between 50 km/h and 60 km/h which may cause confusion and reduce compliance with the speed limits.

We have asked Donegal County Council to conoolidate the previous bye-laws int ao single document for clarity and to avoid ambiguity. We also asked that all locations, determined from all sources,are considered as to whether they should have a lower speed limit. And care should be taken to include locations that wouldn’t normally be considered urban, but may have large numbers of people present from time to time, e.g. holiday locations, rural schools, sports grounds, churches and graveyards, etc.

Our full submission is attached.

Love 30 Submissions in 2024

2024 was an exciting and busy year for the Love 30 Campaign. Following several years of campaigning and engagement with politicians and public bodies at national and local level we were delighted when the Road Safety Act 2024 was enacted mandating a 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas, as well as lowering the limits on local and national roads to 60 km/h and 80km/h respectively.

During the latter half of the year the Love 30 group engaged extensively with local authorities throughout the country on the issue of exceptions to the default 60km/h on local roads, which became effective in February 2025.

Here are the submissions we made in 2024:

Love 30 Submission on Mayo County Council Rural Local Road Default Speed Limits

Love 30 Submission on Louth Road Traffic Special Speed Limit Bye-Laws 2024

Love 30 Submission on the Draft Road Traffic (Special Speed Limits) County Galway Bye-Laws No. 1 & No. 2 2024

Love 30 Submission on Donegal Speed Limit Bye-Laws 2024

Love 30 Submission on Cork County Speed Limit Bye-Laws 2024

Love 30 Submission on Meath Housing Estates Speed Limit Bye-Laws

Lower Speeds, Safer Rural Roads

From 7th February 2025 the default speed limits on local rural roads will be reduced from 80 to 60 km/h. We look forward to seeing these roads become safer for all road users, but especially for cyclists and pedestrians.

We would ask all Love 30 supporters to monitor the implementation of signage on your local rural roads. We strongly recommend the installation of clear 60kph (RUS 042) speed limit signs - and not the ambiguous RUS 041A Rural Speed Limit signs, which are likely to encourage greater speeds, as they are associated with the previous 80kph rural road speed limits.

Get on to your local Council if the RUS 041A signs are installed, and seek their replacement with the RUS 042 signs as soon as possible!

Further changes to implement the Road Traffic Act 2024, due later this year, will see a default urban speed limit of 30km/h and a reduction in the limit on national secondary roads from 100 to 80 km/h. Love 30 and the Irish Cycling Campaign have been campaigning for these reductions for a number of years. We will be asking the incoming Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State, Seán Canney to set early dates for the coming into force of the 30 km/h and 80 km/h limits.
See Government Press Release.

Love 30 Welcomes Road Safety Act 2024

Love 30 was delighted by the passing of the Road Safety Act in August 2024 and congratulates Ministers Jack Chambers and Eamon Ryan on this important move to make the roads safer for all.

The new legislation includes reductions in default speed limits, reform of penalty points, and mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions.

Love 30 particularly welcomes the reduction of default speed limits:

on national secondary roads, from 100km/h to 80km/h
on local roads, from 80km/h to 60 km/h
on roads in built-up areas from 50km/h to 30km/h

The new legislation followed a review of speed limits carried out by the Department of Transport in 2023. Love 30 made a submission tot the Department, arguing for a reduction in the default speed limit in urban areas from 50 km/h to 30 km/h, and a redefinition of 'built-up areas' to include all urban areas.

This new legislation brings Ireland in line with countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, and Wales that have default urban speed limits of 30 km/h / 20 mph, and cities like London, Brussels, Milan, Santander, Bilbao, Paris, Washington DC, Boulder Colorado, and Wellington. A recent BBC article `notes that there was a reduction of 23% in killed and seriously injured (KSI) in Wales in the first three months of 2024 on 20 mph and 30 mph roads since the lower speed limits were introduced.

We understand that the speed limit reductions will be introduced in 3 phases:

Rural Local Roads - 80km/h
Urban & National Secondary Roads – 30km/h and 80km/h
Schools and other remaining

Phase 1 is now in progress and local authorities are drafting new bye-laws. Love 30 has made submissions on draft bye-laws for Cork, Donegal, Mayo, Louth and Galway.

Review of Road Safety Authority

The Department of Transport is undertaking a review of the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

Love 30 has made the following points in its submission.

Services Provided by the RSA

Love 30 view: Road Safety promotion and licencing/testing functions such as NCT/CVRT driver-testing and licencing should be separated, if necessary in two separate agencies. Funding for the road safety functions should come directly from Government. There should be no link, actual or apparent, between funding from motorists/motor industry and road safety promotion.

An additional function that could be undertaken is the conduct of speed awareness and other corrective courses. These appear to have been very successful in the UK.

Funding of the RSA

The provision of services such as driver-licensing, NCT, CVRT, could continue to be self-funding but separate Exchequer funding should be provided for the road safety functions.

The Future of the RSA

The road safety promotion functions should be expanded. Ideally, the RSA would have some control over roads policing. The majority of roads policing functions could be provided by the Gárda Síochána on the basis of a service level agreement.

We strongly support the call by Ciarán Cannon, TD, for a Road Safety Commissioner empowered by legislative authority and sufficient resources to consolidate all road safety functions.

Licencing functions could be separated from the road safety functions. The RSA should have a strong operational input into roads policing. Enforcement services could be provided by the Gárda Síochána on the basis of a service level agreement.

Engagement with the RSA

Love 30 Campaign for 30 km/h speed limits has engaged positively with the RSA in seeking a default 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas. The RSA’s current campaign on 30 km/h speed limits is very positive, especially the video “30 Town” which has been played widely on T.V. and radio. The video highlights the liveability benefits of 30 km/h which makes it an attractive prospect in itself, not just for safety reasons.

However, it is disappointing that there appears to have been no enforcement action taken on 30 km/h roads and that the RSA appears not to have pursued this issue with the Gárda

Other Comments

Huge progress has been made in the reduction of road deaths and serious injuries. However, much of this has been achieved because of the increased safety for car drivers and passengers. Death and injuries among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists have not reduced at the same rate. Drivers must be made to feel responsible for the safety of vulnerable road users. Vehicle design must make it easier for drivers to see pedestrians and cyclists e.g. cyclops mirrors on HGVs. A particular concern is the increase in the numbers of SUVs on our roads, vehicles which generally have poorer sightlines than traditional cars which poses a risk to pedestrians, especially children. In addition, SUVv are much heavier than conventional cars, thus causing more serious injury to other road users in the event of a collision.

Road safety messaging needs to be delivered via all media and in language that everyone accesses and understands, especially young adults and immigrants. Young people do not pay attention to traditional media and many immigrants do not pay much attention to Irish media.

More enforcement is needed, especially to ensure that ALL drivers slow down, and refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Enforcement needs to be more prevalent. Drivers should expect to be caught and punished if they speed, drive under the influence, or engage in other dangerous behaviours. Widespread enforcement is one way of getting the message through to all drivers, including groups who do not engage with traditional media.

GoSafe has been operating for 15 years, but automated enforcement of other offences (running red lights, bus lane abuse, etc.) hasn't progressed.

Love 30 Submission on Cork City Special Speed Limit Bye Laws

This is the submission we have made to Cork City Council on the Cork City Road Traffic (Special Speed Limits) Bye-Laws 2024.

Have your say, by making a submission on behalf of yourself or local community group by 10 April 2024!

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, welcomes the opportunity to make observations on the Cork City Road Traffic (Special Speed Limits) Bye-Laws 2024.

The proposals will mean that at least five sets of bye-laws will be in operation at the same time (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024), which will create unnecessary complication, confusion and potentially errors. Consolidation of the bye-laws texts and associated maps is badly needed.

Cork City has a total of approximately 600 km of residential road. Previous iterations of the bye-law process, over a period of more than a decade, have resulted in 30 km/h speed limits on approximately 140 km of road. The Road Traffic Bill 2024, which is likely to be enacted later this year, mandates a built-up area speed limit of 30 km/h, which will apply to nearly all housing estates and residential streets, so it would make sense to include them in these bye-laws. We welcome the introduction of 30 km/h speed limits in some housing estates in Cork City. However is it not clear why certain housing estates and residential streets have been omitted, for example

Drawing A31 - Dunvale
Drawing A32 - Ashford Court
Drawing A43A - Alyesbury

The 30 km/h speed limits in certain housing estates will make these areas quieter and safer. But it will not create safe routes to schools, workplaces, shops and leisure facilities, and so will not encourage people to switch to walking and cycling for everyday journeys. As an example, Drawing 11 shows a proposed Slow Zone for The Orchards Estate, Montenotte. This estate connects with Middle Glanmire Road, a narrow road, with narrow footpaths on one side which will continue to have a 50 km/h speed limit. The residents of The Orchards will not be able to safely make journeys on foot or by bike once they leave the estate and join the Middle Glanmire Road.

We are disappointed that 30 km/h has not been introduced for the Cork city ‘island’. This is a missed opportunity to transform this to a pedestrian and cycling friendly zone.

We also note that this consultation has not been posted on www.speedlimits.ie, as required by the Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland.

Following a detailed analysis of the bye-law text and maps we have noted a number of typos, inconsistencies between the maps and text, incorrectly named roads, and gaps where some parts of an estate have been omitted from 30 km/h speed limits. These are listed in Appendix A (see attached document).

Benefits of 30 km/h Speed Limits

Introducing widespread 30 km/h is one of the most cost effective ways of improving road safety. Studies in the UK found that wide area 30 km/h limits are seven times more cost effective than isolated zones with physical traffic calming.

A default speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas makes it easier for all road users to know the speed limit. It also reduces the number of speed signs to be installed by the Council, thus reducing costs and visual clutter. Frequent changes of speed limits can be confusing for motorists and are often ignored. 30 km/h has very little impact on journey times, since much of the travel time in urban areas is spent at traffic lights, or stuck in traffic, so motorists travelling at 50 km/h or faster are just racing to the next traffic lights. On a typical 20 minute journey, travelling at 30 km/h instead of 50 km/h will add between 20 seconds to a minute to the journey time.

The pandemic has changed people’s travel patterns and many of these changes will be permanent. People working from home are making more short local journeys that could just as easily be made on foot or by bike, if a safe environment is provided. A 30 km/h speed limit provides a quieter, cleaner, safer environment where people are more likely to choose to walk or cycle, thus benefiting local businesses, and the local community.

Lower speeds result in less noise and pollution. On residential roads and shopping streets, people simply don't want to be exposed to the noise, fumes and dangers from higher speed traffic. Air pollution currently kills more than 1,000 per year in Ireland, primarily through asthma, cancers and other pulmonary illnesses. Towns, villages and cities with 30 km/h speed limits are more attractive places for tourists, and many EU tourists are used to 30 km/h in their home countries.

While every life is priceless, the Road Safety Authority estimates the average cost of a fatal collision to be €2.7 million, so any reduction in fatal and serious collisions results in significant financial savings. There were 26 fatalities on roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h in 2020. As can be seen in the graphic below a speed limit of 30 km/h can significantly reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries. The cost of implementing 30 km/h is minimal.

Ireland is a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration of the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020. It mandates in Resolution #11 ‘a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner’.
This same Stockholm Declaration also recognises that road deaths and injuries constitute a preventable epidemic. This agreed resolution #11 needs to be acted upon here in Ireland. We urge Cork City to introduce a default 30 km/h speed limit in the interests of public safety, reduced road deaths and serious injuries, and reduced air pollution.

Love 30 Submission on Offaly Speed Limit Review

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, made a submission on proposed changes to the Offaly Speed Limit Bye Laws on the 6 October 2023.

Love 30 welcomes Offaly County Council’s proposals to update its speed limit bye-laws. However, we are disappointed that a lower speed limit was not chosen in the vicinity of many schools and residential areas. We also note some wholly inappropriate speed limits on very minor roads, e.g. Clonoghill Lane in Birr (see photo above).

There are a large number of places where speed limits could be lower or that a low speed limit proposed by the bye-laws needs to be extended further. This relates primarily to schools and residential areas. This is particularly so in towns that are already bypassed, like Banagher, Edenderry and Tullamore. The investment in these bypasses should be protected by ensuring that through traffic uses the bypass, not the town centre roads.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be set as the default urban speed limit in all built-up areas throughout Offaly County, with exceptions for specific roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020 co-signed by Ireland. 30 km/h is the recognised safe vehicle speed where pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users are mixing with vehicular traffic.

The submission is attached.

Love 30 Campaign welcomes commitments to reduce speed limits

Press Release 8 September 2023

The Love 30 Campaign (www.love30.ie), for lower speed limits and safer neighbourhoods welcomes recent announcements by Ministers Eamon Ryan and Jack Chambers that they plan to bring a memo to Government with proposals to reduce speed limits. Speed is a major factor in the cause and outcome of road traffic collisions. Love 30 is horrified by the 24% increase in fatalities as a result of road traffic collisions in 2023 compared to the same period last year and 39% compared to 2019.

Love 30 calls on the Government to introduce a default speed limit of 30 km/h in built-up areas. 30 km/h is fundamentally safer than 50 km/h for pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users. Where speeds are reduced to a maximum of 30 km/h in urban areas a significant decline in casualties will occur with fewer and less severe injuries. A default limit does not prevent a higher limit being introduced where it is deemed necessary and safe.

Figures from the RSA show that if a pedestrian is hit by a car:

At 30 km/h 1 in 10 will die
At 50 km/h 5 in 10 will die
At 60 km/h 9 in 10 will die

Muireann O’Dea, spokesperson for Love 30 says, “30 km/h may seem very slow, but in fact it will only add a minute to a typical journey, and it creates quieter, cleaner and safer streets that are not dominated by fast moving traffic, and it promotes increased levels of walking and cycling”.

As well as significantly reducing the number of casualties, 30km/h speed limits:

Allow children to play outdoors more safely
Make our cities and towns more liveable by allowing people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle to study, work, shops, and make visits to friends and family
Improve the general health of the population
Contribute to our climate action plan by reducing emissions, and getting more people walking and cycling

Love 30 is also calling for greater enforcement of speed limits in urban areas. The RSA ‘Driver Attitude & Behaviour Survey 2021’ found that 57% of motorists admit to exceeding 50 km/h speed limits by up to 10 km/h.

Joan Swift, spokesperson for Love 30 added “We need education about and the enforcement of speed limits on urban roads as well as main roads, so that drivers get the message that it is not acceptable to exceed speed limits in our towns and cities”.

Love 30 calls for the implementation of the default speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas without delay. Wales introduced legislation for a default urban speed limit of 20 mph in July 2022 with full implementation in September 2023.

An Taisce Green-Schools programme also supports the call for a default 30 km/h in urban areas and in the vicinity of schools. Earlier this year, Green-Schools Travel Manager Ciara Norton welcomed Wicklow County Council’s decision to implement 30km/h limits in the vicinity of all schools in the county and further welcomes the potential of the national speed limit review; reduced speeds are part of what will make the journey to school on foot or on wheels an enjoyable and fun time for young people in a safe and welcoming environment. In 2021, Green-Schools Travel Officers conducted speed surveys at schools nationwide. Speeds at drop off time during their inaugural ‘Speed Week’ included some staggering speeds including 114 km/h in a 50 zone. On average, 36% of drivers were exceeding the legal speed limits in the mornings.

Many cities including London (20 mph), Brussels, Milan, Santander, Bilbao, Paris, Washington DC (20 mph), Boulder (Colorado, 20 mph), Wellington, have introduced widespread 30 km/h limits. Several countries are introducing default 30 km/h speed limits in all urban areas including Netherlands, Spain, and Wales (20 mph). Since Edinburgh introduced wide-area 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limits in 2016 the city has seen a 38% reduction in casualties.

About Us The Love 30 Campaign (www.love30.ie) is an alliance of organisations and individuals who support lower speed limits in built up areas. We are campaigning for the introduction of more 30 km/h zones in urban areas, but particularly in town and village centres, residential areas, and near schools and other places of public assembly.

Submission on Draft Wicklow Road Traffic Special Speed Limit Bye-Laws

Love 30 has made a submission on the Draft County Wicklow Road Traffic Special Speed Limit Bye-Laws of 2022.

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, welcomes Wicklow County Council’s proposals to increase the number of roads within the County to which a 30 km/h speed limit applies.

Observations:

We are disappointed that the proposals apply mostly to residential estates and slow zones and not to all built up areas. We are also concerned that 30 km/h has not been applied to certain housing estates, and that the rural speed limit of 80 km/h has been applied to several roads with ribbon development.
We note the schedule includes periodic speed limits of 30 km/h for very short time periods outside certain schools. We believe that all schools in the county should have speed limits of 30 km/h, preferably full-time, but where this is not possible, for reasonable time periods in the mornings and afternoons. Periodic 30 km/h zones should also be implemented around other places of assembly (cinemas, theatres, community centres, religious buildings, etc.), that have large numbers of people arriving and / or leaving at the same time.
A large number of urban roads are not marked as having a special speed limit, even in housing estates. This means that errant drivers cannot be prosecuted for speeding. If this is due to roads not being taken in charge promptly, then efforts should be made to take them in charge as soon as possible.
The documents contain a vast amount of information. As is inevitable with such a large undertaking, there are some gaps and conflicts. The wording of the bye-laws indicate they only apply where the text and maps agree. THis needs to be rectified before the bye-laws are finalised. We have provided detailed comments on the maps and schedule in appendices B and C which will assist in this task.
Certain maps were not made available online during the public consultation.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be set as the default urban speed limit in all built-up areas throughout Wicklow County, with exceptions for a small number of roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020 co-signed by Ireland. This will mean applying a 30 km/h speed limit to all roads where there are a significant number of houses, including all housing estates, town and village centres, rural roads with ribbon development, and all local distributor roads, especially where there are schools, sports grounds or other places where people congregate. We believe that wide-area 30 km/h speed limits provide far greater benefits than 30 km/h speed limits that are limited to residential estates. Wide-area 30 km/h speed limits:

Bring door-to- door improvements, enabling people of all ages to choose active travel modes for daily journeys to work, school, or for leisure. In many cases children will be able to travel independently to school, thus reducing the school time traffic jams. This provides healthy travel options for the whole community and supports climate action goals by reducing traffic volumes and associated pollution.
Are one of the cost effective safety measures. Studies in the UK have found them to be five times more effective at reducing fatal and serious injuries than targeted interventions on A roads.
Are simpler for all road users. The reduced number of traffic speed signs mean road users don’t have to deal with frequent and confusing changes of speed limits.

Our full submission is attached.

Campaigners Address Road Safety Authority Conference

Advocates from the Love 30 campaign addressed Ireland’s Road Safety Authority annual conference last Wednesday. Mairéad Forsythe and Justin Fleming shared the final speaking slot of the day-long conference. They jointly made the case for having 30 km/h as the default speed limit for all of our towns, villages and urban areas. The theme of the conference was ‘Tackling Speeding – Risk Factors and Interventions’. You can watch a video of the presentations here Session 3 Impact of Speeding (the Love 30 presentation start at about 33 minutes).

Rod King MBE, who has been a great supporter of the Love 30 campaign over the years, also spoke. Rod has played an instrumental role in empowering local communities in the UK to implement 30km/h speed zones. The UK version of the campaign is ‘20’s Plenty for Us’.

On enforcement, Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton opened the conference with the announcement of a doubling, that very night, of fines for speeding and many other offences such as using a mobile phone while driving. Before this, speeding attracted a minimal €80 fine. No graduated increases apply for higher speeds.

Among the other speakers, Dr Judy Fleiter, Global Manager with the Global Road Safety Partnership, discussed the motivations for speed choices on the road. Guro Ranes, Director of Road Traffic Safety, Norwegian Public Roads Administration talked about Norway’s approach in tackling speeding with a particular focus on graduated speeding. Fines for dangerous speeding there are much more realistic, but don’t take Finland’s approach of being linked to the offender’s income level.

Senior Gardaí also addressed the conference, describing new technologies now available to the Roads Policing corps such as speed guns for patrol cars linked to automatic number-plate recognition. It’s to be hoped these technologies will be rolled out quickly and used widely so we can catch up with international best practice, but a timeline for this wasn’t clear. The appallingly widespread offences of driving and parking in bus lanes and cycle lanes were not addressed, and unfortunately question time didn’t allow for queries on this. It’s something the Campaign will work hard on in the coming year. Addressing car-dominated viewpoints that fail to prioritise the needs of vulnerable road users – never mind the environment – in official circles and culture is a high priority.

Closing the day, RSA Director Michael Rowland welcomed the Love 30 proposals and indicated that the Authority would support a national default 30 km/h limit. Needless to say we’ll be tracking whether RSA backs up these words with actions.

For more on campaigns for lower and safer speed limits in built-up areas, see:

https://www.love30.ie/ https://www.20splenty.org/

Love 30 Meeting with Department of Transport

Love 30 met recently with the Department of Transport as part of the Speed Limit Review that is underway in support of Action 6 of the Road Safety Strategy. Action 6 established a working group to examine and review the framework for the setting of speed limits including a specific consideration of the introduction of a 30km/h default speed limit in urban areas. The Love 30 presentation made the case for the introduction of a default 30 km/h speed in urban areas. See our presentation attached.

Love 30 speaks at Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Love 30 was delighted to get the opportunity to speak to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications on 1 March 2022 on the topic of speed limits in urban areas and the RSA Road Safety Strategy. Joan Swift and Muireann O'Dea attended the committee meeting on behalf of Love 30. They spoke of the need for a legislative change to make 30km/h the default speed limit in built up areas and outlined the many benefits including:

A reduction of up to 40% in the number of fatal and serious collisions
Making our cities and towns more liveable by allowing people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle
Contributing to our climate action plan

A recording of the meeting is available on Oireachtas TV.. The Love 30 opening statement starts at 36 minutes.

The RSA also addressed the committee and spoke strongly in favour of a default speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas as an important way to support the goal of reducing road causalities by 50% by 2030. The RSA has followed up High Impact Action (Number 6) from the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 to "Establish a working group to examine and review the framework for the setting of speed limits, including introducing 30km/h limits as the default in urban areas." The working group has been set up and is drawing up terms of reference. It will report back with recommendations and an implementation plan to a new Road Safety Partnership Board by the end of the year.

Dr Lorraine D'Arcy, senior lecturer at TU and co-chair of the MSc in Sustainable Transport and Mobility, also addressed the meeting and spoke of the need for consultation with all types of road users in order to design walkable neighbourhoods.

The attendees at the Committee meeting were supportive of a default 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas, with exceptions for some roads, and would like to see it implemented as quickly as possible.

At the end of the meeting the chair, Kieran O'Donnell TD summed up that

The Committee will write to the Department asking for a progress report on the Working Group on Speed Limits set up under the Road Safety Strategy, asking for its Terms of Reference and seeking to have Love 30 included in the Working Group.

The following TDs and Senators attended the committee:

Kieran O'Donnell TD- Chair. Fine Gael
Steven Matthews TD Green Party
Darren O'Rourke TD Sinn Féin. Briefly
Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, Sinn Féin
Neasa Hourigan TD, Green Party
Senator Pauline O'Reilly, Green Party
Senator Marie Sherlock, Labour
Gerard P. Craughwell Independent
Gerry Horkan, Fianna Fáil

The Transport and Communications Committee are planning a future meeting to which representatives from An Garda Siochana, the road haulage industry and taxi drivers will be invited. This meeting will discuss the topic of enforcement of speed limits.

Love 30 to address Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Love 30 has been invited to address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications on the topic of Speed Limit Reductions in Urban Areas and the RSA Road Safety Strategy on the 1st March 2022.

We will make the case that 30 km/h as a default urban speed limit is an opportunity to:

significantly reduce the number of vehicle collisions and related serious injuries
Allow children to play outdoors more safely
Make our cities and towns more liveable by allowing people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle to study, work, shops, and visits to friends and family
Improve the general health of the population
Contribute to our climate action plan

And we will call for the Government to introduce national legislation mandating a default 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas. It will then be up to councils to decide which (if any) roads should have a different speed limit. A default limit does not prevent a higher limit being introduced where it is deemed necessary and safe.

We will also welcome that the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, included a High Impact Action (Number 6) to "Establish a working group to examine and review the framework for the setting of speed limits, including introducing 30km/h limits as the default in urban areas." and ask for this working group to be set up without delay.

Submission on Bye-Laws for Croom Limerick

Love 30 made a submission to Limerick City and County Council in relation to Speed Limit Bye-laws for new roads in Croom County Limerick.

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, welcomes Limerick City and County Council’s proposals to apply 50 km/h speed limit on several roads in Croom. However, we are disappointed that a lower speed limit was not chosen in the vicinity of a school and the limited scope of the proposals.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be set as the default urban speed limit in all built-up areas throughout Limerick, with exceptions for specific roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020 co-signed by Ireland. 30 km/h is the recognised safe vehicle speed where pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users are mixing with vehicular traffic.

Love 30 is concerned that speed limits on both urban (50 km/h on Gateway Park, Elm Park Drive, Caemore Court, Maxwells Lane and other laneways) and roads with “ribbon” development (60-80 km/h on L1419 and L14191 at side of cemetery) are excessively fast and recommend that they be reduced.

Our full submission is attached.

Submission on Meath County Council Speed Limit Review 2021

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, wholeheartedly welcomes Meath County Council’s proposals to increase the number of roads within the County to which a 30 km/h speed limit applies. However, we are disappointed that the proposals apply to some residential roads only.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be set as the default urban speed limit in all built-up areas throughout County Meath, with exceptions for specific roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020 co-signed by Ireland. 30 kph is the recognised safe vehicle speed where pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users are mixing with vehicular traffic.

Should it not prove feasible to introduce a default 30 km/h immediately, Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h speed limits be introduced in all residential estates & other residential roads, in towns, villages & other neighbourhood centres, and that periodic 30 km/h zones be implemented around all schools and other places of assembly (cinemas, theatres, community centres, religious buildings, etc.), that have large numbers of people arriving and / or departing at the same time.

Love 30 is concerned that speed limits on some semi-rural and rural roads, particularly L roads, and on roads with “ribbon” development are excessive and recommend that they be reduced in a general speed limit review.

Our full submission is attached.

80 km/h speed limit signs on blind approach to humpback bridge in Ballyteige North townland, adjacent to Ballyteague GAA. © Google

Submission on Kildare County Council Speed Limit Review 2021

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, wholeheartedly welcomes Kildare County Council’s proposals to increase the number of roads within Kildare to which a 30 km/h speed limit applies. However, we are disappointed that the proposals apply to some residential roads only.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be the default urban speed limit in all urban areas throughout Kildare, with exceptions for specific roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020.

Love 30 is concerned that speed limits on many semi-rural and rural roads and on roads with “ribbon” development are excessive and recommends that they be reduced, or at least, not increased. While many roads on the Kildare regional and local road network are of higher quality than comparable roads in other council areas, they have been compromised by the amount of ribbon development. There is also an excess of 4-way crossroads, humpback bridges, open canal banks and sudden sharp turns, even on main roads with 80 km/h speed limits. Footways are often discontinuous and there is often no (continuous) footway to or at schools and many of those schools are on main roads. This makes the proposed speed limit increases inappropriate.

Our full submission is attached.

Submission on Cork County Council Speed Limit Review

Love 30, the Campaign for 30 km/h Speed Limits, has made a submission to Cork County Council on the Pre-Draft Consultation Stage of its Speed Limit Review.

Love 30 wholeheartedly welcomes Cork County Council’s invitation to members of the public to submit proposals.

Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h should be the default urban speed limit in all built-up areas throughout Cork County, with exceptions for specific roads, as required by the Stockholm Declaration of February 2020.

Should it not prove feasible to introduce a default 30 km/h immediately, Love 30 recommends that 30 km/h speed limits be introduced in all residential estates & other residential roads, in town, village & other neighbourhood centres and that periodic 30 km/h zones be implemented around all schools and other places of assembly (cinemas, theatres, community centres, religious buildings, etc.), that have large numbers of people arriving and / or departing at the same time.

Our full submission is attached.

Love 30 Photo Competition for UN Global Road Safety Week

The 6th UN Global Road Safety Week takes place from 17-23 May 2021. We are delighted that the theme of the week is ‘Streets for life: why #love30?’ The UN is calling on policymakers to act for low speed streets worldwide, limiting speeds to 30 km/h where people walk, live and play.

The Love 30 Campaign is holding a photo competition during UN Global Road Safety Week. The prize will go to the photo that best embodies the spirit of “Streets for life: why #love30?”. Is there a location near you that would be safer, quieter and more pleasant if a 30 km/h speed limit was introduced? Or somewhere that already has 30 km/h speed limits that shows how people of all ages benefit from this? Send us a photo that shows how 30 km/h streets are for life!

How to enter the photo competition

Print the Love 30 Poster (attached below).
Take a photo that includes the poster in a location where you would like to see a 30 km/h speed limit.
Share the photo on Facebook or Twitter @Love30ie @UNGRSW, with hashtags: #Love30, #streetsForLife, #Love30photo.
Email your photo, name and location of the photo to info@love30.ie
Entries open between the 17 and 23 May 2021.

Prizes

1st prize €75 One4All voucher
2nd prize €50 One4All voucher
3rd prize €25 One4All voucher

The winning photos will be selected on or before the 30 May 2021, and the winners will be notified by email.

Terms & Conditions

The competition is open to residents of the Republic of Ireland. If you are under 18 you must have the permission of a parent/guardian to enter.
Entrants to the competition warrant that the photograph they submit has been taken by the entrant
Where the photo submitted to the Competition contains any person or persons the Entrant warrants that those persons have given their permission for the photograph to be used in the Competition.
By submitting a photograph for entry to the Competition entrants grant the Love 30 campaign full, irrevocable licence to use the photograph on our website or social media
The decision of the panel appointed to judge the photographs shall be final.
Entrants who provide false or misleading information will automatically be disqualified.

Love 30 Submission on Dublin City Speed Extension to 30 km/h Zones

The Love 30 Campaign has made a submission on the Dublin City Non-Statutory public consultation on extending 30 km/h. The full submissions is attached.

We would encourage all our supporters to make submission here by the deadline on 23 April 2021. Dublin City Council has been to the forefront in introduction 30 km/h speed limits and It is important to show support for this.

Love 30 commends Dublin City Council on its efforts to introduce a default speed limit of 30 km/h on all roads in the Dublin City Council administrative area, except roads specifically listed in the bye-laws. We believe that the introduction of the default speed limit of 30 km/h will send a very clear message to all road users that Dublin City is a place where people, in particular pedestrians and cyclists, can move about safely and that motor vehicles must slow down and respect more vulnerable road users. We hope that other Local Authorities will follow the exemplary lead being given by Dublin City Council and will introduce default 30 km/h speed limits in all of their built-up areas.

Love 30 welcomes Dublin City Council’s revised proposals to secure a default 30 km/h speed limit in the City, hopes that a budget will be secured for appropriate traffic-calming measures, and that the new speed limits will be enforced effectively.

Default 30km/h Speed Limit

By introducing a default 30km/h speed limit, reduced from the original 50kph, Dublin City Council are ensuring that motorists are absolutely clear when they drive in Dublin City that, unless otherwise posted, the speed limit is 30km/h. This sends out a clear signal to all motorists to drive slowly and with care for other road users.

We are pleased to see that many of the distributor roads that were being retained at 50 km/h speed limits in the previous proposal now have 30 km/h speed limits proposed.

40km/h Proposals

We note the different approaches to some roads on the northside of the city where some councillors favour 30 km/h limits but others wish to have a 40 km/h speed limit. This is disappointing for a number of reasons. We do not accept that 40 km/h is an appropriate speed limit on Grace Park Road, where both roadway and footpath are quite narrow, and where there are a number of schools, including special schools. We believe that a 30 km/h limit would be more appropriate on this road.

Likewise, we believe that 40 km/h is inappropriate on Causeway Road. This is an amenity area leading to the conservation area on Bull Island and we believe that traffic-calming measures are needed so that traffic will be slowed to 30 km/h or less and that people will be encouraged to walk or cycle. Given the current levels of parking on the causeway, especially at weekends, while people walking are protected cycling has become more dangerous. Therefore, speed should be lowered to improve safety and there is no good rationale for increasing speeds to 40 km/h in this leisure area of vital biodiversity.

Another issue is the need for protected cycleways along the full route of Griffith Avenue, especially important for children given the number of schools in that vicinity.

Love 30 is of the view that it would be counter-productive to introduce a 30 km/h speed limit on Ballymun Road this road without very serious traffic calming measures, although lower speeds are very desirable because there are several schools and a special school on the road. A compromise could be a periodic 30 km/h but even this is unlikely to be achievable without very serious traffic-calming measures.

Traffic-Calming Measures

Love 30 is very pleased to see the emphasis in these proposals on achieving lower speed limits outside the greatest possible number of schools, while being disappointed that it may not be achieved on Griffith Avenue and Ballymun Road. As mentioned in our previous submission we believe that Dublin City Council should secure funding for implementation of traffic-calming measures that will encourage adherence to the 30 km/h limits.

Call for Default 30 km/h in all Urban Areas

A default limit does not prevent a different limit being introduced

Press Release issued 5 April 2021

Love 30, The Campaign for Lower Speed Limits, calls on the Oireachtas to provide for a default urban speed limit of 30 km/h in the forthcoming Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

Ireland was a signatory in February 2020 of the Stockholm Declaration of the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which was subsequently endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Paragraph 11 committed to:

“mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe, noting that efforts to reduce speed in general will have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries;”

Love 30 calls on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, and on the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, to fulfil the commitment in the Stockholm Declaration by including provision for a default speed limit of 30 km/h in built-up areas.

It will then be for councils to decide which roads should have a different speed limit. A default limit does not prevent a higher limit being introduced where it is deemed necessary and safe, but the ultimate benefit of a low speed limit would be a cleaner environment and improved safety for people walking and cycling while also protecting our right to health and wellbeing. 30 km/h speed limits have long been recognised for the safety benefits they offer and in addition can assist in reducing noise and emissions and can help to make our towns and cities more pleasant places to live, work and play.

Many cities including London (20 mph), Brussels, Milan, Santander, Bilbao, Paris, Washington DC (20 mph), Boulder (Colorado, 20 mph), Wellington, have introduced widespread 30 km/h limits. Several countries are introducing default 30 km/h speed limits in all urban areas including Netherlands, Spain, and Wales (20 mph). Some locations have speed limits as low as 10 km/h. Love 30 believes that Ireland should follow this best international practice and legislate for a default 30 km/h limit in built-up areas.

Joan Swift of Love 30 Sligo said: “Ireland needs to move quickly to implement the Stockholm Declaration and introduce default 30 km/h speed limits in all built-up areas. We have fallen behind our UK and EU neighbours where 30 km/h is increasingly becoming the norm in town centres and in residential areas. The Welsh Parliament has voted for a 20-mph default urban speed limit and more than a hundred French cities have introduced default 30 km/h limits.”

Mairéad Forsythe of Love 30 Dublin said: “We need 30 km/h speed limits on our residential roads, outside our schools and in the centres of our cities, towns, and villages so that people can move about more safely and enjoy a more people-friendly space. This is more important than ever during COVID-19 restrictions when there has been a surge in the number of people moving about outdoors on foot and by bicycle”

Dublin City Council Loving 30 Proposals March 2021

Following the Dublin City Council Workshop Loving 30 the council has unveiled its plans to extend 30 km/h speed limits to all roads in the city except those listed in the bye-laws. Details of the proposals and maps are available here Dublin City Council Loving 30. Love 30 strongly supports the proposals which will make Dublin city centre a safer, quieter place for everyone who lives or visits the area, especially vulnerable road users, including children, pedestrians and cyclists. And we welcome that the proposals include streets such as Cork Street, Dolphins Barn Street and Crumlin Road that were previously omitted from the plans.

The proposals are being discussed with councillors at local area committees in early March 2021, and councillors have been asked to provide feedback by 23rd March 2021. We urge you to contact your councillors to ask them to support these proposals!

The draft proposal for Speed Limit Bye-Laws 2021 will be presented at the Full Council Meeting on 10 May 2021. There will be further opportunities for citizens to provide feedback during the public consultation phase. See timeline below.

Monday 29th of March 2021 to Friday 9th April - Non-Statutory Public Consultation
Monday 7th of June to the Monday 19th of July 2021 - Statutory Public Consultation

With the approval of the Councillors on the Special Speed Limit Bye-Laws, 2021 the council's Road Safety Section will carry out the implementation of signage starting on December 2021.

Love 30 Public Meeting 8pm Tuesday 16 February

We are holding a public meeting via Zoom from 8 to 9pm on Tuesday 16 February. Join us for an update on the campaign activities in 2020, and help us plan for 2021. The agenda will include:

A review of Love 30 activities in 2020
Updates on local activities
Overview of UN Road Safety Week 17-23 May
Discussion on campaigns for 2021

If you would like to see lower speeds where you live, join us on the 16 February.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88359624817?pwd=M3pvYjU1Tm9GYi95cDQzK0p2aWd5UT09

Meeting ID: 883 5962 4817 Passcode: 894055

Request to Minister for Transport for Default Urban Speed Limit of 30 km/h

In January 2021 Love 30 wrote to Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, asking him to introduce a speed limit of 30 km/h on all urban roads. This follows on from the same request to his predecessor, Minister Shane Ross (see attached).

Dear Minister (Eamon Ryan),

I am writing on behalf of the Love 30 Campaign for lower speed limits (www.love30.ie) We campaign for 30 km/h speed limits in residential areas, in town and village centres, and in the vicinity of schools and places of public assembly.

I append, for your information, copies of correspondence with your predecessor, Minister Shane Ross, in which we asked him to use his powers under S. 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 to introduce a 30 km/h speed limit on all urban roads.

As you will be aware the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths on our roads increased last year despite huge reductions in the volumes of traffic during Covid restrictions. As we face into another extended period of Covid restrictions, there has again been a surge in the number of people walking and cycling within their 5 km limit. Once again, it seems that the reduction in the volume of motor traffic is resulting in higher speeds which we fear will inevitably lead to more deaths and injuries.

As we pointed out in our letter to Minister Ross, Ireland was a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration, which mandates in Resolution #11 ‘a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner’. This Declaration has since been mandated by the UN General Assembly.

We call on you, as Minister for Transport, to act decisively and to use the powers available to you under Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 to introduce 30 km/h speed limits on all roads in built up areas, and in the vicinity of all schools.

Yours sincerely,

Mairéad Forsythe Love 30 Campaign for Lower Speed Limits

Love 30 Submission on Galway County Speed Limit Review 2021

The Love 30 Campaign made the following submission to Galway County Council in relation to the speed limit review in Galway County.

The Love 30 Campaign wholeheartedly welcomes the proposals by Galway County Council to reduce speed limits on various roads around the county.

However, we are disappointed that no proposals were brought forward to introduce 30 km/h speed limits in town and village centres, on non-estate residential roads, or outside schools. Further, we are concerned that no proposals were brought forward to implement new 60 or 80 km/h speed limits on roads with houses, schools, businesses and on roads with known safety issues.

Love 30 recommends that the draft bye-laws be amended as follows:

Ultimately, 30 km/h should be the default urban speed limit in all areas throughout Galway County, with exceptions for specific roads.
30 km/h speed limits should be introduced in all residential estates, other residential roads and in neighbourhood centres.
Periodic 30 km/h zones should be implemented around all schools and other places of assembly (cinemas, theatres, community centres, religious buildings, etc.), that have large numbers of people arriving and / or departing at the same time.
These 30 km/h speed limit changes should also apply to roads in new housing estates that have not yet been taken in charge and to future housing estates. This can be achieved by setting 30 km/h as the default speed limit across whole towns and villages, with exceptions for specific roads.
In semi-rural and rural areas, roads with ribbon housing should not have speed limits exceeding 50-60 km/h. In some of these cases, the speed limit should be substantially lower.

We ask you to provide a response on each of the points above, on whether they will be included in the bye-laws, and if not, to give a reason. Suitable engineering measures should be taken to make these speed limits self-enforcing.

We urge the Council to do its utmost to continue the process of lowering speed limits in the County with the least possible delay.

The full submission is attached here.

United Nations endorses 30km/h

For the second Decade of Action for Road Safety the United Nations has endorsed the setting of 30km/h maximum speed limits wherever pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users mix with motor vehicles.

Following the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020, the General Assembly of the UN has endorsed the Stockholm Declaration as key to delivering its Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 in its 2nd UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. This has a new target to reduce road deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030. Within the Declaration the resolution on Speed Management was to:

Focus on speed management, including the strengthening of law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe, noting that efforts to reduce speed in general will have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries;

In moving a default speed limit of 30km/h into the global mainstream of practical initiatives for both road safety and air quality/climate change, the UN is promoting sustainable mobility.

The endorsement by the UN is timed to benefit from the European Parliament's adoption of mandatory speed limiters on cars which will have a dramatic positive effect on driver compliance.

Submission on Government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030

The Road Safety Strategy has a public consultation on the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.

Have your say by completing the survey by 22 November 2020.

The Love30 campaign made the following points in its submission:

What should the Road Safety Priorities be for the next 10 Years

Reduce numbers of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries. This is in accordance with the Programme for Government which commits to “Introduce a new road safety strategy focused on reducing death and injuries of vulnerable road users, pedestrians, and cyclists.“
Introduce more widespread 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas, in residential areas, outside schools and places of public assembly. The Programme for Government has committed to “Review and reduce speed limits, where appropriate, to address both road safety issues and carbon emissions, and ensure greater compliance.” Ireland is a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety and the UN General Assembly endorsement of 30 km/h speed limits in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix (See Q 5 below).
Introduce more periodic 30 km/h speed limits in the vicinity of schools.
Improve observance of speed limits.
Improve enforcement of speed limits. The Programme for Government commits to “ensure greater compliance”
Consolidate road traffic legislation. The Programme for Government commits to “Prioritise the consolidation of the existing road traffic legislation and use that as an opportunity to rectify any anomalies that may have developed which hinder appropriate enforcement.”

How should these priorities be addressed?

The chart in the this tweet shows how poorly Ireland compares with other European countries in reducing pedestrian deaths compared with motorised road user deaths .
Driver training and testing, media and other educators should teach drivers to be on high alert for people, such as cyclists and pedestrians, outside the car.
Road engineering should aim to make pedestrians and cyclists more visible and prominent among road users.
Road engineering should reflect the speed limit e.g. roads with lower speed limits should be, or seem, narrower than those with higher limits. Measures such as narrowing of the carriageway, chicanes, etc. should be used at the commencement of a lower speed limit section of road.
The Department of Transport should appoint an Assistant Secretary responsible for all transport safety - road, rail, air & sea - separate from the functional sections of the department.
Ask the Ministers (transport, justice, health, etc.) to support 30 km/h speed limits publicly and explain why they are there. They need to support 30 km/h (and appropriate speed limits elsewhere) and compliance.
Review progress on the Speed Limits Review 2013 and update.
Initiate a new speed limit review seeking 30 km/h in the centres of towns and villages, on all residential roads and outside all schools.
Ensure the www.speedlimits.ie website is kept fully up-to-date.
Create a national team in Department of Transport, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage or the Local Government Management Agency to assist councils in drawing up their bye-laws to include (a) technical people, (b) legal people, (c) people who can bridge the technical-legal gap and (d) support services.
Codify the Road Traffic Acts into a single document by end 2022.
Codify all Road Traffic Regulations into a series of single documents per topic by end 2022.
Review and update the Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland, especially in light of the Stockholm Declaration, the Road Traffic Act 2016 and experience.
Increase the quantum and visibility of speed limit enforcement actions by Gardai with a focus on 30 km/h zones, in the vicinity of schools, in residential estates and places where there are large numbers of vulnerable road users.
Increase the quantum of speed cameras so that motorists perceive that the chances of detection are high if they exceed the speed limit.
To help focus enforcement efforts, use anonymised Google Maps and SatNav data to determine where and when drivers are travelling at inappropriate speeds.
Explore opportunities to use new technologies such as Intelligent Speed Assistance and other in-car/cab technologies that observe driving behaviour, especially in trucks, buses and taxis.
Encourage motorists to use technologies already available to assist them in observing speed limits, e.g. satellite navigation systems.
Expand use of free speed surveys, with results widely publicised. The surveys should be followed by appeals to motorists and visible enforcement. Increase enforcement and Garda presence at locations of egregious examples.

Comments on the Current Road Safety Strategy

Item 93 of the Action Plan commits to “Review the feasibility of alternative sanction options such as corrective training courses for commercial vehicle operators and drivers.” We recommend that this review should be extended to consider the feasibility of speed awareness courses, similar to those in the UK.

What can we learn from other countries?

Most European countries have widespread 30 km/h limits in city, town and village centres. Only a few Irish counties have introduced 30 km/h in town and village centres and Dublin is the only city with 30 km/h speed limits in the city centre.
Most European countries have 30 km/h limits in residential areas. While all Irish counties have some 30 km/h limits in residential areas their implementation is inconsistent. Local authorities should be encouraged, mandated, or compelled to implement 30 km/h on residential roads.
National governments in Wales and Spain have committed to introduce default 30 km/h in urban areas.
Countries such as the Netherlands use engineering very effectively to slow traffic e.g. by removing the centre line on roads, by widening footpaths and by painting cycle tracks in different colours.

Other Comments

The Love 30 Campaign (www.love30.ie) is a national alliance of individuals and organisations who support lower speed limits in urban areas. We campaign for the introduction of more 30 km/h zones in urban areas, but particularly in town centres, residential areas, and near schools and other places of public assembly. The Campaign consists of walking groups, cycling campaigners, supporters of children’s right to walk & play, and others who recognise the benefits of lower speed limits. Our case for widespread 30km/h speed limits is set out in linked submission to Galway City Council.
Ireland is a signatory of the [Stockholm Declaration](https://www.roadsafetysweden.com/contentassets/b37f0951c837443eb9661668d5be439e/stockholm-declaration-english.pdf of the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety: Achieving Global Goals 2030 Stockholm, 19–20 February 2020. ) In para 11 it commits to “Focus on speed management, including the strengthening of law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe, noting that efforts to reduce speed in general will have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries;”
The General Assembly of the UN in September 2020 endorsed the Stockholm Declaration as key to delivering its Sustainable Development Goals 2030 in its 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Submission on New Safe Walking and Cycling Routes

Love 30 commends Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on its proposals to pilot three new safe routes to upgrade and connect the existing walking and cycling network in the County. Love 30 hopes that these safe routes will encourage more people to walk or cycle within the County and, especially, that more children will be encouraged and permitted to travel to school on foot, by bicycle or by scooter.

The proposals to use existing segregated cycle routes and to modify junctions is commended but Love 30 is disappointed to note that, apart from a section of Avoca Avenue, it is not proposed to introduce 30 km/h speed limits on roads where cyclists will be sharing road space with motor vehicles and there will be an increase in pedestrian activity.

The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed the setting of 30km/h maximum speed limits wherever pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users mix with motor vehicles, following the adoption of Resolution #11 of the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020 (the Stockholm Declaration), which mandates a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner.

Love 30 is of the view that all roads in the scheme that do not have a segregated cycle track should have a 30km/h speed limit to comply with the Stockholm Declaration and the UN Resolution.

Love 30 notes that, although many of the residential roads in the County remain at 50 km/h, no additional 30 km/h speed limits have been introduced in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown since 2017. We recommend that the Council should take this opportunity to review speed limits in the County with a view to introducing 30 km/h speed limits on all residential roads, in the centres of towns and villages, outside all schools and on all roads in this proposal that do not have a segregated cycle track. There is a particular need for more extensive 30 km/h speed limits during Covid restrictions when there are more people moving about on foot and by bicycle and when many pedestrians are likely to step out onto the carriageway to facilitate social distance from other pedestrians.

Love 30 has noted the welcome changes made in villages such as Blackrock and Dundrum in recent months to make them more accessible and safer for people to walk and cycle but is disappointed that these changes have not been accompanied by the introduction of 30 km/h limits in these villages. We recommend that a review of speed limits should commence as soon as possible so that the appropriate speed limit of 30 km/h can be introduced to these villages with the least possible delay. An initial non-statutory public consultation may be useful.

Love 30 Submission on Galway City Speed Limit Review 2020

Love 30 has made a submission to the Galway City Council public consultation on speed limits saying that we wholeheartedly welcome the proposals by Galway City Council to reduce speed limits in the city centre and the suggestion that there will be further 30 km/h speed limits.

However, we are disappointed that the 30 km/h speed limit area in the city centre is modest in size and that no proposals were brought forward to introduce 30 km/h speed limits in neighbourhood centres, non-estate residential roads, or outside schools.

Further, we are concerned that the proposals retain or implement new 60, 80 and 100 km/h speed limits on roads with houses, schools, businesses and on roads with known safety issues. Almost all of the roads proposed to have higher speed limits are in Safety Camera (GoSafe) Zones. Exacerbating circumstances include lack of continuous footways and footways with low level of service, lack of cycleways / cyclepaths, lack of safe crossing points and haphazard footways that are overgrown, poorly surfaced and / or covered in road debris. While direct, many of the roads are not straight.

News

Appendix

Services Provided by the RSA

Funding of the RSA

The Future of the RSA

Engagement with the RSA

Other Comments

Benefits of 30 km/h Speed Limits

How to enter the photo competition

Prizes

Terms & Conditions

Default 30km/h Speed Limit

40km/h Proposals

Traffic-Calming Measures

What should the Road Safety Priorities be for the next 10 Years

How should these priorities be addressed?

Comments on the Current Road Safety Strategy

What can we learn from other countries?

Other Comments