Roads Act, 1993

Declaration of public roads.

11.—(1) (a) A road authority may, by order, declare any road over which a public right of way exists to be a public road, and every such road shall be deemed to be a public road and responsibility for its maintenance shall lie on the road authority.

(b) Where a road authority proposes to declare a road to be a public road it shall—

(i) satisfy itself that the road is of general public utility,

(ii) consider the financial implications for the authority of the proposed declaration,

(iii) publish in one or more newspapers circulating in the area where the road which it is proposed to declare to be a public road is located a notice indicating the times at which, the period (which shall be not less than one month) during which and the place where a map showing such road may be inspected and stating that objections or representations may be made in writing to the road authority in relation to such declaration before a specified date (which shall be not less than two weeks after the end of the period for inspection),

(iv) consider any objections or representations made to it under paragraph (iii) and not withdrawn.

(2) The consideration of objections or representations and the making of an order under subsection (1) shall be reserved functions.

(3) The Minister may prescribe criteria for the declaration of roads to be public roads and a road authority shall comply with any such prescribed criteria when exercising its functions under this section.

(4) Every national road, regional road, motorway, busway and protected road shall be a public road and it shall not be necessary for a road authority to make an order under subsection (1) in relation to any such road.

(5) A certificate of a road authority that a road is a public road shall be prima facie evidence thereof.

(6) Every road which, immediately before the repeal of an enactment by this Act, was a public road shall be a public road.

(7) Any road constructed or otherwise provided by a road authority after the commencement of this section shall, unless otherwise decided by such road authority, be a public road and it shall not be necessary for the authority to make an order under subsection (1) in relation to any such road.