S.I. No. 546/2008 - Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limits Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Etc) Regulations 2008
ROAD TRAFFIC (ORDINARY SPEED LIMITS — BUSES, HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES, ETC) REGULATIONS 2008 | ||
Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in | ||
“Iris Oifigiúil” of 19th December, 2008. | ||
I, NOEL DEMPSEY, Minister for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), hereby make the following regulations: | ||
Citation and commencement | ||
1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limits — Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicles, etc) Regulations 2008. | ||
(2) These Regulations come into operation on 1 February 2009. | ||
Definitions | ||
2. In these Regulations— | ||
“design gross vehicle weight” has the meaning assigned to it in the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 ( S.I. No. 352 of 1999 ); | ||
“dual carriageway” means a road, the roadway of which is divided centrally so as to provide two separate carriageways, on each of which traffic is required by a road regulation to proceed in one direction only; | ||
“seating capacity” means the seating passenger accommodation determined in accordance with the Road Traffic (Passenger Accommodation of Mechanically Propelled Vehicles) Regulations 1962 ( S.I. No. 143 of 1962 ). | ||
Speed limits — buses, etc | ||
3. (1) The ordinary speed limit prescribed for a single or double deck mechanically propelled vehicle constructed or adapted for use primarily for the carriage of passengers which has seating capacity for more than 8 persons and which is— | ||
(a) neither designed nor adapted for the carriage of standing passengers, when driven on— | ||
(i) a motorway or a dual carriageway, is 100 kilometres per hour, or | ||
(ii) any other public road, is 80 kilometres per hour, or | ||
(b) designed or adapted for the carriage of standing passengers when driven on any public road is 65 kilometres per hour. | ||
Speed limits — certain other vehicles | ||
4. The ordinary speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour is prescribed in respect of all public roads for— | ||
(a) a mechanically propelled vehicle neither constructed nor adapted for use primarily for the carriage of passengers which has design gross vehicle weight in excess of 3,500 kilograms, and | ||
(b) a combination of a mechanically propelled vehicle drawing another vehicle. | ||
Lesser speed limit | ||
5. A speed limit prescribed in these Regulations does not apply in respect of any road where a lesser speed limit having effect under Part 2 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004) applies. | ||
Revocation | ||
6. The Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limits- Certain Vehicles) Regulations 2005 ( S.I. No. 9 of 2005 ) are revoked. | ||
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GIVEN under my Official Seal, | ||
11 December 2008 | ||
NOEL DEMPSEY, | ||
Minister for Transport. | ||
EXPLANATORY NOTE | ||
(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation) | ||
These Regulations prescribe the maximum ordinary speed limit at which specified classes of vehicles can be driven from 1 February 2009 on a public road except where a lower road speed limit applies: | ||
•a speed limit of 100km/h applies, while being driven on a motorway or on a dual carriageway, to single and to double deck passenger vehicles (bus, coach) that can seat more than 8 passengers (excluding the driver) and are not constructed or adapted to carry standing passengers and, while being driven on any other road, a speed limit of 80km/h applies to those vehicles. | ||
•a speed limit of 65km/h applies, while being driven on any road, to single and double deck passenger vehicles that can accommodate more than 8 passengers (excluding the driver) and which are designed or adapted to carry standing passengers. | ||
•a speed limit of 80km/h applies, while being driven on any road, | ||
>to a goods or other non-passenger vehicle (HGVs, etc) that have a design gross weight exceeding 3,500 kilograms, and, | ||
>to any vehicle that is towing another vehicle (e.g. towing a trailer, caravan, horse box, etc). |