Speed limits to change across the city

Cork City Council has voted to change speed limits across the city, reducing maximum speeds in many parts of the city.

The Cork City Road Traffic (Special Speed Limits) Bye-Laws, 2026 were voted through at the latest meeting of Cork City Council on Monday 9 November. The changes form part of Phase 2 of the National Speed Limit Review.

The changes include introducing a 30km/h limit on all housing estate roads, residential streets, roads adjacent to schools, and roads in the city where there is a significant and regular interaction with vulnerable road users.

During the course of the public consultation process on the changes, four housing estates were taken in charge by the council making their roads publicly managed, and included in the 30km/h speed limit.

These were Ard Aoibhinn on the Banduff Road in Ballyvolane, Fernwood in Ballinglanna in Glanmire, Castle Meadows on the Skehard Road in Blackrock, and Cluain Chaoin in Tower.

A higher limit of 50km/h is to be applied to national, regional, and arterial roads, as well as on key public transport routes, with a 60km/h limit applying on transition zones on the above road categories.

The changes followed a period of public consultation and analysis by the Cork City Council executive.

There were 210 submissions made before the deadline, of which 205 were in favour of the proposed changes.

Of these, 32 requested additional traffic calming and enforcement of speed limits, a further 145 requested this and additional locations for speed limit reduction, and seven submissions wanted more widespread 30km/h and 20km/h zones.

Only five submissions opposed the changes on the grounds that there could be a negative impact on traffic.

The changes met with broad approval from councillors, but there were calls from the floor for more work to be done around traffic calming, infrastructure, and signage.

Cllr Terry Shannon (Fianna Fáil) welcomed the changes but said there needed to be more barriers to speeding such as speed ramps, as well as an increase in enforcement.

"There's no substitute for physical barriers on the road slowing the traffic," he said.

However, he highlighted that traffic calming and infrastructure must be coupled with proper enforcement of road laws.

Cllr Oliver Moran (Green Party) said that the demand from the public for speed limit reductions in the city is "massive", and that more work needs to be done on traffic calming measures to compliment the new speed limits.

"We have to put structures in place to reduce the speed of motorists before we look at speed limit changes in the future. Reducing speed limits alone isn't going to do it so long as the roads are inducing people to speed," he said.

Cllr Peter Horgan (Labour) said the changes were welcome but that there was still plenty of work to be done in the future.

"It's not a silver bullet by any stretch of the imagination, but it is one step forward. We need more enforcement, and we need more pedestrian crossings," he said.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.