Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
256. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has examined the interaction between road surface condition, speed limits and road safety on local and regional roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67115/25]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants, where applicable. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.
My Department provides specific funding for safety improvement projects on regional and local roads. Applications for funding under this scheme are invited on an annual basis for consideration for funding in the subsequent year.
Under the safety improvement scheme, each Council are requested to submit applications in order of priority. As Councils are responsible for maintaining and improving their regional and local roads, it is their responsibility to determine its priorities and work programme while taking account of the funding provided from grant allocations and from the Council's own resources.
The Department commissioned Regional Road Network Safety Analysis across the regional and local road network. These identified Locations of Interest (LOIs) across the sector which notified local authorities of locations that may be suitable for safety improvement works following engineering analysis and collision trends. The overall prioritisation of interventions on the network is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
