Roads in four Laois towns proposed for new 30km/h urban speed limit
Sections of the N77 and N80 have been put forward by Laois County Council for the new urban speed limit
Four roads in Laois have been identified so far for a possible speed limit reduction to 30km/h as the review into urban speed limits has gotten underway.
Laois County Council has begun to assess urban and built-up areas around the county with the aim of implementing the new 30km/h speed limits by March of next year as part of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.
The objective of the plan is to reduce deaths and serious injuries on roads by 50% by 2030. Four people were killed on Laois roads last year. There were two road deaths in the county in February, with the tragic death of a 5-year-old boy in a housing estate in Portlaoise and just days later a 70-year-old man was killed in a collision near Stradbally.
A young man in his 20s died in a collision at Ballaghmore, Borris-in-Ossory in June. Another man in his 20s, a motorcyclist, was killed in a collision in Abbeyleix in July.
In January of this year, a man in his 70s was killed after being struck by a car on Main Street in Abbeyleix.
In February 2025, a new default 60km/h speed limit was imposed on rural local roads which replaced the previous default 80km/h.
It was previously expected that the 30km/h speed limit would be a default speed limit across the country as it was with the reduction from 80km/h to 60km/h. However, this was not the case and instead a survey is being carried out to see which roads will be included in the speed reduction.
Pre-consultations with statutory stakeholders have now commenced.
For sections of national roads which pass through the areas selected for the new 30km/h speed limit, Transport Infrastructure Ireland will have to approve the change.
Laois County Council have notified TII of four locations which they propose should be changed to 30km/h zones. These include the N77 in Durrow and Abbeyleix, as well as the N80 in Mountmellick and Portlaoise.
Laois County Council have stated that once all proposed locations are identified for the new urban speed limits, public consultation is planned to commence for 30 days. The council expects this to occur in June or July of 2026.
This is with a view to adopting Bye-laws later this year in October, with all new urban speed limits expected to be in place by March 31, 2027.