Since March 2015, Local Authorities are required to set their Special Speed Limit Bye-laws in accordance with The Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland. Upon publication of these Guidelines, Local Authorities were required, by Circular letter RSD 01 of 2015, to update their Special Speed Limit Bye-laws. Carlow County Council adopted Road Traffic (Speed Limits) for County Carlow with an effective date from 13th November 2017 and maintained together with other local authority byelaws on www.speedlimits.ie/cwcc.
New Speed Limits on Carlow National Secondary Roads N80/N81 to Come into Effect on the 18th December 2025
Special Speed Limit on Carlow National Secondary Roads will come into effect on the 18th December 2025 introducing a speed limit of 80kph in the rural areas for mechanically propelled vehicles on the national secondary roads, the N80 and N81, within the jurisdiction of Carlow County Council.
Following initial consultation with An Garda Siochana and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Carlow County Council in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Section 9 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), as amended, gave notice of its intention to review the Special Speed Limit Byelaws that are applied to certain roads within the administrative area of County Carlow and advertised the draft County Carlow Road Traffic National Secondary Road, the N80 and N81 Speed Limit Byelaws of 2025.
Following public consultation, liaison with An Garda Siocahana and the approval of Transport Infrastructure Ireland the draft byelaws were brought before Council in November 2025. The Bye Laws were passed by resolution of the Council at their Meeting of 10th November 2025 to come into effect Thursday 18th December 2025.
New Default Speed Limit of 60km/h for All Rural Local Roads in Carlow
Carlow County Council advises that a new default speed limit of 60km per hour for all rural local roads in the Republic of Ireland will come into effect on Friday 7th February 2025.
This change will make Ireland’s roads safer for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and all road users.
Reducing speed can significantly increase the chance of survival in the event of a traffic collision, and lowering speed limits on Ireland’s road network will save lives.
Carlow County Council at their meeting of July 2024 agreed to the implementation of the National Default Rural Speed limit of 60km/h being applied to all rural local roads in Carlow, including local primary, local secondary and local tertiary roads. Please note that this new default speed limit does not include:
- Regional roads and National roads.
- All public roads with a current special speed limit of 30 km per hour.
- All public roads with a current special speed limit of 50 km per hour.
These categories will be addressed in subsequent phases of the national & county speed limit review, which are intended to be progressed in 2025.
For more information on this initiative including policy background, road safety and enforcement visit gov.ie - Slower Speeds, Safer Roads.