A SPEED LMIIT of 30 km/h has been introduced to parts of Cork city centre, echoing the scheme which has already been rolled out in Dublin.

The new limit applies to the city’s main thoroughfare, St Patrick’s Street, as well as Grand Parade, Oliver Plunkett Street, North Main Street, Cornmarket Street and adjacent streets.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said that several million euro has already been spent on upgrading and refurbishing the main streets in Cork city centre and the reduced speed limit was a way to drive “maximum benefit” from the huge investment.

“The purpose of the 30 km/h zone is to give the city centre a higher profile in terms of being pedestrian/shopper/visitor friendly.  It does not involve any restrictions to the City Centre/parking on-street or access to car parks,” said the spokesperson.

“It should be noted that all motorists with destinations to the city centre ‘become’ pedestrians eventually and the objective is to make the City Centre more attractive and safe for them”.

The spokesperson said that the city centre is a busy area for pedestrians and that the 30 km/h zone will give them “a sense of more pedestrian priority and safety”.

Cork Chamber has suggested a 12 month trial period for the scheme to assess its impact on local businesses.

The 30 km/h speed limit was originally introduced to parts of Dublin city centre in October 2009.  In September of this year the Road Safety Authority said that Dublin had the safest roads of any capital city in Europe – the fatality rate had dropped significantly in recent years, due in part to the 30 km/h zone.