Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Travel, transport and roads
  3. Traffic management

Speed limits - how they are set

If you're concerned about traffic speed in your area, you can ask for a reduced speed limit to be put in place. Too much speed plays a major part in road collisions and fatalities in Northern Ireland, particularly in areas where vehicles and more vulnerable road users mix.

Speed limits 

Speed limits are important and are set to make sure that vehicles travel at a speed suitable for the road.

Speed limits can be adopted for safety, environmental and accessibility reasons.

Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads, as the sole road authority for all public roads in Northern Ireland, is responsible for introducing local speed limits where national limits are not suitable.

Comprehensive information on the speed limits you would expect to come across on the different categories of road is given in chart form in the Highway Code.

  • The Highway Code

Getting a local speed limit changed

If you would like a speed limit to be lowered, raised or extended, you should contact your local DfI Roads Division Traffic Section who will make an assessment.

DfI Roads will seek a police view on any proposed changes to a speed limit.

All characteristics of the road, such as its alignment, the level of activity alongside the road, the collision record, and how a community can be separated by the speed of vehicles, will be taken into account. 

  • DfI Roads Eastern Division
  • DfI Roads Northern Division
  • DfI Roads Southern Division
  • DfI Roads Western Division

Before deciding to change an existing speed limit, local traffic managers must consider all the relevant factors, including:

  • collision and casualty savings
  • improvement to the environment
  • improvement in conditions and facilities for vulnerable road users
  • reducing public anxiety
  • increased journey times for motorised traffic
  • costs of implementation
  • costs of engineering measures and their maintenance
  • negative environmental impact of engineering measures
  • costs of enforcement

If it is considered that a change in the speed limit is the best course of action, then a Speed Limit Order has to be made. This involves a statutory legal process.

If you wish to report a vandalised/ missing speed limit sign, you should do so online at this link:

  • Report an issue with a road sign or marking

Or you can contact the proper division or local DfI Roads office with full details about the location of the sign.

If the road in question has a system of street lighting, with no speed limit repeater signs, the limit is usually 30mph.

DfI Roads is not permitted to place 30mph repeater signs on these roads.

More useful links

  • Road Safety Partnership
  • Road safety
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Traffic management

  • Bus lanes
  • Consents and licences for roads
  • Low and weight-restricted bridges
  • Puffin crossing
  • Report an issue with roadworks
  • Road closures and diversions in your area
  • Speed limits - how they are set
  • Traffic calming
  • Transporting abnormal loads by road

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS