Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

"Iris Oifigiúil" of 16th March, 2012.

I, LEO VARADKAR, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), and the National Roads and Road Traffic (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 298 of 2002 ) (as adapted by the Transport (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011 ( S.I. No. 141 of 2011 )), hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limits - Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

(2) The Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limit - Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Etc.) Regulations 2008 and these Regulations may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limit - Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicle, Etc.) Regulations 2008 and 2012.

2. These Regulations come into operation on 1 April 2012.

3. In these Regulations-

"category N2" has the meaning assigned to it in Annex II of the Framework Directive;

"category N3" has the meaning assigned to it in Annex II of the Framework Directive;

"category O3" has the meaning assigned to it in Annex II of the Framework Directive;

"category O4" has the meaning assigned to it in Annex II of the Framework Directive;

"Framework Directive" means: Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007¹ , as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1060/2008 of 7 October 2008² , Regulation (EC) No. 78/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 January 2009³ , Regulation (EC) No. 79/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 January 2009⁴ , Commission Regulation (EC) No. 385/2009 of 7 May 2009⁵ , Regulation (EC) No. 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009⁶ , Regulation (EC) No. 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009⁷ , Commission Directive 2010/19/EU of 9 March 2010⁸ , Commission Regulation (EU) No 371/2010 of 16 April 2010⁹ , Commission Regulation (EU) No. 183/2011 of 22 February 2011¹⁰ , Commission Regulation (EU) No. 582/2011 of 25 May 2011¹¹ and Commission Regulation (EU) No. 678/2011 of 14 July 2011¹² .

4. The Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limits - Buses, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Etc.) Regulations ( S.I. No. 546 of 2008 ) are amended by substituting for Regulation 4 the following:

" 4.(a) The ordinary speed limit prescribed for a Category N2 or N3 vehicle and a combination of a Category N2 or N3 vehicle when drawing a Category O3 or O4 trailer and when driven on-

(i) a motorway, is 90 kilometres per hour, or

(ii) any other public road, is 80 kilometres per hour.

(b) the ordinary speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour is prescribed in respect of all public roads for a combination of a mechanically propelled vehicle drawing another vehicle except for any combination of vehicles to which paragraph (a) refers."

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

9 March 2012.

LEO VARADKAR,

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations amend the Road Traffic (Ordinary Speed Limit Buses Heavy Goods Vehicles, Etc.) Regulations 2008 ( S.I. No. 546 of 2008 ) for the purposes of:

-� Increasing the ordinary speed limit prescribed for Heavy Goods Vehicles from 80 kilometres per hour to 90 kilometres per hour, when driven on a motorway.

1 OJ No. L 263, 9.10.2007, p. 1.

2 OJ No. L 292, 31.10.2008, p. 1.

3 OJ No. L 35, 4.2.2009, p. 1.

4 OJ No. L 35, 4.2.2009, p. 32.

5 OJ No. L 118, 13.5.2009, p. 13.

6 OJ No. L 188, 18.7.2009, p. 1.

7 OJ No. L 200, 31.7.2009, p. 1.

8 OJ No. L 72, 20.3.2010, p. 17.

9 OJ No. L 110, 1.5.2010, p. 1.

10 OJ No. L 53, 26.2.2011, p. 4.

11 OJ No. L 167, 25.6.2011, p. 1.

12 OJ No. L 185, 15.7.2011, p. 30.