9A.—(1) The National Roads Authority may make bye-laws specifying in respect of any specified national managed road or specified part of a national managed road or specified carriageway or lane of a national managed road, the speed limit which shall be the speed limit on that road or those roads for mechanically propelled vehicles.

(2) The special speed limits that may be specified in bye-laws under this section are—

(a)   (i) 20 kilometres per hour,

(ii) 30 kilometres per hour,

(iii) 40 kilometres per hour,

in respect of a national managed road or nationally managed roads in accordance with guidelines issued by the Minister under this Part,

(b) 50 kilometres per hour, in respect of any national managed road other than a national managed road in a built-up area,

(c) 60 kilometres per hour,

(d) 80 kilometres per hour, in respect of a national managed road that is—

(i) a motorway,

(ii) a national road, or

(iii) in a built-up area,

(e) 100 kilometres per hour, in respect of a national managed road that is—

(i) a motorway, or

(ii) in a built-up area, and

(f) 120 kilometres per hour, in respect of a dual carriageway that forms part of a national managed road that—

(i) is a national road, and

(ii) is not a motorway,

in accordance with guidelines issued by the Minister under this Part.

(3) Before making special speed limit bye-laws pursuant to subsection (1), the National Roads Authority shall give notice to—

(a) the council of any county council or city council concerned of any provision in the proposed bye-laws relating to roads in their respective administrative areas, and

(b) the Commissioner,

and shall consider any representations made in writing by any such council or the Commissioner where they are received within the period (not being less than one month after the date of service of the notice) specified in the notice.

(4) Whenever the National Roads Authority, having considered any representations under subsection (3), proposes to make bye-laws under this section, the following provisions have effect—

(a) the National Roads Authority shall publish notice of the proposal at least once in at least 2 daily newspapers published in and circulating in the State or the area to which the bye-laws relate,

(b) the notice shall include—

(i) a statement of the purpose for which the bye-laws are to be made,

(ii) an intimation that a copy of draft bye-laws is open for public inspection at the address stated in the notice, and

(iii) an intimation that any person may submit to the National Roads Authority objections to the draft bye-laws at any time during the period of 30 days commencing on the date of the first publication of the notice,

(c) the National Roads Authority shall, during that period of 30 days, keep a copy of the draft bye-laws open for public inspection during ordinary office hours at the address stated in the notice, and

(d) any person who objects to the draft bye-laws may submit his or her objection to the National Roads Authority in writing at any time during that period of 30 days and the Authority shall consider the objections.

(5) In making special speed limit bye-laws under this section the National Roads Authority may, in the interests of road safety, apply a special speed limit for a specified period or periods during any day or during specified days (such periods and days being indicated in such bye-laws) on a specified national managed road or part of it and such special speed limit shall, notwithstanding any other provision in the said bye-laws relating to any such national managed road or part of it, be the speed limit for that national road for that period or periods only.

(6) The Minister may make regulations in relation to all or any of the following matters:

(a) the varying of the speed limits standing specified in subsection (2) and that subsection shall have effect in accordance with any such regulations for the time being in force;

(b) the exemption of a class or classes of mechanically propelled vehicles from a specified speed limit or from all of the speed limits specified or having effect under this section.

(7) Where special speed limit bye-laws under this section apply a special speed limit to a specified national managed road or specified part of a national managed road or specified carriageway or lane of a national managed road, that speed limit does not apply where—

(a) a road works speed limit order is made in respect of, or

(b) a variable speed limit is applied to,

that national managed road, part, carriageway or lane.

(8) A document which purports to be a copy of special speed limit bye-laws made under this section and which has endorsed on it a certificate purporting to be signed by an officer of the National Roads Authority stating that the document is a true copy of the bye-laws and that the bye-laws were in force on a specified day, shall, without proof of the signature of such officer or that he or she was in fact such officer, be evidence, until the contrary is shown, in every court and in all legal proceedings, of the bye-laws and of the fact that they were in force on that date.]