Road Opening
Any new access which is proposed onto an existing public road must comply with the visibility sight line requirements of the National Roads Authority’s Design Manual for Roads and Bridges or any other design standard approved by the Local Authority.
In the interests of road safety there must be sufficient visibility available to drivers looking in both directions from the proposed access and also for drivers approaching the proposed access. This is to ensure that drivers have sufficient time to slow down or stop comfortably when approaching a potential hazard.
If the required sight lines cannot be achieved there are some measures that can be taken. For example, the required sight line or sight distances can be reduced by proving that 85% of the vehicles, passing the proposed site, travel slower than the legal speed limit. In order to demonstrate this and implement a reduced sight line, a speed survey needs to be carried out.
If the site does not adjoin a public road, you must submit documentary evidence of your right of way to access the site from the public road. We can ensure that this is taken care of for you.
In order to excavate a public road a person or body is required to have the relevant powers or permissions. These vary according to the utility sector and are derived from sector specific powers as well as from the Roads Act and Road Traffic Act through the road/local authority.
A road opening licence does not entitle the Licence Holder to work in a property not on a public road. In addition to powers under the Roads Act, all local authorities are empowered to issue binding directions on a range of matters to all persons, including statutory undertakers, carrying out roadworks in the authorities’ functional areas.
These powers are provided for in Section 101D of the Road Traffic Act, 1961, as inserted by Section 9 of the Dublin Transportation Authority (Dissolution) Act, 1987 and S.I. No. 139/2015 – Road Traffic (Co-ordination of Roadworks) Regulations 2015.
There is a fourteen-stage application process to attain the correct licences. This can be a long drawn out and complicated process that can easily delay a project. Delays in projects will cost you money.
SOCIAL HOUSING CO. can help you streamline this process and complete the paperwork for you. Our expertise allows us to ensure we provide the authorities with the correct information which ensures the completion of the process in a timely manner.
