COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 13, 2011

QUESTION NO. 21

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Manager to clarify the costs involved, from either Council or state funds, in installing "L-number" signage on local roads in South Dublin County Council, year-on-year, since installation began; to clarify projected future costs involved in this project; to clarify the nature of the roads involved; and to make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

Each road in the County is allocated a route number depending on whether it is a local, Regional or National route in accordance with the Road schedule which the Council is obliged to mantain. This schedule is updated on a regular basis as new roads are taken in charge.

Local road ‘route number signs’ are provided as part of regional and national road signage schemes where these roads interface with the National or Regional routes. The signs on the National roads are funded and installed by the National Roads Authority and Regional road schemes are installed by the Council and are funded by the Department of the Environment. The inclusion of the local route numbers is stipulated in the scheme funding guidelines. The Council does not provide L-number signs on all local roads in the urban area.

The cost of sign installation is the subject of competitive tender as an element of the road signage schemes in which they are in. The Council obtained a regional Road Signage grant in 2011 of €200,000 and €150,000 in 2010 from the Department of the Environment.

Currently each "L-number" sign costs €56 and installation costs €120 approximately plus VAT.  The Council will erect 34 signs on 17 roads within County this year. The remaining signage on Regional roads make up 92% of the expenditure in the signing scheme.

It should be noted that signs containing the ‘L-road number’ are  not placed on roads where the particular road is indicated on the larger directional signage of the Regional route as the number is accommodated on the direction sign.