Road Management Act 2004 (No. 12 of 2004).

The Act is organized in 7 Part and 10 Schedules. In outline this Act 1) establishes a new statutory framework for the management of the road network; 2) sets out rights and duties of road users; 3) establishes the general principles which apply to road management; 4) provides for the role, functions and powers of a road authority; 5) provides for the making of Codes of Practice to provide practical guidance in relation to road management; 6) facilitates the making of road management plans; 7) enables the declaration and discontinuance of roads; 8) provides a new process for the declaration and classification of roads; 9) provides for a road authority to keep a register of public roads; 10) provides for the construction, inspection, maintenance and repair of public roads; 11) sets out the road management functions of road authorities, infrastructure managers and works managers; 12) provides for issues relating to civil liability.
Relevant to land discipline the Act firstly recognizes that the owner or occupier of any land which adjoins a road is entitled as of right to access the road from that land. Moreover the Act under Part 3 rules that any land owned by the road authority or any land managed by the road authority may by notice be declared a road under this Act by the road authority. Section 46 and Schedule 6 provides discipline for specific protection of roads and adjoining land powers of State road authorities, these include for instance exercise of powers in relation to private roads. Division 6 establishes that the owner of the adjacent land that will recive benefit from the construction of the road has a duty to contribute to its development.
With the scope of protecting the road the Act under Part 5 confers powers to the authorized authority to enter upon any land, and specific duties of care on the owner or occupier of adjoining land.