The Rural Independent Group of TDs has hit out at a move by government to reduce speed limits on the country’s roads.
The Cabinet yesterday (Wednesday, December 20) approved the publication of the new Road Traffic Bill which aims to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2030.
The bill will legislate for changes to default speed limits recommended by the Speed Limit Review which was published by the Department of Transport in September.
That review, which is described as a “high-impact action” under the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, makes a number of recommendations, including:
- Default speed limit on national secondary roads to reduce from 100km/h to 80km/h;
- Default speed limit for the network of local and rural roads throughout the country to reduce from 80km/h to 60km/h;
- Default speed limit on urban roads, which include built-up areas as well as housing estates and town centres, to reduce to 30km/h.
The legislation would also make drug testing mandatory at the scene of a serious crash.
Speed Limits
Rural Independent group of TDs, Deputy Mattie McGrath said that he supports any “realistic and meaningful reform” that will improve the safety of our public road network, “even when this includes reducing speed limits on narrow and single-lane rural roads”.
“However, I cannot accept a government that exploits the public’s concerns about road safety and then uses it to lower almost all existing default speed limits on national secondary roads, regional and local roads, and all built-up areas.
“This move is driven by the Green Party in government and is a knee-jerk reaction to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” he claimed.
Deputy McGrath said that the “move ignores the cost of increased travel time, reduced accessibility, lower economic productivity, and public dissatisfaction”.
The Tipperary TD said that reducing default speed limits regardless of the safety of the road is “nonsensical”.
Road safety
Deputy McGrath said that a report by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in March 2022 was “discarded” by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan “because it concluded that reducing speed limits would have minimal impact on emissions and would result in an additional 35 deaths every year”.
“While the government relies on one international study, other studies closer to home challenge the effectiveness and efficiency of lowering speed limits on road safety.
“A study from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health analysed data from before and after the 20mph limit was introduced on 76 roads in central Belfast in 2016. The study found ‘little impact on long-term outcomes’ in the city,” he said.
“The blind and hasty approach to approving this legislation is deeply damaging to the country.
“Crucial factors such as the lack of Garda numbers to carry out road traffic enforcement is not being addressed, instead, it’s a government that lectures the public to drive slower or face fines.”
“Ireland needs more investment in roads to make them safer. We need better-designed new roads to be fast-tracked,” Deputy Mc Grath said.