Fears in Tipperary over new lower speed limits

New speed limits to be introduced across Tipperary and other parts of the country - including a 30 kilometre per hour limit in urban areas - could lead to more road fatalities rather than reduce such deaths, a number of councillors in the county have warned.

Speaking at the October meeting of Tipperary County Council on Monday last in Nenagh, Cllr Niall Dennehy expressed concerns about the Government’s move to reduce the speed limit on rural local roads from the current 80km a hour to 60km and hour.

In a motion adopted by the full council, he called for the council to “apply common sense” in relation the plans, which would also see the speed limits on National Secondary Roads reduced from 100km per hour to 80km per hour.

Cllr Dennehy said the new lower speed limits planned to be rolled out would result in drivers being banned from driving due to minor infringements.

‘MADNESS’

He said cutting the speed limit in urban areas from 50kms per hour to 30kms per hour was madness. Cllr Dennehy said modern cars were not designed to travel at some of the  new lower speed limits being proposed.

Cllr Mairín McGrath said the proposals by national government were “ill thought out”. One of the biggest problems currently was that many drivers simply ignored speed limits.

Cllr Jim Ryan said the lower limits would cause huge frustrations for drivers stuck behind slow-moving vehicles and would result in more accidents and lead to more “road anger”.

Cllr Ann Marie Ryan said she lived on a narrow rural road where the speed limit was currently 80kms per hour. Even if drivers were limited to 60kms per hour on that road it would still be crazy because the road was so narrow.

She hoped that the council would have some discretion in relation to the implementation of the lower limits, because on many rural roads the new limit of 60kms and hour would be still too high.

Cllr Ryan said the new limits would not reduce accidents if the government pushed ahead with a one-fit approach to implement its proposals across the board, regardless of local concerns.

COMMON SENSE

Cllr Andy Moloney said common sense will be needed when the new limits are being implemented. He knew one stretch of road in Tipperary “wide enough to land a jumbo jet”, yet a 50km per hour limit applied. The speed vans were always there catching drivers who went over the limit. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. It’s a joke, really.”

Cllr Richie Molly said the new limits amounted to penalising drivers again. It would be far more effective if the Government ensured that the existing speed limits were enforced.

‘TOTAL FARCE’

Cllr Roger Kennedy said things would be “a total farce” if the plan went ahead to reduce limits on National Secondary Roads from 80kms per hour to 60kms per hour.

Cllr Joe Hannigan said nine in ten drivers obeyed current speed limits. He would not like to see the new limits used as a way of punishing the majority over the minority, who ignored the current laws.

Cllr Michael O’ Meara said a lot of the current problems on our roads were caused by a lack of gardaí to enforce existing speed limits. Another issue leading to increasing road accidents was driver distraction due to new car models that now came with so many “bells and whistles”.

Councillors were told that reductions of speed limits were due to be enforced in Tipperary later this year, with the cut from 80kms per hour to 60kms per hour on rural local roads. The other speed limits being proposed would be reduced on a phased basis.

Council CEO Sinead Carr said the limits were national policy and the council had to abide by that.