Donegal County Councillor Declan Meehan says that lowering speed limits on rural Donegal roads won’t go far enough achieve the aims of the RSA or Department of Transport.
A public consultation opens in Donegal next week to outline proposals which include reducing speed limits on local roads to 60km/h as well as lowering speed limits to 30kph in housing estates taken charge by the council.
Cllr Meehan has encouraged the public to engage with the public consultation process while expressing reservations about the measures without more safety interventions on the roads.
“Lowering the speed limit is not a solution in itself,” Cllr Meehan told a council meeting in Lifford on Monday. “When trying to combat the number of road fatalities, unfortunate as they are, and accidents resulting in injuries, it’s not just around lowering speed limits but actually enforcing speed limits.
“Lowering the speed limit on a local road from 80 to 60 is going to do absolutely nothing.”
Without pre-empting the outcome of the consultation, Cllr Meehan added that the reductions will be welcomed in some areas, but will be “inappropriate” in other roads across Donegal’s extensive network.
Cllr Meehan said that roads infrastructure has a part to play.
“We need to see an increase in funding in urban areas for speed controls and traffic calming, which we know in this council there isn’t half enough money for,” he said.
“We also need proper present policing of our roads under the traffic corp of An Garda Siochana in order to deter reckless driving at speed.”
Further details on the Speed Limit Public Consultation for the Draft Road Traffic (Special Speed Limits) (County Donegal) (Amendment) Bye-Laws 2024 from August 1st are available here:
Donegal road users urged to engage with speed limit public consultation
