INDEPENDENT Ireland TD Richard O’Donoghue has described as “misguided” the Government’s push for lower speed limits on rural roads.
According to the County Limerick politician, the approval of the Road Traffic Bill 2023 by the Dáil is an overreaction with no substantial evidence supporting its supposed safety benefits.
“This policy, driven by flawed analysis, will not only inconvenience rural drivers but also pose economic and safety risks,” he said.
Deputy O’Donoghue cited a study conducted by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in March 2022, which projected an increase in road fatalities by lowering speed limits, contrary to the Government’s claims of enhancing safety.
The study also estimated a staggering €3.8 billion cost over 30 years due to reduced productivity and increased travel times.
“The blind approval of this legislation disregards critical reports and overlooks the real solutions to road safety, such as improved road design, more investment in a better road network and enforcement of existing traffic laws,” he added.
Deputy O’Donoghue went on to deem the move “as a misguided attempt at road safety that will only hinder rural motorists and users”. He also said initiative is driven by political agendas rather than genuine safety concerns.
Limerick has around 4,000 km of a national/regional/local road network, all of which its proposed would have speed limits reduced.
“This government is so out of touch with ordinary people, and so caught up in a haze of environmental political agendas, that they no longer understand the genuine day-to-day concerns of ordinary people, including motorists. First, they attempted to tax motorists off the road, and now they are trying to slow them down. It’s ludicrous,” O’Donoghue concluded.
