Ms Muireann O'Dea:

Love 30 thanks the committee for the invitation to address it on the important topic of speed limit reductions in urban areas and the RSA road safety strategy. Love 30 is a national alliance of individuals and organisations that support a default 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas. A 30 km/h as a default urban speed limit is an opportunity to significantly reduce the number of vehicle collisions and related serious injuries; to allow children to play outdoors more safely; to make our cities and towns more liveable by allowing people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle to study, work, shops and visits to friends and family; to improve the general health of the population; and to contribute to our climate action plan

At a recent school road safety event in Kilcoole where the speed limit is 50 km/h, one of the sixth class pupils said "their speed was quite shocking. To think that there could be kids crossing the road and the cars are going at that speed." Why are we seeking a default 30 km/h speed limit in built up areas? First, it is about safety. Thirty kilometres per hour is fundamentally safer than 50 km/h for pedestrians and vulnerable road users. Where speeds are reduced to a maximum of 30 km/h in built-up areas, a decline in casualties of more than 40% will occur with fewer and less severe injuries. Lower speeds give drivers more time to notice and react to the unexpected and, importantly, reduce the severity of injury when collisions occur. The importance of 30 km/h speed limits for improved road safety and enhanced liveability is recognised internationally. Many countries such as the Netherlands, Spain and Wales have legislated for mandatory 30 km/h in all built-up areas.

With lower speeds, children can safely play, walk, scoot and cycle in their neighbourhood. Confident, independent, healthy and active travel habits form on safer streets. There are benefits for elderly people, who may have slower reaction times, and people with disabilities making it easier for them to cross the road and travel about.

Lower speeds result in less noise and pollution. Noise can be reduced by 50%, which is a major issue in cities and towns. Air pollution currently kills more than 1,000 people per year in Ireland. Introducing widespread 30 km/h zones is one of the most cost-effective ways of improving road safety. The wide area means there are no frequent speed changes so fewer signs are needed and it is easier for drivers to understand. Studies in the UK found that wide area 30 km/h limits are seven times more cost-effective than isolated zones with physical traffic calming.

There is very little impact on journey times. Much of the travel time in urban areas is spent at traffic lights or stuck in traffic. On a typical 20-minute journey, travelling at 30 km/h instead of 50 km/h will add between 20 seconds to a minute to the journey time. Local and international experience shows that drivers quickly acclimatise to lower speed limits in built-up areas.

Ireland was a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration of the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020, which mandated a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner. This same declaration also recognises that road deaths and injuries constitute a preventable epidemic. This agreed resolution needs to be acted upon here in Ireland.

At present, the setting of speed limits is a matter for local authorities subject to national legislation. Most local authorities have introduced some 30 km/h speed limits but their introduction has been patchy and inconsistent. The recent introduction of an appeal mechanism may be helpful in reducing some speed limits but is unlikely to bring about the paradigm shift that is required. We believe that the best way forward is to introduce national legislation mandating a default 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas. It will then be up to councils to decide which, if any, roads should have a different speed limit. A default limit does not prevent a higher limit being introduced where it is deemed necessary and safe.

We were very pleased to see that the road safety strategy included a high impact action to establish a working group to examine and review the framework for the setting of speed limits, including introducing 30 km/h limits as the default in urban areas. We believe that this working group should be established without delay. It must recognise that for every one road death, there are nine serious injuries on Irish roads and pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists account for over half of all serious injuries

We urge that the members of this committee to recognise the wealth of local and international evidence in support of 30 km/h speed limits in built-up areas. By endorsing the call for a national default urban speed limit of 30 km/h, the committee will leave a lasting legacy of safe, liveable neighbourhoods that can be enjoyed by everyone.