Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Kenny raised the issue of people driving in excess of the speed limit. If we take a local rural road that has speed limit currently of 80 km/h and there is a pedestrian or cyclist on that particular road, even if a driver is within the speed limit it is completely inappropriate for that road as it is currently engineered. This is where a lot of the issues and the deaths are occurring. We are trying to bring it down to a safer baseline. At the moment with the speed limit at 80 km/h even if people go near it this is not the appropriate speed limit for that particular road. On Deputy Crowe's question, this is setting the default baseline and having a safer default baseline as a national position. Councillors in every local authority will make changes, and will work with the engineers, and the guidance will reflect that, so there is a sensible and practical outworking of this. If a really well engineered, modern, national secondary road can be at 100 km/h, then they will recommended it as 100 km/h.

We are not trying to stop that where it is safe to do so and they can revise it upwards. Similarly, when it comes to local rural roads, there would probably be very few of them. They tend to be side roads where people are living in housing, particularly in rural areas. As it was referred to, it is the road with the grass growing up the middle. Very few of them will be revised upwards to 80 km/h. Again, we are deciding the national framework with the default base. It is better as a national position from a road safety perspective to have a safer default baseline. That allows for local authorities, with councillors, to revise upwards where they deem it appropriate or vote to do so, which is a devolved function under the legislation.

I agree that enforcement is an issue currently and it needs to improve. I have reflected that to the Commissioner and we engage regularly with An Garda Síochána. For all of our existing laws and the laws we are trying to enact to function and work, there has to be stronger levels of enforcement. We regularly raise that.

Turning to the issue of the interventions being made, Deputies Kenny and Lowry raised the issues of the high collision locations. We will circulate a note. There is an improved funding position when it comes to direct road safety interventions on junctions for 2024. We will circulate the detail on that to the committee. TII might have a “high collision” definition on its website but that is not in primary legislation. We have to define everything in road traffic legislation and it is not defined there. We all want the same outcome. A number of interventions are being made this year. Where there are repeated collisions and concerns, local authorities will work with TII to remedy those. There are some roads where there are collisions but there is reckless speeding. There are parts of our road network in certain parts of the country where it is a behavioural issue. That is the other issue going on.

To respond to Deputy Dillon, I have given the context on how the speed limit process will work. In Mayo, if there is a new national secondary road that has been recently upgraded to where it is safe to stay at 100 km/h, the councillors can revise it upwards under the speed limit process in the review. It is a practical outworking of that. We are better to have a safer default baseline and for it to work like that rather than the current system where everything is left at a higher limit, particularly on the local rural roads. We see the 80 km/h roads. I am in Mayo often myself and I see some of the very rural roads with 80 km/h speed limits. Anyone going near that limit would be in a ditch. It is a cultural message as well. We are saying it is okay to go on the edge of the limit on roads that are completely inappropriate for that and this reform will change that. That is the biggest change. The biggest part of our network is the rural local roads, as members know.

We are due to a get a report from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, MBRS, on alcolocks. We hope to progress that further with trials. The MBRS has put extensive work into how we can pilot and scale that. We are due to get a report on it shortly.

We are constantly engaged with An Garda Síochána on enforcement. Looking at the aftermath, one person per hour was arrested for drink- or drunk-driving before Christmas. There were enforcement levels but many people were ignoring the law and taking the risk. We are working with the RSA and the Garda to widen the message and awareness around road safety issues. That is an ongoing piece of work.