Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

The Love 30 group and the Dublin Commuter Coalition made a presentation to Oireachtas Members last week. They set out how implementing a default 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas could have a major impact on crashes and how it could reduce the number of deaths and the seriousness of injuries, particularly for vulnerable road users. The default 30 km/h speed limit is provided for in the 2024 Act. The purpose of that was to implement the results of the 2023 speed limit review. It was also the result of a commitment in the programme for Government. A great deal of work went into it. My understanding is that An Garda Síochána made a submission to the review stating that it supported the 30 km/h limit. I am really concerned about the approach that the Department is now suggesting, namely that we leave this to local authorities. That is just going to allow the proposal to wither on the vine. I was in a really good local authority for five and a half years, but things take a long time there. This has been adopted as a national policy within legislation, and yet we are now leaving it as an option. Can the Department compel the local authorities to adopt the 30 km/h speed limit? Why can the existing definition of a built-up area in section 5 of the 2004 Act, not be used?

It has been working for 21 years. That is what the amendment in the 2024 Act was amending. Why can we not at least start there as the starting position for implementing the default 30 approach?