Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I have stated previously in the House that I do not want to distract the Road Safety Authority from the important work it has in hand by directing it to produce safety audits of roads. I am satisfied with the role being played by the authority, as well as by local authorities and council engineering staff, in highlighting and improving roads where safety is an issue. Over the past five years, €2.583 billion has been allocated to local authorities by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and €7.175 billion to the National Roads Authority for national roads. As safety is a fundamental consideration in the provision and maintenance of our road network, this high level of investment is delivering a significant road safety dividend. In addition, more than €60 million has been spent on national roads and more than €17 million on non-national roads in implementing specific road safety measures over the past five years.

Among the specific measures undertaken to improve the safety of roads, my Department has augmented the powers of local authorities to impose special lower speed limits at road works sites; published a revised and updated edition of chapter 8 of the road signs manual covering temporary traffic measures and signs at road works and the deployment of signage and temporary traffic measures at such locations; regularly updated technical advice to local authorities as regards the correct use of surfacing materials when undertaking road pavement improvement works; and produced comprehensive new guidelines for the control and management of road works sites by local authorities.

These guidelines were developed under the aegis of the Local Government Management Services Board, LGMSB, with the assistance of my Department and the NRA. I am satisfied these new guidelines for control and management of road works sites represent best practice and they should address the main concerns which have been expressed by the Health and Safety Authority. Accordingly, my Department and the NRA have issued the new guidelines by way of circular letters to the local authorities for implementation with immediate effect.

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