Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I extend my commiserations to the families of anyone who has lost their life on the road. If we want to make laws, we have to use all the information that is given to us, and we must not bury it. Transport Infrastructure Ireland has statistics but the Government did not listen to it. The Government wants to reduce speed limits in areas without using the proper statistics. What the Minister is doing is reducing speed limits.

In this country we have what we call black spots where accidents have been reported on certain parts of certain roads but nothing has been done to improve them bar a sign being put up to say it is an accident black spot. We have a lack of policing on our roads due to the Commissioner and the Minister not listening to 97.8% of the gardaí that police this country. That is a statistic of which the Government should be aware.

Another statistic relates to the lack of Garda services. I and councillors around the country have asked for speed ramps in towns and villages where we do not have policing because a speed ramp polices itself. It automatically slows people down. To me, that is common sense. The Minister is bringing in laws but we do not have policing. I am asking the Minister to use a simple common-sense approach and to put speed ramps in towns and villages. They police themselves, automatically slow down traffic, and save lives.

If we look at the statistics from TII on all the different road users on the transport network, one of the main causes of accidents is fatigue. All the signs encourage people to please pull in for a break to avoid fatigue. People are encouraged to get a cup of coffee and to take a rest if they are on a long drive. The Government is reducing the speed limits for the transport network around this country and the statistics are pointing to fatigue. Does the Minister know that truck drivers have a driver's card and they are only allowed to drive for so many hours a day and they have to take breaks? Does he realise that by reducing the speed limit on roads in Ireland he is adding extra trucks on the roads for the transport network in this country? He is also adding extra buses on the roads. He is also asking people to get out of bed earlier. Children going to school where there have been no reports of accidents on the roads are being asked by the Minister to get up earlier. Bus drivers are being asked to drive for longer and, in doing so, to burn more emissions, which he talks about, because the vehicle must travel at a certain speed to burn off the carbon within engines. There are no drivers for the trucks or the buses, yet the knee-jerk reaction is to reduce the speed limit.

I urge the Minister to look at the accident black spots and the reduced speed. The Government should invest in the Garda in this country and listen to the 98% of gardaí who voted against the Commissioner. The Minister agreed with him. The Government is not listening to the statistics. I totally agree that we must reduce speed in certain areas of the country. I will back the Minister 100% on that. He is proposing 60 km/h here and 80 km/h there. He has not looked at it. In places there are motorways. The road near me in Bruff is 80 km/h at the moment. If it is reduced to 60 km/h, those on electric bike and scooters, and those on the low horsepower vehicles the Minister talks about, can also do 50 km/h to 60 km/h. The cars will be passed out on the side of the road. The Minister is going to cause carnage and put everyone together. He should please look at this realistically and hit the areas where there are accidents.

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