Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on road safety matters. Every one of us has a responsibility for safety on the roads, including our road users and pedestrians, and us, as policymakers. There is an onus on us to enact the right policies. In 2024, there were 175 road deaths in the country. The European Transport Safety Council published findings in June 2024 that found that 20 of 32 countries reduced the numbers of deaths on their roads in 2023 but in Ireland, our rate of road deaths rose by 32%.

I was on local radio this morning and briefly mentioned that I was going to be making a statement on road safety. I did not go into what I was going to say but mentioned that there would be a discussion in the Chamber. Following that, I got a phone call from a local woman who had lost her 16-year-old son to a road traffic accident a number of years ago. It was quite a profound conversation to have with someone. We in this Chamber are in privileged positions where people come to us with such stories and share the struggles they have had in life. It impacted me when that was shared with me and I was trusted in that way. The woman thanked me for speaking up and letting people know that the Deputies in this House are willing to have the conversation. Some of the speed limits on local roads have changed from 80 km/h to 60 km/h and while some people are probably unhappy, we must remember that there is a massive duty on us in this House to ensure that no other families go through what that woman went through and ensure they do not suffer a loss like that.

I somewhat question the communication of the changes to the speed limits. There has been a lot of confusion. I know our local authorities have done their best, but many people who made representations to me in recent weeks believed that every road with an 80 km/h speed limit would go down to 60 km/h when the limits for regional roads have not changed yet. I have also been questioning our local authority about the future plans for roads that have not yet seen their speed limits changed. Many of the answers that are coming back are that the local authority is still awaiting guidance, which needs to come as quickly as possible. As much as I am questioning them, I know my colleagues on Tipperary County Council are doing a lot of questioning as well, and the roads section can only tell them so much. We need to be able to inform our constituents.

In respect of future changes, there are two issues I have already raised with the local authority and wish to raise here. The first relates to the existing regional network. We have many regional roads in the very large county of Tipperary. It is my view that the speed limit on the vast majority of those roads should remain 80 km/h. I believe the network and the style of the roads suit such a limit. The second issue relates to the county's two old national routes, the old N7, which is now the R445, and the old N8, which is now the R639. They are some of the widest roads in the country. The previous speaker mentioned road conditions and the conditions of the roads I have mentioned suit 100 km/h driving. I am not saying that the limit is a target, but the suggestion that a road in such good condition, and which is wide and straight, would require a reduced limit of 80 km/h will frustrate drivers. Road conditions dictate the speed at which we should be able to drive and changing the speed limit across the network is a blunt instrument. If local authorities are to have some leeway, they need direction straight away. In saying all of that, I fully recognise the fact that slower speeds on roads and drivers taking more care will, we hope, reduce the number of serious accidents on our roads. That is what we all want.

In respect of road funding, there are two particular projects I would like to raise. The first is the Thurles inner relief road. This project has been going on for years and there has been a lot of talk about it. The land has now been acquired and the route has been chosen. We now need the funding. We need the project to move to the next step. It is a safety issue. Every piece of traffic coming into Thurles has to pass through the town. There have been serious incidents and deaths in the middle of the town, particularly with the number of heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, driving through it. We need to see progress.

We also need to see progress on the Latteragh realignment. Clearance works were done approximately a year ago but no work has started yet. It is the key road linking Thurles and Nenagh. We need those improvement works to start because they are wanted by my constituents.

There are major differences in the road traffic measures taken by different local authorities. That is particularly true of the installation of traffic calming and speed bumps. It is frustrating that we in Tipperary find it so hard to get speed bumps when other counties seem to be able to do it so easily. Ballygraigue in Nenagh and the village of Cloughjordan are two areas in particular that I highlight as needing that infrastructure. We need a streamlining of policy in that regard.

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