Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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6. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the options open to a community (details supplied) in north County Louth, which is campaigning for traffic-calming measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54989/22]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What options are open to the parents and community in and around Bellurgan National School in north Louth? These parents have been campaigning for a considerable time for traffic calming measures. There has been back and forth with many elected representatives, including myself, and, in particular, Councillor Antóin Watters, with the local authority and others. We have not been able to deliver a solution that is necessary. Whatever can be done needs to be done.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Local authorities are the statutory road authorities responsible for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads, together with traffic management, within their functional area. My Department provides grant assistance to local authorities under the regional and local road grant programme for a range of targeted programmes, including the safety improvement programme. Applications are sought each year from local authorities under this programme for consideration for funding in the subsequent year. In this context, funding can be sought for traffic calming measures. When making an application, councils are asked to submit schemes in order of priority. I understand that Louth County Council has included traffic calming measures at Bellurgan National School in its 2023 safety improvement programme application. The 2023 allocations will be decided following consideration of councils' applications by the Department and the allocations will be notified to councils as part of the general grant allocation process early next year.

As regards speed limits, the Road Traffic Act 2004 sets out default speed limits for the road network. Local authorities have the discretion to decide on varying these limits through special speed limit by-laws for roads within their administrative area. The making of such by-laws is a reserved function of the elected members of the council. Section 9 of the Road Traffic Act 2004, amended by section 86 of the Road Traffic Act 2010, sets out the range of special speed limits that may be applied through by-laws. To assist local authorities in the application of special speed limits, my Department's Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland is available on . This applies to all public roads and provides guidelines to local authorities, as the roads authorities in their administrative areas, on how to decide appropriate speed limits. In addition, I launched a speed limit appeals process in December 2021 that allows members of the public or interested parties to appeal an existing speed limit to the relevant road authority, with an option to escalate the appeal to a regional panel, should the applicant be dissatisfied with the road authority's decision. Further information on this process can be obtained on .

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There is an element of frustration in me raising this issue. The parents have been out campaigning before school starts and alongside elected represented and others, to a degree, stopping traffic and more generally making a point of highlighting the dangers that are there. In fairness, the Minister has set out a number of options. I believe the local authority needs to be more proactive on this issue. There will be a need for me and others to deal with the community. We will have to look at reviewing the speed limits. I would like to think that the traffic calming measures would be considered favourably by the Department. This is a necessity. Beyond that, there probably needs to be an overall review across the board of that entire stretch of road and the run out to the Cooley Peninsula from Dundalk on the R173, which the Minister might know.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, and I were there recently at a good Coast Guard event. I know the character of the road. I see the need for measures to be taken. Just to provide details which might be useful for the Deputy in his own work on this issue, there are a number of grant headings under the safety improvement programme. One is for works costing less than €200,000 and there is a specific grant programme for works costing in excess of €200,000 and less than €5 million. It is open to local authorities to use their own resources as well to fund such measures. Specifically with regard to the Bellurgan National School, I understand that Louth County Council is seeking funding for the provision of traffic calming measures under the safety improvement programme for the school as part of its 2023 application. It will be considered for funding under that programme. Local authorities are asked to list proposed projects in order of priority on their applications.

Louth County Council's safety improvement application was received on 26 October. Bellurgan traffic calming was listed among the 24 measures included. My Department's engineering inspectorate will review the overall application before recommendations on allocations are made.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I hope the Department conducts that review thoroughly. I accept that the Minister is aware of the stretch of road in question. Perhaps we must look at the modalities and protocols by which we deal with wide stretches of roads with a considerable volume of traffic because of an increased number of people living nearby. Schools in the area are thriving and we must ensure they are safe places for parents, children and all others.

I know that Councillor Watters attended a recent meeting in respect of the Bush Post Primary School in that region. The issue there relates to traffic calming and safety measures. I will follow up with the local authority. We need to ensure we can deliver a solution for these parents and children.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I understand that Louth County Council has indicated that redevelopment is planned for the Bush Post Primary School. The council is awaiting clarity on the detail of the public road interface. It will be a matter for the council to seek funding under the appropriate grant programme in that regard, should it wish to do so. It seems that the right thing to do would be to try to manage the traffic issue when the school is being redeveloped. Traffic is an issue on that entire road. It is a wide road on which vehicles travel at high speed. The volumes of traffic are increasing. Change is needed.