Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 86 together.

The Deputy will be aware that road safety policy and delivery in Ireland is based around the Safe Systems approach, which identifies seven priority areas for investment and action:

1. Safe roads & roadsides
2. Safe speeds
3. Safe vehicles
4. Safe road use
5. Post-crash response
6. Safe and healthy modes of travel
7. Safe work-related road use

This Safe Systems approach is embedded across the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 and its nearly 200 actions, with targets a 50% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

Safe roads are one of the seven areas identified for action and this Government is investing significantly in our roads network – both national and regional & local – including the delivery of significant projects such as the N5 Westport to Turlough, the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom and the recently approved N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge.

The document the Deputy refers to was one produced by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in context of the national road network only. Our road network and its investment needs are much broader than just the national road network and I would note that statistics for this year show that almost two-thirds of all fatalities have occurred on non-national roads.

Funding for our roads network since 2020 has been in excess of €5.1bn and is delivering improvements across the country; however, the evidence shows that safety on our roads is a much broader issue than roads alone and that evidence is guiding our approach as developed under the Road Safety Strategy.

That approach means that, accompanying those increased levels of investment and with our road safety partners across Government, we are looking to:

1. Develop a safety rating indicator for national road infrastructure, which will help target investment on sections of national roads with the highest risk of fatal or serious injury
2. Following the publication of the Speed Limit Review, implement its recommendations, including though thepreparation of legislation and updated guidelines
3. Promote and educate customers on new technologies in vehicles, such as automatic anti-lock braking systems, andidentify potential enhancements to the National Car Test and Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Testing
4. Increase the use of average speed cameras on the national road network and approving and testing alcohol interlock systems
5. Ensure specialist trauma care teams are in place in the two major trauma centres to receive road traffic collision trauma patients and pilot an Emergency First Response first person on scene training programme for fire/emergency crews
6. Develop a National Cycle Network plan and invest in new and improved active travel infrastructure
7. Engage with academia, business civil society, and the insurance industry to promote road safety, including encouraging these entities to sign up to the European Road Safety Charter and improving the accessibility of Driver Certificate ofProfessional Competence through an online platform to provide blended learning for some of the current curriculum

I look forward to working with the Deputy on making our roads safer.