*Parked HGVs in Bunratty. Photograph: Joe Buckley
A REVIEW of speed limits for heavy goods vehicles, buses and agricultural vehicles in rural towns and villages has been sought at Clare County Council.
The motion, submitted by Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) at the October meeting of the council, called on the Minister for Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to consider whether the current approach adequately accounts for the stopping distances, vehicle weights and road-space requirements of larger vehicles.
It also called for consideration of whether different speed management measures are needed in locations where a general 50km/h limit may be appropriate for cars but unsuitable for larger vehicles.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Lynch said he was concerned that the ongoing speed limit review did not adequately account for rural communities.
Referring to villages including Cree, Labasheeda and Cooraclare, he said he “doesn’t feel those making the decisions understand how rural Ireland works.”
Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG), who seconded the motion, said a “city-based view is being applied to towns and villages.”
Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) supported the motion, referring to young people driving tractors during the silage season in West Clare. He said signage was needed to help slow vehicles down.
Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) said “all parishes and villages are different.”
He referred to Cratloe, which he said was not classified as a village despite lorries and buses travelling through it from Sixmilebridge and surrounding areas.
Cllr John Crowe (FG) said speed limits featured in many municipal district motions and described the issue as one of the county’s biggest problems, adding that it needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) referred to the 30km/h speed limit in Kilkee in comparison with Kilrush, highlighting what he described as a “huge detachment” between Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and conditions on the ground.
Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) referred to a fatality in the days before the meeting and said that, while everyone did their best, more needed to be done to improve road safety.
“We all do our best, but we need to do more,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Cllr Lynch reiterated his concerns about the current review, warning that councillors could face an “awful backlash” if the approach did not adequately reflect rural conditions.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
