Browne highlights road safety concerns after Tipperary tragedies

Tipperary Sinn Fein TD Martin Browne has raised the issue of road safety in light of an increased number of tragedies across the county, and especially in Co Tipperary.

Teachta Browne addressed the Minister for Transport on the matter during a Dáil motion on Road Safety.

Teachta Browne said: “In the budget for 2024, the road networks and safety funding was cut by €150 million, which, given the increase in fatalities we have been witnessing is an incomprehensible decision which I called upon the Minister to reverse.

“Road safety is dependent upon a number of factors – the quality of infrastructure and the resources necessary to address any shortcomings, addressing inappropriate speed limits, penalty points, public awareness, and the provision of road safety measures such as speed ramps in estates, villages and towns where speeding can be a regular occurrence, and of course enforcement.

“It is bad enough that garda numbers in Co Tipperary have fallen in the lifetime of the current government, but to cut the road safety budget only makes matters even worse.

“It is also incumbent upon the Minister to ensure that all local authorities are engaged with on the road safety matters that are present in each authority area and address them where possible.

“Furthermore, I support a review of speed limits where appropriate, but this is only one in a suite of measures that is needed, and I made the point that this cannot replace the need to also address stretches of local, urban and rural roads clearly in need of safety measures.

“The N24 is known for its accident blackspots and for infrastructural shortcomings. This makes the need for the progression of the N24 project all the more important. I made this point to the Minister, while I also relayed to him the warning given by Transport Infrastructure Ireland that delaying the Cahir/Limerick Junction bypass could have consequences for road safety that can’t be countenanced.

“That is why I highlighted the need to fulfull this aspect of the project and to ensure funding to progress the current N24 project stages (both east and west) is available for the sake of all the towns and villages it goes through, and that the habit of needlessly withholding funding is stopped.

“I raised the dissatisfaction locally with the exclusion of the Thurles Bypass from the NDP with the Minister as well as the accidents witnessed on the Roscrea bypass at Tullaskeagh.

“Among the other measures I spoke of was the matter of speed ramps, because in my experience there are different approaches adopted across Tipperary’s municipal districts. This results in inconsistencies in the rollout of these measures that are proven to work and which have widespread public support.

“The Minister must reverse the cut to road networks and safety, give certainty to road upgrades and remedial works on black-spots, and engage with councils on the issues on our roads.”