Proposed reduction in speed limit to go to public consultation
Picture Dan Linehan
THE possibility of speed limits being reduced to 30kph in urban areas around Carlow will go to public consultation after the elected members of Carlow Co Council voted to progress the policy.
Orla Barrett, senior engineer with the council, said the decision to lower speed limits had come from the Road Safety Authority’s goal to see that nobody dies on Irish roads by 2050.
“If you’re hit by a car travelling at 65kph, it’s similar to falling off the sixth floor of a building and gives you just a 20% chance of survival,” she explained. “In contrast, being hit by a car travelling at 30kph is more like falling off the first floor,” she said.
“I just have a little problem with the 30kph speed limit – it’s awful slow,” responded cllr Charlie Murphy. “We can put in all the speed limits we want in the world, but again it’s an issue of enforcement.”
After the public have their say on the proposed change, the council will draft by-laws in September and go to a full statutory consultation process thereafter. The council must implement the reduced speed limits by 31 March 2027.
