Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2015
1606. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to put speed ramps in place in an area (details supplied) in County Wexford particularly in view of complaints from residents regarding vehicles moving at high speed and endangering children and adults in the local community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30874/15]
View answerWhile my Department is responsible for the legislative basis and supporting guidelines in regard to traffic matters, implementation of traffic management measures, including traffic calming, is the responsibility of the relevant local road authority. Circular RSD 1/2014 on the Control of Vehicle Speeds in Housing Estates was issued by my Department to local authorities last October. That Circular highlighted existing national guidelines and measures available to local authorities to facilitate traffic calming and it proposed new measures to reduce speed limits in housing estates and residential areas. In addition, my Department issued new 'Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland ' to all local authorities earlier this year which also addressed the issue of speed limits on residential roads.
Among the initiatives covered by these guidelines was an increased emphasis on the use by local authorities of the special speed limit of 30 km/h in housing areas and the associated introduction of new signage in this regard. A sum of €2 million was provided in Budget 2015 in dedicated funding to support the proposed signage programme on public roads throughout the country and further funding will be allocated to local authorities in 2016 to support this programme.
If further measures are deemed necessary to reduce speeds in local communities, it is a matter for local authorities to assess what actions can best deliver safety improvements in such areas. The new Speed Limit Guidelines give detailed advice in this regard and where regulatory speed limits and signage prove insufficient in securing reduced speeds then such measures may need to be supplemented by engineering measures.
