Rural roads in west Cork will see speed limits decrease from 80 kilometres per hour to 60.

This move comes in an effort to reduce accidents as part of planned speed reductions – but is that the answer to improving road safety?

167 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, with figures from the RSA showing that 30% of fatal accidents are caused by speed.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Independent Councillor for West Cork Finbarr Harrington said that this move would do little to address road safety.

“It’s come from our national Government so I suppose we don’t really have any choice in this, but I don’t think it’s going to do a whole lot to address what is the big issue for us all, which is road safety,” he said.

“I think there are many other aspects to road safety that we need to take a serious look at.

“So, reducing rural roads from 80k to 60k in my eyes – look, anything to do with road safety we always welcome, obviously, and we will support it, but I don’t think it’s going to have a great effect.”

A Garda with a speed gun. Image: Stephen Barnes/Transport / Alamy Stock Photo

Cllr Harrington questioned how these new speed limits would be enforced given low Garda numbers.

“You have the whole aspect of enforcement, and we’re all well aware that our Gardaí numbers are well reduced and, you know, enforcement has become an issue,” he said.

“Driver behaviour has to be the big issue. So, just reducing the speed limit from 80k to 60k – some people will see that as a revenue maker as opposed to a road safety issue.”

Road quality

Cllr Harrington said investments in road quality and condition should also be made.

“It has come back up in recent years, but because of that lack of investment over those years, right up to now, to 2024 we have lost in the region of 275 million euros of investment just in maintaining and upkeeping our roads,” he said.

“So, that’ll give you an example of the underinvestment we had in our roads... when we talk about the condition of the roads, we talk about sightline, sight views, hedging trees growing onto roads, potholes, lakes of water on the road which makes traffic veer to the wrong side, bad turns that need to be straightened.

“So, when we talk about the condition of the road, we talk about all these things.”

According to Cllr Harrington, West Cork receives the second lowest allocation per kilometre for maintenance of roads.

Featured image: Speeding car, south Downs, East sussex, England, UK. Image: Tony Eveling / Alamy. 2013