Local Cllr says second council survey misreports data in relation to road traffic in Kildare
Kildare County Councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy has claimed that evidence from a survey shows that Kildare County Council are misreporting raw data in relation to speeding in villages in the county.
It is the second instance of this over just a few days according to Cllr McLoughlin Healy, who said that the council factual errors meant that misreported real events in both reports. The survey was carried out in Suncroft village where there is a 50kmh zone, but it was revealed by a survey carried out by chartered engineer Dr Tony O'Donnell that 86 per cent of recorded vehicles were driving at a speed over the limit. The council report suggested that this figure was just 49.9 per cent.
Now the Fine Gael councillor has revealed that a second traffic report has been reviewed since, and there are numerous factual errors in that one too.
“To find factual errors in the reporting of the data recorded by one traffic survey is a significant concern. To review a second and find further basic errors in the report of the raw data has elevated those concerns to a different level," remarked Cllr McLoughlin Healy.
"After the meeting on Wednesday I asked Chartered engineer Dr Tony O Donnell who had reviewed the Suncroft report to review a second traffic survey report. . Unfortunately, basic factual errors were also found in our second review. The finding of errors in the second of two traffic reports warrants immediate attention and investigation.”
The errors found in the second report reviewed include calculations around the average daily traffic recorded and in calculating the numbers of HGV’s ( Heavy Goods Vehicles) recorded. Following the second review Cllr McLoughlin Healy stated that the council need to conduct an audit examining all road traffic data in recent years.
“Firstly, the Council’s Technical Assessment and Advisory Group, to whom the Suncroft data and report has been referred, must act quickly to review the data. This is not an onerous task and cannot be put on the long finger when what we are talking about is preventing a serious accident from happening in Suncroft.
"Secondly, the Council needs to conduct an audit of all their recent traffic surveys. Thirdly, we need an external review of the Council’s traffic survey reporting system and protocols. These actions must be taken if we are to be confident that the systems employed by the Council accurately measure, report and triage the risk to our children, families and neighbours on roads and streets and within estates around our County," said Cllr McLoughlin Healy