Kilkenny bracing for big changes after National Speed Limit Review

An ‘enormous amount of work’ would be involved to get Kilkenny prepared for the changes recommended by the final report from the National Speed Limit Review.

That was the update relayed to elected officials at the most recent plenary meeting of Kilkenny County Council by Director of Services, Tim Butler.

Key proposals of the Review include a default speed limit on national secondary roads to reduce from 100km/h to 80km/h, a default speed limit for the network of local and rural roads to reduce from 80km/h to 60km/h and a default speed limit on urban roads, which includes built up areas as well as housing estates and town centres, to reduce to 30km/h.

The Department of Transport stated that the Review ‘aims to address the fragmentation and inconsistency of speed limits on roads all over the country’.

There was a mixed reaction to the proposed changes in the council chamber.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Michael Doyle, said that the changes would be ‘very welcome’ but noted that when it comes to driver behaviour, it is ‘still down to individual driver and road user’, further adding that he had ‘some reservations’.

Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said that the recommended changes would be beneficial on both the N78 and N77, and called for additional driver feedback signs and signage around schools, particularly in rural Kilkenny.

“The lollipop man has to duck out of the way at times at the school in Castlecomer,” he said.

Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh noted that it ‘only takes one person doing the wrong thing to cause an accident’.

“Every village is looking for ramps,” she said. “People are petrified to cross the road, it’s the edge of madness, driver feedback signs are good but we need them everywhere.

“I worry about roads going down to 80km/h in some locations. Some roads it will suit and some it will not.”

Cllr Deirdre Cullen asked: “How will we enforce 60km/h on rural roads?”

“If people can’t abide by 80km/h, they can’t abide by 60km/h without speed cameras,” she said.

Cllr Eugene McGuinness said that ‘the best feedback sign is a garda standing on the end of the road’.

“You can’t legislate for stupid,” he said. “We need to ask gardaí to step up their patrols.”

Cllr Maria Dollard asked for clarity around new roads that are not open yet.

Referencing the planned new road between Talbot’s Gate and Talbot’s Court, she said that ‘we have been begging for that to be a 30km/h road - do we have control over that?’.

She called on the public to engage in the process, to ‘ensure they have their voices heard’. “Speed ramps don’t work,” she added. “I live on a road where people drive at 50km/h over speed ramps, flying across them as if they have wings.”

Cllr Andrew McGuinness asked about the Dublin Road and if the next council will have the ability to move 30km/h in areas such as these.

He also mentioned the efforts of Jake’s Legacy and the huge amount of work that group have put in to get speeds reduced in housing schemes in Kilkenny.

Responding, Director of Services, Tim Butler, stated that the local authority ‘are awaiting further guidelines on 30km/h zones in urban centres’.