Deadline for speed limit submissions is Thursday
Kilcullen residents and road users who don't want speed limits increased on local roads have hit back at what they believe is a too narrow interpretation of the 2015 Guidelines for Setting and Managing Speed Limits in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne.
Officials in the Roads Transportation and Public Safety Department of Kildare County Council say limits on the Sunnyhill Road and a section of the New Abbey Road should be raised from 60km/h to 80km/h because the density of homes is 'below the requirement' for the lower limit currently in place.
But submissions to the proposal, for which the deadline is Thursday of this week, note that there are six other characteristics of a rural road which must be considered in an 'overarching' guidance in the Guidelines — of which residents say the officials have failed to take account.
These are Geometry of the Road, the Forgiving Nature or otherwise of the roadsides, Collision History, Level of use by Pedestrians/Cyclists, Annual Average Daily Traffic figures, and Mean Speeds.
The residents have taken each of the seven factors and highlight blind corners, inadequate width, no road markings despite repeated requests, a substantial history of collisions and near misses, a huge increase in cyclists and pedestrians, and mean speeds data which shows clearly that an 80km/h limit 'makes no sense'.
Photographic evidence of property damage from vehicles which have lost control on the Sunnyhill Road has also been submitted against the proposals, which are also opposed strongly by local councillors. Similar damage has occurred on the section of the New Abbey Road, where there has also been one traffic fatality in recent years.
Further submissions can be made online here or in writing to: A/Senior Executive Officer, Roads Transportation and Public Safety Department, Kildare County Council, Aras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare W91 X77F. The closing date is Thursday 16 September 2021.
Pictured above clockwise from top left: Property damage on New Abbey Road, recent car ditching on New Abbey Road, property damage on Sunnyhill Road, trucks inching past each other at Sunnyhill, and two trucks that locked together while trying to get by each other.
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