Councillors challenged to justify Sunnyhill Road speed stance

Orla O'Neill, inset, challenges councillors who voted to increase Sunnyhill speed.

Councillors of the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District who today voted in favour of the Speed Limits Review 2022 which would have increased part of the Sunnyhill Road to 80km/h have been challenged to justify their stance by a resident of that road, writes Brian Byrne.

In what she describes as a ‘robust holding to account’, Orla O’Neill has asked them where they feel the analysis she provided in her submission on the Sunnyhill Road proposals is ‘flawed’?

“There is not one person I know in Kilcullen who thought increasing the speed limit from 60kph to 80kph on this road was a good idea,” she says in her communication. “Even those people who don't live on the road know it to be lethal.”

The Diary understands that at least four of the Kildare-Newbridge councillors voted in favour of the Speed Limits Review although it is unclear at the moment because it wasn't a roll-call vote.

None of those believed to have voted for the changes live in the Kilcullen area. The one councillor of the MD who does, Tracey O’Dwyer, voted against adoption of the review. The overall vote at the special meeting of the full Council was against the adoption of the proposals.

“The difficulty is that this isn't over for us on the Sunnyhill Road and these bye-laws will come up for another vote,” says Orla O’Neill, who has campaigned on traffic and speed issues on Sunnyhill for 18 years. “We have no guarantee the new proposals will exclude Sunnyhill from an increased speed limit.”

In her email to the councillors she reminds them that ‘representative democracy’ means they should consider the views of the local community when making an ‘informed decision’. “I'm curious as to where you gathered those views?” she asks. “How did you assess the impact of your decision on this community and can you explain the reason why you decided to ignore our concerns?”

Orla O’Neill’s comprehensive and strongly-argued submission to the Sunnyhill Road proposal was presented last September. Her contribution is reflected in the views of many other residents of Sunnyhill and the related Cnoc na Greine estate, as well as Kilcullen people who walk and cycle on the road despite the very evident danger and stress from traffic when they do.

If the councillors concerned ‘remain unconvinced’, she has invited them all to join her and the Sunnyhill Residents Group to meet with them on the road to observe directly the reasons for their campaign.

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