'We can no longer rely on anecdotal evidence to protect commuters': Calls for intervention to aid road safety in Cork

A city councillor has called for an urgent intervention into road safety in Cork, questioning why the RSA has continued to delay the publication of data surrounding crashes, such as where and when they occurred, despite previously pledging to have it available by the end of last year.

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan, who is chairperson of the Cork City Council transport strategic policy committee, has called for the installation of signage warning of crashes along the South Link Rd into the tunnel along the N40, as well as the N25, saying these measures must be accompanied by garda deployment.

He told The Echo that urgent intervention is needed, adding: “More crashes will lead to more congestion or worse, another fatality.”

“Every day, multiple times a day, there is crash after crash, causing backlogs not just on the main artery surrounding the city but impacting into communities like Blackrock, Douglas, and causing significant danger in enhanced traffic flows.

“We are at a point where we need additional gardaí deployed to Cork to the roads policing unit at these crash sites to deter further crashes, along with traffic information boards warning drivers to slow down. So much of this is driver behaviour, but we now need to put out the deterrence to force that behaviour change.”

Mr Horgan has written to the minister for transport as well as executives at Cork City Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the Garda Commissioner to request urgent intervention along the N40 and N25.

Mr Horgan’s letter called for signage detailing the need to slow down and driver responsibility, and deployment of tow trucks to help move crashed cars to the hard shoulder to allow traffic to flow.

He also suggested a significant number of additional gardaí deployed to the roads policing unit to be present on site at rush hour times especially, and a major public relations campaign through TV, radio, newspapers, and social media on the need for driver behaviour changes in Cork and on the South Link Road.

He also called for an assessment of road infrastructure, including the need for temporary speed limitations if required, at stretches to counteract the crashes.

Similarly, Mr Horgan asked for the examination and publication of data for where crashes are taking place that have been recorded by the Garda Pulse System. This has long been called for by councillors, as the data used to be regularly shared, but has not been shared in more than six years due to GDPR concerns.

An RSA spokesperson told The Echo in April of 2024: “It is hoped that the sharing of collision data with local authorities will be able to resume later this year.” Mr Horgan said this has not occurred, adding: “I’ve been seeking this data, along with other public reps, for some years now, and there is still no action taken.

“How can we target resources to roads where crashes are happening if we are not in the full knowledge of the data regarding those crashes? We can no longer rely on anecdotal evidence to protect commuters.”

The Echo contacted the RSA for comment.