A 30km speed limit sign and ramp for Cork's Trafalgar Hill is sought

Fine Gael’s Joe Kavanagh asked the council at a recent meeting of the north east local area committee meeting to put a speed ramp and a 30kmh sign in place on Trafalgar Hill, located from the bottom of Lovers Walk up to the junction of Tivoli Estate in Montenotte.

He said: “This is a very quiet residential area, but in recent times speeding traffic is using this hill leading on to Lovers Walk as a ‘rat run’, and residents of this area are genuinely concerned for their safety due to the rapidly increasing levels of speeding traffic on the hill. This is urgently required.”

The council’s director of local area development and operations, John Stapleton, said that the requested traffic calming measures on Trafalgar Hill will be added to the list of locations to be considered in the next traffic calming contract.

All requests for traffic calming are recorded on an ongoing basis by traffic operations. Each year this list is assessed by roads operations, and a shortlist of recommended locations is brought forward for members consideration within the limits of available funding.

Mr Stapleton added:

 “In relation to the request for a reduction in speed limit, it should be noted that Cork City Council is currently proceeding with Phase 2 of the National Speed Limit Review for changes to speed limits in Built-up and Urban Areas.”

This phase of the speed limit changes proposes to introduce 30kmh speed limits on all housing estate roads; residential streets; roads adjacent to schools and roads in the urban area with significant numbers of vulnerable road users.

The proposed date set by the Department of Transport for implementation of these revised speed limits is March 31, 2027, Mr Stapleton said, adding Trafalgar Hill will be considered in this review.