Speed limits across Dublin city to be reduced
Ellen O'Donoghue
Almost all roads in Dublin city are set to see their speed limits reduced to 30km/h.
It is already in place in most parts, including residential areas, but routes with higher speeds will now also be assessed.
Bylaws are to be drawn up by Dublin City Council and go out to public consultation.
Dr Caoimhe Clarke, from Irish Doctors for the Environment, told councillors the impact will be dramatic, Newstalk reported.
"If a person is hit by a car travelling at 50 kilometres per hour, their chance of dying is 40 per cent; if a person is hit by a car travelling at 30 kilometres per hour, their chance of dying is 13 per cent. That’s significant," Dr Clarke said.
The council’s head of traffic, Brendan O’Brien, told Newstalk that they had hoped for default 30km/h zones in built-up and urban areas.
"What we find is that when you do drop from 50 to 30, you still have people who drive at 50 in those streets, but the average speed starts to come down, because people, while they mightn’t be conscious of, or want to drive at, 30, they do know it’s a 30, and so they tend to stick closer to 30 than they do to previous ones," Mr O'Brien said.
