The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D., today signed the E.U. Cross-Border Exchange Directive* (2015/413/EU) into Irish law and also announced grants for Pilot Traffic Calming Schemes to 3 Local Authorities.
Minister Ross said; “This E.U. Directive will strengthen law-enforcement in dealing with cross-border road traffic offences. Currently, it can difficult to identify who is the owner of a vehicle involved in a serious road traffic offence when the vehicle is registered elsewhere in the E.U. Now this process will make it much easier for An Garda Siochána to identify owners of vehicles from other Member States and consequently enhance public safety and we hope, save lives.”
Minister Ross also announced grants to 3 local authorities – Clare, Cork and Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown - for Pilot Traffic Calming Schemes*. Local authorities must record speeds both before and after implementations of varied traffic calming initiatives and prepare a report on the effectiveness of the measures.
Minister Ross said; “The consequences of speeding in built-up areas can be fatal. This initiative will examine appropriate ways of providing effective traffic calming measures which do not overly rely on the use of ramps. In many cases the measures will be associated with new lower speed limits and in all cases are targeted at improved compliance with speed limits. Again, this measure is part of a swathe of initiatives which I am introducing as part of my campaign to increase road safety and in doing so, save lives.”
Ends
Notes for Editors
The E.U. Directive* enables the authorities in a Member state where a road traffic offence covered by the Directive has taken place, and where a vehicle involved is registered in another Member State, to search vehicle registration data in that other Member State in order to identify the owner/holder of the vehicle.
The E.U. Directive covers vehicles involved in a number of offence-types which were selected because they are offences with serious implications for road safety. The offences are –
(a) speeding;
(b) failing to use a seat-belt;
(c) failing to stop at a red traffic light;
(d) drink-driving;
(e) driving while under the influence of drugs;
(f) failing to wear a safety helmet;
(g) the use of a forbidden lane;
(h) illegally using a mobile telephone or any other communication devices while driving.
*Pilot Traffic Calming Schemes
Clare County Council
A range of measures are proposed along Bóthar na Rinne which provides access to 350 houses in the estates of Tradaree Court and Cluiain Airne in Shannon. There is a secondary school which caters for over 700 pupils at one end of the road while there is a vehicular access to a local soccer club (Park Rangers) as well as a pedestrian access to the Town’s river walks about halfway along the road.
The proposed traffic calming measures include build outs, chicanes bollards, road narrowing, surface treatments, on-street parking and signs and lines. It is not envisaged that ramps will be installed. The estimated cost of the works is €60,000.
Cork County Council
Cork County Council proposes to undertake works in 5 locations and €60,000 is being provided for these works:
Rushbrook Links, Cobh Signs and lines
Lower Glencairn, Glanmire Signs and lines
Clancool Terrace, Bandon Build outs & markings
Classes lake, Ballincollig Road narrowing & junction realignment
Shamrock Lawn, Douglas Ramp & signs & lines
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown County Council
Dun Laoghaire is being allocated €60,000 under 2 main headings:
The first relates to Cross Avenue and environs where the Council has already undertaken considerable traffic calming works over quite a large area from its own resources. In addition it has undertaken speed surveys prior to carrying out those works. It is now receiving €30,000 from the Department to undertake further traffic counts, a license plate survey to establish if “rat running” is still occurring, a safety audit, some possible scheme adjustments and an overall report.
The second pilot project in Dun Laoghaire involves implementing measures in 7 housing estates in conjunction with the residents of those estates. At present all of the estates selected have a 50 km/h speed limit. The Council proposes to install a speed alert sign for use in each selected estate. A number of RS sockets will be installed within each estate at locations deemed suitable for the speed alert sign and this will allow the signs to be moved around within estates. Signs will be programmed to feed back the vehicle speeds to drivers where they exceed 30 km/h. The proposed estates for the speed alert signs are: Avoca Avenue cell, Marley Grange estate, Balally estate, Beech Park/Clonkeen Drive cell, Ballyogan Avenue, Watsons estate and Hainault Road. The overall cost of €30,000 includes for the purchase of 7 units (with additional RS sockets within each estate) and remote links to a central control.