Dublin City Council rejects AA’s speed limit increase proposals

A recommendation by AA Ireland for higher speed limits on seven major traffic routes to Dublin has been rejected by Dublin City Council engineers, despite the intervention of the Department of Transport on the motorists' lobby group's behalf.

The Automobile Association wants the council to raise the limit from 50km/h to 80km/h on three arterial routes, with limits increasing up to 60km/h or 70km/h on four others, as part of the review of speeds in the city.

The current limits on these roads were in some cases “ridiculous”, the organisation said.

The council plans to cut speed limits to 30km/h on residential streets and near schools throughout Dublin city and suburbs through the introduction of new bylaws on a phased basis from next year.

The bylaws were made available for public consultation earlier this year and 550 submissions were received with about 170 opposed to the imposition of 30km/h limits. The council’s engineers remain in favour of the 30km/h zones and will present the bylaws for approval to the council’s transport committee on Wednesday.

Bylaw consultation process

As part of the bylaw consultation process, the AA sought to increase limits on larger access routes to the city, including parts of the city centre which have had a 30km/h limit since 2011.

The department wrote to the council on behalf of the AA requesting that specific consideration and “due regard” be given to the AA’s submission.

The AA wants limits raised from 50km/h to 80km/h on Conyngham Road, Ballymun Road and Fairview Strand. Limits should be increased from 50km/h to 70km/h on Mourne Road, Drimnagh and Auburn Avenue, Castleknock and from 50km/h to 60km/h on Cork Street in Dublin 8. All these roads were suitable for the higher limits, the organisation said.

In the city centre, including the north and south quays and Dawson Street, the speed limits should be doubled, the AA said, from 30km/h to 60km/h. The current limit was “ridiculous” and added to congestion, it said.

Cyclists were passing out cars which was “senseless” and a better cycle safety measure would be to make helmets and high-vis jackets mandatory, it said.

First phase

The council’s engineers rejected the submissions to raise speeds and said the lower limits were conducive to better driver behaviour. They did, however, accept an AA submission to lower the speed in a Glasnevin cul-de-sac, Claremont Lawns, from 50km/h to 30km/h.

The 30km/h bylaws would be introduced in phases from next March. Under the first phase, the limit will be extended west of the current city centre 30km/h zone to cover most of the streets between the Royal and Grand canals.

The next phase, scheduled for introduction in May 2017, will cover suburbs such as Sandymount, Crumlin, Drimnagh, Raheny, and parts of Cabra, Phibsborough, Coolock, Glasnevin and Drumcondra.

Under the final phase, the implementation date of which has yet to be determined, the limit will be extended to the remaining suburbs from the city council border.

The cost of implementing the first two phases is expected to be €350,000.