THE DEATH toll on Irish roads over the June bank holiday weekend rose to eight yesterday, or double the figure for the same weekend last year.
According to the Garda press office, this brings to 119 the number of people who have died in road traffic incidents so far this year.
News of the “appalling” number of fatalities prompted chairman of the Road Safety Authority Gay Byrne to accuse the Government of “stalling” on the introduction of speed cameras here. He said this appeared to revolve around a row over money.
Mr Byrne told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme yesterday it was “a continuing outrage” that we are still “being prevented from having speed cameras by some sort of argument between the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance”.
“There is still a mess going on between those two departments. And the things have not been tendered for yet,” he said.
“It’s an absolute outrage that we have been delayed so long on this, one of the main planks in our safety programme.
“With regard to the speed cameras, there is now an argument about money – yet again, yet again another argument about money . . . It’s very, very disheartening. And angry making.”
Mr Byrne added legislation allowing for the introduction of a lower alcohol limit “will come in, but that depends on legislation and that depends on our Minister Noel Dempsey getting into the Dáil.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice declined to comment on Mr Byrne’s interview. But she said the speed camera project is proceeding as quickly as possible. “We would expect that contract negotiations are going to commence shortly,” she said.
A spokesman for the Department of Finance said the funding of speed cameras had already been addressed, following a Cabinet decision. “As far as we’re concerned, the tendering process is under way, and we have not had any involvement since then.”
Gardaí yesterday released the names of all those who died over the weekend. Denis Carroll (20), of Kilcoleman, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, died in a single vehicle crash involving a tractor at about 2.15pm on Sunday at Carrigal, Carrigatogher, Nenagh.
The woman killed at Rusheen, Galway, on Sunday was Rita Crean (79), from Frenchville, Grattan Road, Co Galway. The victim of Saturday evening’s collision on the N25 at Grange, Ardmore, Co Waterford, was David Wall (23) of Crough, Colligan, Co Waterford. Patrick Kilkenny (63), of Tooma, Cloone, Co Leitrim, died on Saturday afternoon in Cloone.
The two men killed in a motorcycle collision at Lixnaw, Co Kerry, on Sunday were David Flynn (36), of Bunagarha, Listowel, Co Kerry, and Owen McGillicuddy (19), of Gurtinard, Listowel.
A man who died in a collision at Drimoleague, Co Cork, on Friday was Peter Dukelow (38), from Durrus, Bantry, Co Cork.
Finally, a male pedestrian killed in Durrow, Co Laois, on Sunday has been named as Michael Walsh (43), from Tully, Connemara, Co Galway.