Sir, – The proposed reduction of default speed limits on national secondary roads and local roads will have little effect.
There are many sections of secondary road where driving at 80km/h would be insane. And there are many sections of local road where 60km/h would be incredibly dangerous.
Local authorities should review speed limits on a section by section basis, and make new speed limit bylaws to impose safe limits. In many cases these limits would be well below the new default limits.
Local authorities already have the powers to do this and they surely have the local knowledge of where they need to prioritise efforts. – Yours, etc,
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T O SULLIVAN,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Monday’s national slow down day saw more than 300 motorists caught speeding by high-visibility Go Safe vans. More than 100,000 motorists were monitored.
Contrast this with the June 2023 Galway County Council speed survey of vehicles entering Craughwell from the Loughrea direction. Of 45,000 vehicles entering the 60km/h zone, 84 per cent were speeding with the average speed registered at 88km/h.
The crucial difference was the latter survey was done by an unmarked detection system. Ciarán Cannon TD brought this survey to the Dáil’s attention and the Taoiseach promised to act.
Simple, effective solutions are deployed by our European neighbours, yet our Government and related State agencies have done little by way of targeted measures, such as hidden speed cameras, junction cameras, artificial intelligence cameras that can detect phone usage, no seat belts, etc.
There should be double points in high-risk school and roadworks zones, while points should be introduced for driving in or obstructing bus and bicycle lanes.
We are now entering into a seasonal period of darker and wetter days when pedestrians, cyclists and motorists will face heightened risk.
It is time for our politicians to step up to the mark. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN McGOVERN,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – On national slow down day 310 motorists were caught exceeding speed limits, including one idiot doing 161km/h, despite plenty of advance warning.
As the real extent of speeding is likely to be higher (because of that advance warning), perhaps the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee might consider increasing fines and penalty points on errant motorists.
Anyone driving at 161km/h or 155km/h should be getting an automatic ban and a ¤10,000 fine, at least.
Perhaps, as in Finland, the fine should be based on the income of the driver, as well as getting an equal number of points as lower-income drivers. (A millionaire is far less affected by an ¤80 fine than someone on minimum wage, so less of a deterrent.)
It is not necessary to drive above the speed limit to get to where you are going. Speeding, which is dangerous driving, increases the chance of you not getting there at all. – Yours, etc.
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.