Sir, – Philip Wheatley is mistaken in his assertion that the Government’s proposal for a default speed limit of 30km/h on urban roads is a response to the “series of tragic accidents on rural roads this summer” (Letters, September 16th).
In February 2020, Ireland was one of the countries which agreed to adopt the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety which includes a commitment to 30 km/h in areas where vehicles and vulnerable road users mix. Subsequently Action 6 of the Government’s Road Safety strategy (2021-2030) Our Journey Towards Vision Zero called for a working group to be established to examine speed limits with a specific consideration of the introduction of a 30 km/h default speed limit in urban areas.
That working group has recommended that a default 30 km/h limit should apply for all urban centres, residential roads and locations where there is a significant presence of vulnerable and active road users. Love 30, the campaign for lower speed limits, unreservedly welcomes this recommendation.
It is true that more fatalities occur on rural roads, and the review also recommends speed reductions on local tertiary roads and on national secondary roads.
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However, fatalities and injuries in current 50 km/h zones do occur and at lower speed limits the risk of death and serious injury is greatly reduced.
Apart from improved road safety, a reduction in the speed limit in urban centres and in residential areas will serve to create quieter, cleaner and safer streets that are not dominated by fast-moving traffic.
This will promote increased levels of walking and cycling leading to better health outcomes and reduced emissions.
Our towns will become more liveable and children in particular will have more freedom to move about.
The overwhelming evidence for the benefits of 30km/h speed limits has led to them becoming commonplace in towns and cities across Europe, with whole countries now implementing or considering them.
In Spain, 30 km/h is the default speed on single-lane urban roads and just this month Wales has adopted a 20 mp/h national default speed limit for roads in urban areas.
Mr Wheatley states that drivers find it difficult to drive at 30 km/h in free-flowing traffic. In response to a similar complaint, Rod King, the founder of the UK Campaign Group 20′s Plenty for Us said, “Of course 20m/ph seems slow to drivers. That’s the whole point. And it also seems slower, calmer, cleaner, safer and quieter for all the people who are not in cars and living their lives in communities.”
I argue that 30 km/h speed limits far from being a Trojan horse intended to tackle rural road safety are a considered and evidence-based response to increase road safety and liveability in built-up areas. The evidence also shows any delays to motorists are negligible.
Love 30 welcomes the proposals for 30 km/h speed limits as part of a suite of measures to enhance road safety. – Yours, etc,
MAIRÉAD FORSYTHE,
Love 30 Campaign
for Lower Speed Limits,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.