Trim cllr calling for 30kph speed limits

“Radical action” is needed to reduce road traffic accidents according to Trim councillor, Noel French who is asking Meath Co Council to introduce a speed limit of 30kph for all urbans roads, built-up areas and school zones.

Cllr French is to bring a motion to full council seeking support for a 30kph speed limit for towns and villages. He said that 30kph speed limits is already in place for many housing estates and and why should roads in villages like Summerhill, Ballivor, Rathmolyon and Enfield be any different.

“It is radical, but with the number of road deaths and the amount of complaints about speeding we have to do something radical,” he said.

“A reduction in speed limits will help reduce road traffic accidents. It will only be effective if introduced alongside an effective communications campaign and significant enforcement measures and I have regularly called on Gardai and the Meath Joint Policing Committee to increase enforcement of speed limits.

“I am asking Meath Co Council to request this be implemented by the Government in forthcoming legislation and if it is not then Meath Co Council should take a lead by introducing bye-laws to implement such a speed limit.

“Reductions in speed limits are intended to improve road safety by decreasing travelling speed and thus reducing the risk of crashes occurring and the severity of crashes that do occur. Most importantly, people have a 90 per cent chance of surviving after being hit by a car or a truck going at 30kph, but less than 50 per cent at 50kph or higher.” said Cllr French.

Meanwhile, a new footpath from the old Kells Road in Navan to the Andy Connolly roundabout will make access to the Navan Retail Park safer for pedestrians, a meeting of Navan Municipal Council was told last week.

Cllr Francis Deane had called for a pedestrian link/crossing at the Bohermeen Road off the Andy Connolly Roundabout.

He said: “A sizeable number of students from St Patrick's Classical School walk to the Applegreen campus during the school lunch break and for health and safety reasons, I propose that Meath Co Council would install a pedestrian crossing.”

He was told that since this issue last arose in January 2021, the council had constructed a park and ride amenity and amended the path and cycling infrastructure. As part of the Bailey Hill (Kingscroft) development, the N51/old Kells Road junction will be signalised with controlled crossing facilities for pedestrians.

The footpath on the north west side of the N51 will also be extended to the Andy Connolly Roundabout, leading to the Bohermeen Road and this will facilitate pedestrians from St Patrick's Classical School who want to walk to the Retail Park.

However, the councillors were told locating controlled pedestrian crossings on pedestrian desire lines in the vicinity of the Andy Connolly Roundabout is problematic due to vehicle speeds and the multi-lane entries on to the roundabout.

Cllr Deane was also told the traffic calming installation at the pedestrian entrance to Scoil Naomh Eoin would be inspected and any remedial works required would be carried out.