Clampdown on speeding on the way

A policy laying out when and how traffic calming measures should be installed outside the main urban centres within Westmeath has been agreed by the county council.

The document was drawn up by the council’s Planning and Transportation SPC (special policy committee), and presented to the full membership of the council at their October meeting, held last Monday in Mullingar.

The cathaoirleach, Cllr Liam McDaniel, reading from the letter from SPC chairperson Cllr Hazel Smyth, said the policy proposed that in addition to ongoing investment in traffic calming, the council will take a whole village approach to ensure that traffic speeds are reduced on entry to a town or village, that these lower speeds are made are maintained throughout, and that the council will seek to avail of all possible external funding sources to implement this policy in the years ahead.

Cllr Vinny McCormack commented that this was “a hugely important policy document”.

“We have all seen in recent years – and the history is there to back it up – the issue that we have on our on our roads and in our towns and villages in terms of driver behaviour and speed,” he stated, adding that some of the measures used by the council to counter those problems haven’t worked.

“We need tougher measures within our towns and villages to force drivers to slow down,” he said, going on to add that there is an onus on the council to resource any measures needed.

“We are contacted each and every day; we see it; we hear about the problems in our towns and villages when it comes to speed.”

Cllr McCormack stated that he lives on the edge of the road in Ballymore and so keeps his front door locked all day when the kids are in the house because of the speed at which traffic passes his home.

“They wouldn’t stand a chance,” he said adding that he hoped the council would now move to put together a plan for each of its towns and villages.

Cllr Denis Leonard said councillors get representations from all areas, but especially Multyfarnham, Killucan, Kinnegad, Milltownpass and Rochfortbridge, looking for chicanes or traffic calming or flashing lights or something to slow drivers down.

He said the council needed to make sure it had the money available when surveys of such locations come back.

“Signage is vital but also chicanes or speed bumps are necessary,” he said, adding that after that, enforcement would be crucial too.

Cllr Louise Heavin also welcomed the document: “As anybody who’s from a small village – as I am – knows, pedestrian traffic and cycle traffic has been last to be considered for a long time,” she said. “When we built roads to our villages, we made the space for the road first and footpaths second, so I’m really welcoming this.”

Her hope, she continued, was that the policy would make everyone feel safer and more secure.

“We need traffic calming measure first. We need these implemented, and then we can look at lowering speed limits, because people don’t pay attention to signs,” she said.

Cllr Heavin went on to say she particularly welcomed the “whole village” or “whole of town” approach.

Cllr McDaniel also welcomed the policy, but wasn’t sure the council could afford to wait for funding from outside sources: “If it is to be successful, we may have to look at funding it ourselves – and I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he said.

A welcome for the document also came from Cllr Frankie Keena, who wondered when the speed limits are due to come up for review.

Director of services, Barry Kehoe, responding, said he felt it was important that a consistent approach to traffic calming be adopted across the county.

“The decision that you have made and the policy that’s in place will be reflected in the transportation works programme that we’ll be putting before you in the early part of 2024,” he said.

“We’ll also avail of the opportunity to use this – as council policy – to seek funding at national level for implementation across the county in various villages given every opportunity that we get to do so.”

Mr Kehoe said he hoped that over the coming years this particular policy will lead to significant improvements, but he also hoped that “within not too long a period” appropriate traffic calming will be in place in the smaller towns and villages outside Mullingar and Athlone.

To Cllr Keena, he stated that there are guidelines on speed limits working their way through government processes prior to legislation being brought in.

“When we get them, we’ll go through the formal process of putting in place a new set of speed limits for the county in accordance with those guidelines. And, I understand that the changes are significant and that hopefully we get speed limits out of it that will make a difference as well.”

He said the council will use that opportunity to impress on the department the need for additional measures – not just changes in speed limits signage, but investment in traffic calming also.

“If it’s going to work, and if people are expected to reduce their speed going into villages and towns, then we need physical measures in place to make that happen.”