Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate, Environment, Energy and Transport, Pa Daly TD, has criticised the government’s approach to road safety.

He argued that a singular focus on speed limits will not deal with the substantive issue.

Commenting the reduction in speed limits, the first of which are set to come into effect this Friday, the Kerry TD said:

“Ambitious action is needed to enforce road safety and to keep our communities safe. Repeated tragedies on our roads demonstrate how urgent and serious this issue is.

“On this, there is no question. Too often, families across Ireland are faced with the devastating news that they have lost a loved one on the roads.

“But, instead of the headline-grabbing, one-size-fits-all approach, Sinn Féin has long advocated for common-sense when it comes to speed limits.

“Rather than introducing a blanket reduction, which does not make sense in many local areas, the focus instead should be based on evidenced-based approaches.

“Of course, in many instances a reduction in speed limits makes sense and is necessary.

“However, there will also be instances where it does not. A reduction in speed limits should be backed up by local knowledge and statistics, which clearly show that speeding has contributed to road deaths or road collisions there.

“The government must also get serious about education, enforcement and road maintenance. These are the primary foundations of all good road safety campaigns, but we are not seeing a focus on these factors.

“For too long, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have dragged their feet on these issues.

“Despite local authorities crying out for more resourcing to maintain local roads for years, the government has turned a blind eye.

“Similarly, they have also failed to equip An Garda Síochána with the tools they need to detect dangerous driver behaviours like speeding, and driving under the influence.

“The majority of road users and motorists are safe, responsible people.

“However, for those who are engaged in dangerous behaviours, risking their own lives and those around them, we need to see proper enforcement and resourcing of local authorities.

“I am calling on the Minister for Transport, Daragh O’Brien, to therefore conduct a review of their road safety strategy, and to adopt a common-sense approach to reducing speed limits that is evidence-based and relies on local knowledge.”