Road Safety: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Canney. I wish to raise a couple of points with the Minister of State. The points about vulnerable users have been made well. I will be cycling out to Harold’s Cross after this engagement. I agree with the points made about cycling in Dublin. I find it quite scary, and that is partially down to cyclists. It is something for which we all have a collective responsibility. I will speak to that point about vulnerable road users, pedestrians and cyclists. Fatalities around these cohorts have increased significantly. It is a real challenge. These incidents are happening in smaller towns, as well as here in Dublin. They are happening all too frequently.
The advertisement on the television is lovely and catchy with the “30 Town” slogan. It is a lovely advertisement, but the reality for those of us cycling in our urban areas is that the 30km/h limit is not being adhered to in any way, shape or form. I see no adherence to it in Dublin or Kilkenny. It is critically important that there is enforcement on the 30km/h default speed limit, which is something I have asked of the Minister of State before. We also need that speed limit extended in our urban centres because, currently, there are different interpretations as to where the 30km/h speed limit should start. Local authorities need to be mandated to ensure that the default speed limit of 30km/h is enforced. That is hugely important and could make a significant difference for vulnerable road users. A speed of 30km/h feels very different to 40km/h for cyclists, walkers, pedestrians and people with mobility issues or a disability. Those speed limit reforms are critically important. I support the Love 30 campaign led by the Irish Cycling Campaign.
There is also the issue of safety for motorcyclists on our roads, particularly rural roads where resurfacing material is not of the quality it might have been in the past as a result of the constraints on local authority budgets. There is a lot of surface material on our roads now, such as gravel. Farm machinery coming out of yards and fields leaves debris on our roads and causes a significant challenge to motorcyclists as well. I ask the Minister of State to look at those two issues. The red light camera enforcement pilot and speed limit reform are critical issues for me.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30