A West Clare councillor has requested an update from Clare County Council on the appointment of a dedicated full-time road safety and active travel officer in the county.
At the July meeting of the local authority Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) requested an update on the appointment of a full-time road safety officer and active travel officer saying he hoped it would be done and asking the officials “not to forget the west”. The councillor was following up on a notice of motion he had previously tabled in January 2023
“This is now becoming a very high priority given the significant rise in road deaths and serious collisions on our roads in County Clare over the last few years,” he said.
In reply, Senior Engineer, Cyril Feeney reminded the councillor there is a nominated Road Safety Officer within the roads department albeit not a full-time dedicated role however, he acknowledged their commitment to road safety saying:
“The issue of the Road Safety Officer in Clare County Council has been raised in various fora in recent times. As previously advised at a plenary meeting of the Council there is a nominated Road Safety Officer within the roads department. It is however acknowledged that this is not a full-time dedicated role, however, as an organisation we are committed to ensuring road safety in as many ways as possible.
“We are also planning to progress the road safety action plan and I hope that work on this will be progressed in the coming months. It is important to note however that we are very proactive in the area of road safety through a number of different measures across the organisation.
“Through our Planning and Development process we ensure that all new developments meet Department of Transport (DOT) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) technical standards which are designed to minimise speed and reduce points of conflict. The upcoming speed limit review process will allow for the members and general public to make representations and appeals regarding speed limits in towns and villages. The government has announced a major review in 2024 which will aim to reduce the speed limit to 60km/h on local roads with further measures in 2025.
“We develop low-cost safety schemes in conjunction with TII and the DOT which are implemented in statistically significant accident areas to further reduce risks and enhance road safety.
“Our Active Travel schemes developed in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA) aim to ensure the safety of vulnerable and all road users.
“Serious accidents are reviewed with An Garda Siochana to establish root causes and any remedial measures which may need to be implemented.
“16 notices of motion brought by the members are also a valuable tool which highlight areas of road safety concern which are reviewed and acted upon accordingly. We have a dedicated and well-established Active Travel team working in our road design office. The team work closely in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA) who are the funding authority for active travel schemes”.
The role of the road safety officer is to provide road safety education and awareness among key groups within the community, and to further promote road safety to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries on the roads. It is envisaged any potential person recruited will also liaise with key stakeholders in road safety like An Garda Siochana, RSA, HSE, HSA, emergency and voluntary services, local businesses and community groups, all levels of schools and elected members of the Council. A potential active travel officer would promote the uptake of active travel and provide information on the associated benefits, develop and implement initiatives to encourage behavioural change as well as organise and coordinate public consultation and information events. Some local authorities around the country have advertised the two roles under the one position such as Donegal County Council did in September 2023.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.