Council launches new road safety plan

THE Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Guss O’Connell, launched South Dublin County’s new Road Safety Plan in County Hall, Tallaght recently.

The Road Safety Plan 2016 – 2020 sets out how the council, along with its partner agencies, will implement the National Road Safety Strategy in South County Dublin.

The plan aims to reduce the number of road collision casualties in South Dublin and increase road safety awareness.

The four main objectives of the plan include education, which involves campaigns and initiatives aimed at the various age groups to improve road users’ attitudes and behaviour towards road safety.

There will also be a focus on engineering in a bid to create a safer road environment that reduces the number and severity of collisions.

Enforcement is another area that will be looked at in an attempt to deter inappropriate behaviour on our roads, such as speeding and drink driving.

And there will be ongoing evaluation, through annually reviewing and assessing progress towards safer roads.

The plan was produced by the council’s Road Safety Working Together Group, an inter-agency partnership chaired by Cllr William Lavelle.

Mayor Guss O’Connell welcomed the new plan and acknowledged the contributions from the gardai, Dublin Fire Brigade, Road Safety Authority, National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

The Mayor said: “I am delighted to have been asked to launch the first Road Safety Plan in the county. I believe this is a vital step in improving the safety of all road users. By working together we can make our roads safer. We all need to be proactive in our approach to road safety and this plan gives us a pathway to follow towards safer roads for our communities.”

The plan is available online at http://www.sdcc.ie/services/roads-and-traffic/road-safety