Gardaí to tackle the most dangerous months on the roads

A NEW safety campaign is being rolled out across the city in a bid to crack down on the number of road deaths and injuries on the roads.

The gardaí, supported by the Road Safety Authority and partner stakeholders are running the ‘Safer Roads for Dublin’ initiative through October and into November to reduce the number and severity of road traffic collisions. Both months are traditionally high-risk periods on Dublin roads.

As part of the initiative gardaí and the RSA will encourage safer behaviour on our roads by all road users, with particular emphasis on red light running, safe cycling and improved driver behaviour. Road users will be urged to be aware of their own and others safety.

“Every day, road users put themselves at risk by driving, cycling or crossing through red lights, by disregarding speed limits, or by having ineffective lighting on their vehicles,” the gardai said.

“The campaign will encourage road users to change poor behaviour and make our roads safer for all. To be safe on our roads pedestrians, cyclists and motorists need to be seen. Gardaí in association with the RSA and stakeholders will encourage all road users to improve their visibility on the roads.

“Everyone has a part to play in road safety, and even small actions can lead to big changes on our roads.

The Safer Roads for Dublin initiative is supported by the RSA, Dublin Bus, LUAS, TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland), National Transport Authority and all four local authorities.

 Meanwhile, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross, has confirmed that an additional €400,000 of funding is being made available to Dublin City Council for investment in cycling safety infrastructure. 

Speaking at the announcement, Minister Ross said: “I want to encourage more people to cycle and I realise that safety is a concern to many, so I am continuing to invest in safety measures for cyclists. This €400,000 will improve safety for cyclists at 40 key junctions across Dublin City Centre. It is a great example of my department and the Na-tional Transport Authority working with local authorities to improve cycling and walking infrastructure generally.

“This investment will be used to fund Dublin City Council’s installation of smart cyclist detection equipment at 40 key junctions around Dublin. This new traffic management feature aims to make busy junctions safer for cyclists by using smart technology to regulate traffic more effectively. In particular, these measures will help alleviate concerns of cyclists regarding collisions and crossing times at busy junctions. 

Minister Ross added: “This funding is in addition to the €110 million I have already secured for the development of cycling and walking infrastructure across the country over the next four years. Furthermore, significant in vestment is planned under the BusConnects programme in Dublin, which will deliver around 200km of, where possible, segregated cycle paths.”

The department is also a key sponsor of Velo-City 2019 and is working closely with Dublin City Council (DCC), who will host the event.

Minister Ross said he was delighted to support this “prestig-ious event”.

“And I look forward to welcoming the conference, delegates and sponsors back to Dublin in June of next year,” he said.

The minister also wished the NTA’s Smarter Travel Team success for their ‘Reboot your Commute’ campaign that was also launched recently and he thanked the NTA and DCC for their continued commitment to improving infrastructure.