THE 30km/h speed limit that now applies to the core area of Dublin city centre has been interpreted by the Automobile Association (AA) and others as a punitive measure. In fact, however, it is part of a more general strategy to civilise the city, along with other initiatives such as the “bus gate” at College Green and the hugely successful Dublin Bikes scheme.
Dublin City Council’s chief planning officer, Dick Gleeson, says it is “all about having a strong idea of the shape of success and the kind of city we want people to experience over the next five to 10 years”.
As in other northern European cities, the first priority for transport planners in Dublin now is to cater for pedestrians, secondly for cyclists, thirdly for public transport and lastly cars. Essentially, this means rationalising and taming the public realm, as has been done in O’Connell Street, however unwelcome that may be to Motorway Man, as he has recently been dubbed. Car drivers simply cannot expect to travel at speed on city centre streets, even if they have a free run of the road. Motorway Woman, however, does expect to be able to travel to the city centre.
The removal of some 4,000 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from the Liffey quays after the Dublin Port Tunnel opened in December 2006 got rid of the most serious risk to life and limb, at least during daylight hours. Official figures show that five pedestrians and two cyclists were killed by HGVs between 1998 and 2006 in the zone now covered by the 30km/h speed limit, and that one pedestrian and one cyclist were killed in collisions with HGVs since then in the same area. However, the city council has yet to produce a plan for the quays that would reconfigure the public realm in favour of pedestrians and cyclists. Such a provision is now promised in the draft Dublin City Development Plan.
Speed kills, as the Road Safety Authority’s slogan says. It follows that fewer people are likely to be killed or injured when motorised traffic is required to travel at lower speeds. The zone in which the 30km/h restriction applies is barely more than two square kilometres, and the city council will think twice about reducing it further, as has been proposed, by reinstating a 50km/h speed limit on Kildare Street, Winetavern Street, Wood Quay and Eden Quay.
There is nothing wrong with putting these amendments to the public for consultation.