Speed limit should reduce cycling deaths in the capital

Labour party councillor Dermot Lacey is planning to submit a proposal to Dublin City Council's traffic committee to scrap the new 30km/h speed limit on the quays, and to introduce a 40km/h speed limit instead.


This is despite his voting in favour of introducing the limits.


The initiative aimed at reducing speed limits was due to come under review in six months' time, but Lacey says it will now most likely be brought forward.


The first week of the new system drew large amounts of public criticism, with evidence the general public is largely ignoring the new speed limits.


Politicians last week came out against the new limits, despite most political parties originally supporting their introduction.


Minutes from a council meeting last October show that Labour party members such as Dermot Lacey voted in favour of the proposal, with only three, Fine Gael's Gerry Breen, Fine Gael's Bill Tormey and Independent Niall Ring voting against.


But Lacey has now attacked the limit.


"I did support it when it was originally agreed last October. I'm in favour of trying things out and giving them a go. But I am also a realist. If there are problems there, which there are in terms of the limit, they need to be resolved. I tried driving down the quays along the Liffey and it was nigh on impossible.


"It is too slow. The scheme is not working along the quays, and I plan on pushing for a proposal to up the limit to 40km/h, and to scrap the whole thing along the quays."


Lacey said fellow party member Andrew Montague, who thought up the idea, is getting "an unfair amount of criticism."


Montague said he had received "a lot of e-mails, from people both for and against the limit."


An online campaign was set up last week directing angry motorists to e-mail Montague in order to vent their anger.


"I am waiting to see how it goes. It was only the first week, these things take time to get used to, and people need to give it a chance," Montague said.


Mike McKillen, chairman of cyclist.ie, the Irish umbrella group for all cycling bodies, has backed the new speed limit and says motorists need to "cop on and realise that they do not own the road".