New speed limits ‘not black and white’

The issue of road signage was brought up by multiple councillors at the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District meeting.

Cllr Trevor Smith said the recent changes in speed limits were causing “confusion” for motorists who did not know if they were driving in a 60km/h or 80km/h zone.

Approximately 2,400km of rural local roads in Cavan were reduced to 60km per hour on February 7, which amounts to around 80% of Cavan’s road network. It reflects a legislative change in default speed limits for rural local roads.

“For a lot of people out there, it’s not black and white,” said the Fine Gael man.

The Ballyjamesduff councillor continued that people are “not sure” what the rural speed limit sign, a white circular sign with diagonal lines, means.

Meanwhile Cllr Shane P. O’Reilly (II) highlighted how, in Germany, this sign means that there is no speed limit and he feared that German tourists would see this and “drive like hell”. He said that spending €350,000 in the county on changing the signs, when roads are “impassable”, it “beggars belief.”

“Hitting them [motorists] in the pocket is the only way to slow them down,” opined Cllr O’Reilly.

On the same issue, Cllr Winston Bennett (FG) said: “I think we have created a bigger mess than ever we had.”

Cllr Philip Brady (FF) and Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr T.P. O’Reilly (FG) agreed with all of the issues raised, with the chair adding that he would “rather” the money was spent on roads.

However, on the issue of speed, Cllr Noel Connell (SF) suggested that “the only thing that saves you is potholes”.

The Council’s Executive Engineer said that rural local roads are the “only” speed limits to change, however, and added that the rest are unchanged “at this time”.

“The decision has been made at the Department, not at local level,” he reminded, adding that the signage was “procured centrally”.