‘Democracy or dictatorship?’ – Row erupts at Tipperary council meeting over traffic calming measures
Tempers flared at the March meeting of Thurles Municipal District when councillors clashed over speed ramps and traffic calming measures.
Independent councillor Jim Ryan later withdrew a remark asking whether the district was a “democracy or a dictatorship” after a heated exchange with the meeting’s Cathaoirleach.
Cllr Ryan was asking the district’s engineers if there were any plans to put speed ramps in areas around Thurles in an attempt to slow the speed of traffic.
"Traffic calming measures and speed ramps, we’ve all been getting it from residents in Thurles and there’s a requirement for speed ramps,” Cllr Ryan said.
"I know there’s a reluctance for some reason regarding the installation of speed ramps, I don’t know what the reluctance is, but if you go into Kilkenny, there are speed ramps being installed in every street in Kilkenny. There is genuine concern out there about the level of speeding around our town,” he added.
In response, Kieran Malone, senior engineer with the council said that speed ramps are a last resort for Tipperary County Council to install, but that this is in keeping with national policy.
"Our current working policy is that speed ramps are our last resort, and we try to do any other measures we can before we look at installing speed ramps,” Mr Malone said.
Cllr Ryan said that even though speed ramps are down the council’s list of measures, they had done “nothing” to address speeding in Thurles.
"You said that speed ramps are down the list, and you prioritise other areas of traffic calming, but I could give you 10 streets in Thurles, and every councillor here can give you streets where speed is an issue, ye have done absolutely nothing,” he hit out.
Disagreeing, district engineer Thomas Duffy said that the council had undertaken a speed survey across the town and found that there was no need for any additional traffic calming measures.
"We have done a speed survey and we have proved that there is no speed issues,” he said.
The independent councillor questioned again why “nothing” had been done to address the issues of speed, which prompted district Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Ryan to intervene, telling Cllr Jim Ryan that he got his answer.
"That’s not polite to say that to them, and it’s not right because they’ve already carried out speed surveys,” the Cathaoirleach said.
"You’ve said they’ve done nothing, but they’ve categorically said they have done something,” the Cathaoirleach told Cllr Ryan.
Cllr Jim Ryan then took exception to being “interrupted” as he put it, by the Cathaoirleach, saying that “just because you have a chain around your neck, doesn’t give you the right to interrupt every time a county councillor tries to raise an issue.”
"You’re constantly interrupting me, I’m trying to raise the issues that people put to me. You keep interrupting me, I want to put my point across,” he hit out.
In response, Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Ryan said that she was in the meeting to do work, and that Cllr Ryan got an answer to his questions from the engineering team.
"They carried out speed surveys, you said they did nothing and I want to clarify that speed surveys are something, they are not nothing,” she said.
To this, Cllr Jim Ryan said “are we in a democracy here or are we in a dictatorship?”
"At every single district meeting you interrupt me,” Cllr Ryan argued.
This prompted the Cathaoirleach to ask him “do you feel entitled to talk down to me?”
To that, Cllr Ryan said: “you’re the one talking down to me. I’m here 27 years as a councillor and I can tell you now, I’ve seen loads of Cathaoirligh, and you’re the rudest chairperson,” the independent councillor claimed.
Eventually, district director Mark Connolly stepped in and said that the meeting should be adjourned for five minutes to let everyone cool down before continuing.
Once the meeting resumed, Mr Connolly called on Cllr Jim Ryan to withdraw his comments relating to a “dictatorship” in the district.
"Some things that were said here are not acceptable, some language used by Cllr Jim Ryan toward the Cathaoirleach, the use of the word ‘dictatorship’ is not an acceptable phrase, and I would ask him to withdraw it,” Mr Connolly said.
After some back and forth, which included councillor Micheál Lowry stepping in and calling the whole debacle “ridiculous,” Cllr Ryan did eventually withdraw his comments.
“This is ridiculous, we’re all here trying to do business, and we’re being held up by one individual who’s feeling he’s not getting what he wants,” Cllr Lowry said.
"The rest of us actually want to get on with the work of the council and what we’re here to do, this is just petulant, childish stuff now,” he added.
Mr Duffy accepted Cllr Ryan’s withdrawal of the comments and said he would arrange a meeting with the Cathaoirleach and the councillor to address any outstanding issues.