‘Scary’ speeding across Tipperary, but no money for traffic calming measures in county
There is currently no funding available in Tipperary to install traffic calming measures in towns and villages, according to the county’s director of services for roads, Liam Brett.
Speaking at the July plenary meeting of Tipperary County Council, Mr Brett said road project funding is increasingly stretched, with rising construction costs eating into the existing budget.
Thurles councillor Jim Ryan and Nenagh councillor Fiona Bonfield called for more traffic calming measures across the county, describing the level of speeding across Tipperary as “scary”.
"I’m around the roads every day of the week and we have our new 60 kmh signs put up on our local roads, and to be honest with you, they’re having no effect, and I know you’re going to come back and say it’s an enforcement issue – which I agree – but to be honest with you, every town and village, it’s absolutely serious the speeding that’s going on,” Cllr Bonfield said.
"I don’t know what we’re going to do as a country with regards to speeding, but it’s absolutely scary the speed that cars are travelling in our towns and villages and it’s absolutely worrying,” she added.
In 2024, there were two fatalities on Tipperary roads, according to figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
Mr Brett said that the council’s priority is on repairing road surfaces, and that they’re expected to do more with the same amount of funding, which has been eaten into rapidly by the cost of construction inflation.
“The roads section requires additional funding to do our core works at present,” Mr Brett said.
Tipperary County Council also added that there was no Government funding to repair roads after a number of severe weather events, meaning the roads budget is tighter than ever.
"To Cllr Sean Ryan who also raised the concern regarding no funding for severe weather, and I would absolutely agree with you, we got no funding from central Government departments at the time of those two severe weather events and we’re pushed to do more and more, but that more and more comes with a bill,” Mr Brett said.
"The reality is, traffic calming measures cost funding, cost very very significant funding and our priority has to be to replace road surfaces which have also been highlighted.
"Any expansion of traffic calming schemes will require significant funding,” the director of services added.