Businesses angry over Cork city speed limit plan

BUSINESS leaders have reacted angrily to plans by Cork City Council to reduce the speed limit in a number of the city’s central streets to 30km/h, claiming it will prove detrimental to retailers and is not needed.

Cork Business Association (CBA) — which represents nearly 200 retailers in the city — maintains the current 50km/h limit “is working fine” and “there is absolutely no need to introduce the reduced limits on a 24-hour basis”.

The council intends to bring in the restrictions in most streets on the central island, which will include St Patrick’s Street, Grand Parade, Oliver Plunkett Street, North Main Street and Cornmarket Street.

However, the speed limit will remain at 50km/h on Washington Street, South Mall and on all the quays.

The local authority is also proposing to extend the 60km/h speed limit further out on the Carrigrohane Road (N22) as far as the junction with Inchigaggin Lane for safety reasons.

City Hall officials have maintained that speed reductions in other European cities have significantly cut deaths and serious injuries to pedestrians.

However, figures show that in the past 10 years, only one pedestrian has been killed on streets earmarked for speed limit reductions. That accident occurred in St Patrick’s Street, when an elderly woman was crushed by a lorry.

There was just one other serious accident recorded in St Patrick’s Street over the same time span, while there were three in Grand Parade and one in North Main Street/South Main Street.

Meanwhile, the local authority proposes to increase speed limits on other main roads leading out of the city. The 50km/h limit will be increased to 60km/h on the Lower Glanmire Road between Water Street and the Skew Bridge at Tivoli and on the N20 between the city boundary and the junction with Fitz’s Boreen on the main Mallow Road.

CBA chief executive Donal Healy said that while any fatal or serious accident was very regrettable, statistics showed Cork was generally a very safe place for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Around 99.9% of all drivers using the city centre are law-abiding citizens. Speed is not an issue in our city centre, the issue is about access for shoppers and their cars,” Mr Healy said.

City councillors will debate the proposals next month when they return from their summer holidays.