'Fairly alarming' statistics prompt calls for more speed checks in North Cork

Gardaí are to be provided with data gathered by county council

The worst offenders were detected at Inchwell Rd in Kanturk where the speed limit is 60km/h. 

Gardaí in North Cork are to be provided with data which shows speeding violations in a number of locations.

The information was gathered by the county council and will now be shared with gardaí in a bid to encourage more speed checks.

Council engineers presented the statistics to councillors  at a meeting of the Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District Council, where they were described as "fairly alarming".

The worst offenders were detected at Inchwell Rd in Kanturk where the speed limit is 60km/h. 

In total 77% of vehicles passing the detectors exceeded the legal limit. 

The average speed detected was 62km/h with one vehicle clocked doing 84km/h.

Other speed detectors were installed at the inner relief road in the same town where the speed limit is 50km/h. 

They found that 39% of passing vehicles exceeded that limit.

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In the village of Meelin, the detectors were set up near the church where the limit is 50km/h. 

One vehicle was caught travelling at 71km/h, while 46% of all vehicles that passed were exceeding the limit.

In the village of Bweeng, at the Shanavoher townland, where the speed limit is 50km/h limit, 40% of vehicles were found to be exceeding it.

Speed detectors placed at Ballydahin, Mallow, where the limit is also 50Km/h found 28% of vehicles breaking the limit.

The news prompted more calls for traffic calming projects in the region. 

Council engineers said that gardaí also have a significant role to play in slowing down traffic with enforcement.

However, council engineers said they have limited financial resources to meet the demands for such work and prioritise high-risk areas.

They do this by examining accident records,  proximity to schools, churches, and sporting facilities and factor in the presence of vulnerable road users and if there are not pedestrian crossings in those areas.

Fine Gael councillor Tony O’Shea said more needs to be done to slow down cars and lorries.

“Traffic calming measures are to prevent something happening. In my eyes it is only thing that will slow vehicles down,” he said.

Municipal district council chairman Fianna Fáil councillor Gearóid Murphy described the statistics as “fairly alarming”. 

Council engineers said that gardaí also have a significant role to play in slowing down traffic with enforcement and they will share the data with gardaí in the hope they will carry out speed checks at these locations in the near future.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ian Doyle described Ballyhea village as “a death trap.” 

He said that the driver feedback signs there are still not working. 

The batteries were stolen from them recently, a problem which has also been reported in other areas of the county.