No Road Safety Plan in Meath since 2021

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Did you know that Meath has had no road safety plan since 2021 when the last plan expired. This is despite the Road Safety Authority publishing a new strategy to cover 2021 to 2030, the Council consulting on a new plan in 2021, drafting a plan to cover 2023 to 2024 and announcing the new plan.

The period 2021 to 2024 covers Phase 1 of the National Road Safety Strategy which included the following actions for local authorities:

  1. 150 low cost safety schemes and 4 larger schemes per year nationally
  2. 1,000 km of segregated walking and cycling routes nationally
  3. Network safety analysis for the regional road network
  4. Reporting on fatal or likely fatal accidents
  5. Dedicated road safety engineering resource
  6. Prioritised plan on road building construction and maintenance (including footpaths and cycle lanes)
  7. Upgrade of public lighting to appropriate standards using LED lighting to improve visibility and enhance safety for road users.
  8. Extend the number of 30kmh speed limit zones in high-risk locations
  9. Examine the feasibility of 30kmh speed limit or lower in school vicinities and report on progress
  10. Establish a working group with relevant expertise to develop and publish guidelines on how to deal safely with new vehicle types such as alternative fuel vehicles involved in collisions.
  11. Establish a Road Safety Working Together Group
  12. Publish a multi-agency Road Safety Action Plan and to publish an annual review on progress with implementation
  13. Pilot an Emergency First Response (EFR) first person on scene training programme for fire / emergency crews and make recommendations for a national rollout
  14. Establish a working group to review and make recommendations as appropriate on the improvement of standard operating procedures at emergency call centres aimed at improving the overall emergency service response time
  15. Roll-out of the Safe Routes to Schools Programme and provide “front-of-school” treatments to a minimum of 500 schools nationally

In the absence of a Road Safety Strategy for the County, it is not clear if any of these actions have been carried out by Meath County Council.

We obtained a copy of the draft plan 2023 to 2024 under AIE which you can read below. There is no information available as to why Meath hasn’t adopted a road safety plan.