[Article] Cullen urges speed limit consultations

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Cullen urges speed limit consultations
From:ireland.com
Saturday, 22nd January, 2005

The Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, has said local authorities should consult communities in their areas about speed limits on some national roads.

The Minister said this was the only issue outstanding from what he believed had been a very successful change to metric speed limits this week.

Mr Cullen said that local authorities had been given powers to determine speed limits in their areas and he believed there should be consultation on these for some national roads.

He said feedback from the public about the metrification of speed limits had been very positive, with many people commenting on the increased number of road signs.

The Minister said that he had not heard criticism that the road signs were too small.

Mr Cullen said that the the provision of 23,000 additional speed signs, as well as upgraded roads, particularly motorways and dual carriageways, would help save lives.

Mr Cullen was speaking at the opening of the 8.5 km by-pass of Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan yesterday afternoon.

The Minister said that the new single-carriageway by-pass of Carrickmacross would take 20 minutes off journeys between the Border and Dublin.

He said that the Carrickmacross by-pass was one of a number of road projects that had been completed ahead of schedule and within budget.

He said the €51.8 million Carrickmacross project was the first of three major by-passes planned for Co Monaghan. He said by-passes of Monaghan town and Castleblayney were well advanced in planning.

The Minister said on Thursday he had introduced new guidelines for the National Roads Authority for road schemes and believed everything possible had to be done to reduce the environmental impact of road building.

"But I totally reject the idea that we can get by without building anything. We cannot achieve lasting regional development without a modern road network.

"Counties like Monaghan cannot be competitive without quality roads," Mr Cullen said.

He declined to comment on the inquiry currently being carried out by the former chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, Mr Dermot Quigley, into the awarding of lucrative public-relations contracts by Government departments under his control to Ms Monica Leech, a friend and political supporter.

Mr Cullen said he was working with the inquiry.

He said the development of a metro system in Dublin, which had been a priority project for his predecessor, Mr Brennan, had not been ruled out, despite reports that an inter-connector tunnel between Heuston and Connolly stations in Dublin would be the centrepiece of his forthcoming 10-year transport plan.

The Minister said he would be bringing an outline of projects he believed could be developed in the 10-year time-frame to the Cabinet sub-committee on transport in March.