Proposed rural roads speed limit reductions come before Castlebar area councillors

AN assessment report on proposed speed limit reductions from 80 kph to 60 kph on local rural roads has come before Castlebar Municipal District.

By-laws will have to be adopted to implement the changes, which are part of a national review of speed limits.

There are a few exceptions proposed in the county where the reduced limit will not apply.

In the local area, three routes proposed for reduction - Castlebar-Belcarra, Balla-Mayo Abbey, and the Prizon Road - were opposed by Councillor Cyril Burke.

These are strategic roads, carrying a lot of traffic, he said.

Councillor Burke was disappointed that TII had started with local roads, pointing out how they had been fighting for years for speed limit reductions in areas such as the Ardboley junction, and then they were expected to agree to reduce county roads to 60kph.

The limit out past Castlebar Golf Club should be 60kph, he added, but 80kph after that, but they weren't allowed to do that.

Businesses, he added, would be impacted with extra man hours required on the roads for deliveries.

His proposal that the three roads in question be taken from the default reduction received no seconder.