Lawless drivers win out

REARVIEW:The decision by Dublin City Council to remove the 30km/h speed limit introduced in the city centre last January from certain streets is very disappointing.

The suggestion was made after a review by the council’s traffic department found motorists were blithely ignoring the new rule. It showed that speeds were down just over 1km/h during the morning peak and most people were continuing to drive at up to 50km/h in the restricted zones, particularly on the outer quays and Winetavern Street. It is in these areas the new limit is to be rescinded.

The council may argue that it is taking the honourable route by holding its hands up and admitting it made a mistake when it introduced the lower limit on these streets. In fact, it was forced into the U-turn by the lawlessness of motorists.

The decision is a capitulation to anarchy. It undermines the credibility of the law and respect for speed limits in general.

Just because a law is widely unpopular with certain sectors of society does not mean it is a bad law. Dublin’s streets would be infinitely more pleasurable if cars, buses and trucks were confined to a crawling pace – not to mention safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Of course, the limit was not ignored thanks to some organised act of mass public dissent but because motorists knew they would get away with it as the law was not being enforced.

Good government, national or local, doesn’t bow under pressure and change the rules just because some people don’t like them.

If that were the case, why not legalise shoplifting, fraud and tax evasion? In these difficult times, we need leaders who rule with a strong hand to instil public confidence. This episode shows we do not enjoy that security.