No reduction for 'incredible' 100km speed limit near Portlaoise cemetery

A Portlaoise councillor has pleaded to no avail to reduce the traffic speed limit near Portlaoise cemetery.

The N80 Stradbally road into the Laois town runs past St Peter & Paul's Cemetery, and is also used by kids heading to Portlaoise GAA grounds.

Laois Fianna Fáil Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald wants it lowered, calling it "incredible" that it jumps from 50km per hour up to 100km just past the cemetery.

"There is no 60km. There is only a very small footpath on the right going out. Children are walking and cycling on it. No way this road is capable," she said.

She said she is disappointed with the reply from Laois County Council's roads department, which didn't have good news for her.

"This is a very serious issue. How you go up from 50 to 100 with a narrow path... is there any other way we can address this? Have we to wait for the speed limit review," she asked.

She tabled a motion to the June meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District asking for the reduction as far as Bloomfield Roundabout.

The official reply was that any changes to speed limits will be done as part of the National Speed Limit Review and "once off alteratoins to existing speed limits are not provided for in law".

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Simon Walton, Director of Services elaborated.

"I'm surprised at the limit, I'll check that. It's not open to the council, other than in very exceptional circumstances, to reduce a speed limit without having it up for review. There is a review to be advalced by the Department of Transport later in the year," he said.