Tragedy upon tragedy on our roads united us all the last few weeks. We must build upon this collective sadness and shock now and make walking, cycling, driving on our roads as safe as possible. Almost every loss or injury or bereavement are preventable, this is why we are so passionate about fighting for road safety.
Today marks the seventh anniversary since my sister Donna Fox was killed cycling to work in Dublin city. Almost every year since I have took to the airwaves in one form or another in trying to promote the importance of road safety and how it impacts absolutely every person. We all are road users after all. I never take for granted the support and coverage, and will always pay tribute to the media for highlighting stories and issues relating to road safety. With the media things would be far far worse.
Donna was 30 years old, a normal person going about a normal day like all the 25 people who never made it home in August just gone. Donna was a kind, caring, loving sister to me, beyond loyal and supportive. Not a day goes by without missing her but yet her spirit always feels close by.
Due to the enormity of recent losses including of infants and young students, all ages of course, but the loss of the young brings such a mourning for what might have been and as for infants...it just is beyond heart-breaking; I opted against the usual simple "Give Time, Give Space" memorial today on cycling directed at motorists. It is postponed. However, it would be impossible to stay silent totally today given the fact Road Safety is the main news on Donna's anniversary and there has been an announcement from the Minister of State Jack Chambers and the department of Justice regarding speeding limits.
While I warmly welcome this move and will support it and any other measures that RSA, Government, An Gardai Siochana bring about or try to, with a clear aim of saving lives, it simply is not enough. It also is crazy to think it has took this long for them to come to this decision. A child could have told them it was required decades ago!
Having repeatedly spoke against the decision to drop road safety to a junior position in government since Shane Ross left office in 2020, I think my position is clear on this as outlined most recently last week in The Irish Examiner.
Today I am calling for what is actually required.
What is a must!
We need a root and branch overhaul where road safety is concerned.
We need to go to the drawing board, we need to look at international best practice, we need all stake holders to listen to one another, we need the voices of support organizations for victims of road traffic collisions heard. We must see this for what it is, a mess but one that can be righted with proper focus.
I am asking for a Citizens Assembly to be set up as soon as possible on road safety strategy to assist the government, gardai, RSA and all tasked with this enormous responsibility to keep us and our loved ones safe on the roads.
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