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A FAMILIAR FACE was back in Leinster House today as Liz O’Donnell appeared before the Oireachtas Transport Committee.
The former junior minister is the chair-designate of the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan urged O’Donnell to ensure that the RSA plays a “naming and shaming role” in terms of publicly criticising local authorities that fail to maintian sufficient road standards.
The Limerick TD also asked O’Donnell what she plans to do about the “loopholes that you could drive a lorry through” in the GoSafe speeding system, whereby cases are being thrown out of court if individuals don’t receive their notices by registered post.
O’Donnell said that she couldn’t answer this particular question as she hasn’t “looked under the bonnet of the organisation yet”, but will examine the issue.
During the meeting, she also said that she fully supports the increase in penalty points from two to three for speeding and other offences, which was introduced earlier this year.
“It’s been proven that it’s a deterrent,” she said.
O’Donnell noted that the RSA must not develop a feeling of “laxity”, instead continuing to put forward its message encouraging all road users to exercise caution.
She described the fact that almost one in five drivers who were killed in 2013 were not wearing seatbelts as “extraordinary”.
The former politician noted that there was a “worrying” increase in the number of people who died on our roads last year (190). However, she said that there had been an overall reduction of 58% in road deaths since 1998, when the first road safety strategy was introduced. Some 458 people died on our roads that year.
The current road safety strategy aims to see a reduction in road fatalities to 124 per year or fewer by 2020. 166 people have died to date on our roads in 2014.
O’Donnell said that in the coming years the RSA will focus on a number of issues, including work-related vehicle safety, drug driving, fatigue and distractions such as mobile phones. A special emphasis will also be given to reducing the number of people who are seriously injured in road collisions.
The former TD noted that the Exchequer made €3.37million available to the RSA this year, but the organisation did not draw it down as it is now self-financing due to the revenue brought in by services such as the NCT, driver licensing and training for lorry drivers.
‘Big shoes to fill’
O’Donnell said that she was “very honoured” to have been chosen for the role and hopes she can “make a valuable contribution to a reduction in the number of fatalities on our roads”.
She praised the work of her predecessor Gay Byrne, describing his contribution to road safety in Ireland over the last eight years as “groundbreaking” and “passionate”.
Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley said that O’Donnell would have the “full support” of the committee in her new role. He said that she had “big shoes to fill” but noted that he had every confidence in her appointment.
Dooley stated that O’Donnell, like Gay Byrne, had “never been one to side and allow things to happen against your will”.
He added that he hoped the Government would ensure there were enough resources in place to enforce the RSA’s strategy over the coming years.
Committee Chair John O’Mahony said that a transcript of the meeting would be sent to Transport Minsiter Paschal O’Donohoe, adding he saw no reason as to why O’Donnell would not be ratified as the new RSA Chair.
O’Donnell was first elected to the Dáil in 1992 as a Progressive Democrats TD for Dublin South. She held the position for 15 years until 2007, serving as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs for five years from 1997 to 2002.
She has recently worked as a PR adviser, lecturer and opinion columnist for The Irish Independent.
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Ahh here we go. I was only saying this on another article. Next they’ll be saying that Motor tax is not enough to fund repair of the roads and we need a new EU driven (excuse the pun) road tax collected by a new Irish Roads company. But first we must hire consultants using the LPT monies to tell us how to set up said company and extract more monies from the tax payers. FFS
sure didn’t Fianna Fail privatise a certain amount of the points system !
There is a serious road problem causing death and injury on Irish roads which few people know about because of lack of publicity. It is called edge-step, see http://www.edgestep.org
So THAT’S what that’s called! Can be absolutely lethal.
They shouldn’t be allowed to finish roads like this, it often seems to be on newly finished roads.
Then google forgiving roadsides and ask the NRA what they’re doing in this area.
Have we got figures showing how many have died because of this? No. We haven’t. Spurious.
Liz – The insiders crumpet.
She is blessed that she has made so many friends and contacts that she can live the rest of her life on the Taxpayer’s back.
Couldn’t someone with even the slightest ability and relevant experience been gotten.
I saw her outside Dail Eireann one day – and the glad eye on her !
I think she was in Foreign Affairs at the time !
Yes, because ability and experience have served us so well in the past. It was your party that kept the vile Progressive Ditherers going despite only 3% of the country wanting them in there and when that horrible party finally disbanded it was Brian ‘when in doubt, keep them out’ Clowen who gave Harney the health gig. Enough of your shite about insiders Seanie.
The roads in Cork are some of the worst in the country and Cork county council should be ashamed of themselves. The road from Mitchelstown to Mallow is one of the worst I have ever travelled. It’s so dangerous. The closer you get to Mallow the worse it gets. Massive pot holes. What are they doing with their road maintenance budget?
The stretch just after kildorrery where you turn off for doneraile is particularly pot-holey! And that road is a national primary road!
.. Have to agree: traveled through Buttevant twice over the weekend – I should bill Cork CoCo for damage to me and my car !!
Is Liz O’Donnell a civil engineer or what qualifications doe she have for the Job?
She is a Socialite engineer.
Liz O’ Donnell needs to ask why the new Eircode postcodes (at a price of €25 million) will be NO use guiding ambulances or fire brigades to road traffic accidents. If she really wan’ts to reduce deaths on the roads improving the response times is an easy first step.
Loc8 codes are perfectly suited for this but they were not recommended by “Toxic Tierney”
RSA has no responsibility for post codes.
Talk to your TD about post codes.
You are right RSA have no responsibility for post codes neither have the Irish Fire and Emergency Services association but at least they had the balls to point out that EIRCODES will cost lives.
RSA might not have responsibility but but they are stakeholders and SHOULD have an interest because a good post code will help save lives.
Imagine with a good code like Loc8 you come across an RTA in a rural area miles from any buildings, you are not from the area so you don’t know exactly where you are so you take out your smartphone, start the Point8 app and after a press of a button you get a code that lets relay the accident position the 112/999 with 6 metres accuracy eg.
SQY-57-58G…much easier to communicate than 53.137790 -6.312130
***Start the Point8 app and after a press of a button you get a code that lets YOU relay the accident position TO 112/999 with 6 metres accuracy.
BTW YOU CAN DO THIS NOW THE OPERATORS OF THE 112/999 SERVICE ACCEPT LOC8 CODES
I know motor tax is a pain and we have some very bad road conditions but there’s still not full compliance to motor tax and paying for your tax on fuel would mean everyone would have to pay for it which would be a lot fairer on everyone as those who only seldom use there car would pay less
@ Fiona… that would be doing the right thing Fiona.. but we know nothing do we.. we vote in so called polictions to run our Country .. but they never listen to the general publics opinion on anything… we need a people’s parliament…
Road tax was done away with years ago and a tax put on the fuel to replace it. Sound so far, but they re-introduced motor tax again but didn’t take the tax off the fuel. A scam just like the water scam.
On the phone to these lovely people today 4 times in total… Really really competent at their job.
Just messin’ they’re disasters!!
So the ex chequer made over 3 million available and it was not drawn down…..surely this is the one instance where all money should be drawn down. surely with 3 million 1 more life could have been saved…..could they not have found some way of putting that money to good use – other than flooding ireland with RSA flourescent jackets….
well you see it may be that considering the crackdown on drink-driving more pedestrians are being killed as they walk home from the pub ……
I never cease to be amazed at the shamless cheek of some of these bed fellow appoinrments. The RSA is a complete useless quango that spends its time thinking up schemes to extract money out of the motorists pocket. The condition of much of our road network is the primary cause of road deaths yet the RSA has done nothing nor said anything about it up until today. it would be interesting to total up the total cost of the RSA for the last 10 years. How many roads would that fix?
Look, I agree that Government deserves criticism where criticism is due, and there is no shortage of possibilities there, with Irish Water, John McNulty etc. However, I think accusations of cronyism in this case is stretching it.
She was a member of a a different party and was never in Government with Labour or Fine Gael. She has been out of Irish politics for 7 years now. As demonstrated by the previous director Gay Byrne, it seems that a good bit of the job consists of communicating awareness of road safety to the people of Ireland. This isn’t a case of the Government doling out ‘jobs for the boys/girls’ on a quango with a cushy pension. It’s a position on a state board with a pretty modest salary.
Let the red thumbs come rushing in, but in my opinion, there are more valid grounds for criticism of the Government than this.
the position should have been publically advertised
the position should have been publicly advertised for
Here is edgestep.org as a link…
http://www.edgestep.org
See also:
http://www.facebook.com/edgestep
How do you ” name and shame” a faceless bureaucracy that has no shame. It’s like sticking your tongue out at somebody, does them no harm but maybe makes you feel good.
Why does the Oireachtas need the RSA to name and shame local authorities? Is it not the same Oireachtas who have starved local authorities of funding to maintain the road network?
What kind of qualifications does one need to be head of the RSA?
Each member of the Board shall be a person who in the opinion of the Minister has wide experience and competence in relation to roads, road safety, transport, driver education and examination, industrial and commercial matters, local government, the organisation of workers or administration. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2006/en/act/pub/0014/sec0014.html#sec14
Does she get paid for doing this for the RSA ?…
yes Gay got 12k fees plus 7k expenses in 2012 http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/About%20Us/RSA_ANNUA_REPORT_2012.pdf its probably ~10% less now
There’s no salary but there are expenses of 12k
Cushy number Liz, great to be in the golden circle in Ireland
The Co Councils in this country aren’t fit to look after roads.
The gov/co. councils need to increase road tax if they are short money to make proper road repairs.
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