ALMOST ALL CARS travelling through Phoenix Park have been breaking the new speed limit in recent months, according to new data from the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Documents released by the OPW to Green Party TD Patrick Costello show that 97% of all vehicles travelling eastbound on Chesterfield Avenue at Áras an Uachtaráin broke the 30km/hr speed limit since being introduced in late February.

The 30km/hr speed limit replaced the previous 50km/hr speed limit, alongside additional traffic measures within the park.

The speeds seen on Chesterfield Avenue by Áras an Uachtaráin were above the speed limit most often, with 97% driving eastbound breaking the limit and 96.2% travelling westbound breaking the limit.

Costello called the figures “startling” and noted that popular spots like the Wellington Monument and Dublin Zoo were on either side of the road.

“Both are areas of high usage by families and children. The hard data shows that there is a blatant breaking of the law by almost every vehicle in the park,” said Costello.

Speaking to The Journal, he said that the speed people are travelling at in the park has not changed since the new speed limit was introduced.

“People are pretty much doing the same thing as before,” said Costello.

“It’s a park, not a motorway,” he added.

The data itself was recorded between March and April as part of an Automatic Traffic Count Survey for the OPW.

Average speeds seen on Chesterfield Avenue at Áras an Uachtaráin between March and April were 50km/hr eastbound and 49.3km/hr westbound towards Dublin City centre.

Speed limits were also measured at the Chapelizod Gate and Cabra Gate, with either no or less than a percent of vehicles driving over the speed limit during the two months.

The report also detailed a series of issues at the Chapelizod Gate, with 160 vehicles a day travelling in the opposite direction of the one-way road at the gate.

According to Costello, more work needs to be done by Gardaí to police the traffic within the park.

He called for Minister Patrick O’Donovan to have the OPW engage with Gardaí to establish speed checks in random locations around the park to prevent people from speeding.

“This lack of enforcement is not good enough. We introduced these changes to make the park safer for park users.

“This is a disaster waiting to happen, we need to be proactive here with enforcement, not reactive.

“If this issue is continually ignored by both authorities, I am fearful of an inevitable tragedy taking place.”

In a statement, the OPW said: “The Office of Public Works continues to work with An Garda Síochána to ensure a safe environment for all park users”.

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