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Jake Brennan TV3.ie

Alan Kelly calls for reduced speed limits after tragic death of Jake Brennan

The six-year-old died after being hit by a car outside his family home in Kilkenny.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER ALAN Kelly has called on local authorities to reduce speed limits in housing estates, following a campaign by the family of a young boy who was killed when hit by a car last June.

Six-year-old Jake Brennan died after being hit by a car outside his family home in Kilkenny.

In the wake of his death, his family launched Jake’s Legacy Campaign in a bid to reduce speed limits and introduce mandatory speed bumps.

Kelly said that “as a parent of young children” he was “very taken and impressed” by the campaign.

I have now asked that comprehensive road safety audits – incorporating an evaluation of appropriate road safety and vehicle speed reduction measures – should be undertaken as part of the pre-planning application design process and at the planning application stage in respect of new housing developments.

He noted that Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe agreed with his stance that councils needed to place greater emphasis on road safety and street design.

Both Minister Donohue and I are anxious to ensure that all housing estates are safer places for children to play and grow up in. That is why I have called on local authorities to adopt a more holistic and proactive approach in the assessment of planning applications for new housing developments in the future.

Kelly said that “excessive vehicle speeds” could be discouraged by narrowing carriageway width, avoiding long straight stretches of road, and erecting appropriate warning signage.

The Minister added that such “simple, effective measures” would hopefully prevent future accidents and tragedies.

Last month Donohoe issued a circular calling on all local authorities to review speed limits in residential areas and housing estates to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

Speed limits in housing estates to be reviewed after tragic death of Jake Brennan

‘He was like a wounded pup’ – Mother makes emotional appeal over speed limits

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    Mute Dermot McL
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 7:25 AM

    A nightmare for the crew and their families.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 7:37 AM

    Lets hope they can be found before tomorrow.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 4:07 PM

    @NotMyIreland: All fingers crossed for them. It’s still possible that they’re on some ridge & can be reached in time.

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    Mute John Arsey
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 9:59 AM

    are you telling me in this day and age that there’s no way of tracking or locating a bloody huge submarine???

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    Mute Philip Dunne
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 10:04 AM

    @John Arsey: obviously that must be the case. It’s not large compared to the scale of the sea !

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    Mute Claudio Cavaliere
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 10:27 AM

    @John Arsey: the whole point of having a submarine is that they are as stealthy as possible

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    Mute John Arsey
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 11:01 AM

    @Claudio Cavaliere: so there’s no protocol to deal with an Emergency on a submarine then?

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    Mute Patricia O'Reilly
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 11:20 AM

    @John Arsey: it’s a pretty massive sea

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 5:42 PM

    @John Arsey: Don’t forget MH370, we thought when that went missing we said the exact same thing.

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 11:25 AM

    Awful way to go

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    Mute Stephen Gill
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 1:18 PM
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