Roadside memorials to be restricted to roads with speed limits lower than 60kmh

Families and friends of people killed on roads in Westmeath will not automatically have the right to erect roadside memorials, following adoption by councillors of an updated policy document on the subject.

The new policy was adopted at the July council meeting, at which members also agreed to hold an Address of Recognition in honour of the Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA), a national charity supporting road crash victims, which was founded in Mullingar in 2012.

Under the new policy, roadside memorials will not be permitted on the motorway and dual carriageway network, on the high-speed single carriageway road network or on any road with a speed limit greater than 60kmh.

Instead, the council will be encouraging an alternative means of commemoration such as the provision of a tree or a bench in a public park or other suitable location, subject to the approval of the Municipal District.

Stating that the council recognise the emotional significance of roadside memorials to the families and friends of those who have died on the roads, the policy document points out that the site of road collisions may be “particularly hazardous” and pose a distraction to motorists, and it explains that the policy endeavours to balance the wishes of the bereaved with public safety.

“The safety of all road users, as well as of those placing, attending at or maintaining memorials, is the overriding safety issue in the consideration of roadside memorials,” the document states.

Those wishing to erect memorials will have to provide the municipal district with a location map and sketch of the layout. The application will need the written permission of the landowner and of the next of kin.

The roadside memorial cannot exceed 600mm high by 600mm wide by 150mm deep. Memorials must be kept free from “flowers, ornaments or materials that will give rise to litter”, and must not be lit or have reflective properties.

Roadside memorials will only be permitted to commemorate a fatality that has occurred within 24 months of receipt of the application. Where it is proposed to erect a freestanding memorial near a fence, hedge or ditch, only wooden memorials will be permitted, in the interest of road safety, and can be no more than one metre over the ground.

Where an existing roadside memorial constitutes an obstruction, a road hazard, is visually obstructive, or, in the opinion of the area engineer, should be removed, the council will make every effort to reach agreement with the family of the deceased, prior to the removal or relocation of the memorial.

Cllr Liam McDaniel asked what neighbouring local authorities were doing. “People will ask why can you have it there and not here,” he said. Jean Ryan, director of services, assured him that all local authorities are to implement the same policy on all roads with a speed limit over 60kmh. The new policy was adopted on the proposal of Cllr Frankie Keena, seconded by Cllr Vinny McCormack.