We have to stop the increasing carnage on our roads. More than 70 people have died so far this year, every single death being a deep family tragedy. On top of that, there has been a consistent increase in the number of people being seriously injured. Those incidents don’t make the news, but leave people maimed and scarred for life.

The job of turning things around lies with the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána and the transport agencies, but if we are to really tackle the root cause of the problem then our local authorities will have to take centre stage.

The biggest increase in fatalities and injuries has been among pedestrians and cyclists being hit by vehicles. The solution to that problem has to come from better engineering of what is happening on our roads and not just more education or enforcement campaigns. We have designed our roads to suit the car and truck to the point where it is not safe to walk and cycle. That is what has to change.

Local authorities have been given significant resources to make it happen. There is an annual budget of €350 million for active travel improvements and new design teams have been put in place in every council as well as in the National Transport Authority and........

© The Irish Times