Damien Blake

I’d really like to thank everyone who has supported the “Stop The Carnage” campaign.

I’ve posted an update on the RoadSafetyBlog.com website with a plan as to how we can proceed, and to get a submission in for the Road Safety Authority’s upcoming Road Safety Strategy 2007 – 2012. I’d appreciate any comments you have on these proposals.

If you have any ideas on ways to spread this campaign, please leave a comment here.

Here’s some of the sites and blogs that have made submissions:
Twenty Major (NSFW)
Comments on Mulley.net
EastMeath.org
IrishElection.com
Gerry O’Sullivan
Branedy
Stall The Ball
Winds and Breezes
RedMum
The Community At Large
Eirepreneur
Dan Sullivan
Michele Neylon
Letters from the Idiot
Donncha O’Caoimh
Gerry Gainford
Head Rambles

This post has been recovered from an archived page. Full post (including all comments) available here: Archive.org

Another Monday morning, another weekend of carnage on the Irish roads.

At the same time, we have judges failing to disqualify drivers caught racing at 200kph on the Mullingar bypass while video-taping each other.

We despair about the state of Irish roads, road safety and driving. In particular, young male drivers come in for much criticism. As a young male driver, I fuly accept this criticism is relevant. Events like this weekend show that.

Yes, there are many, many young drivers who drive safely (I’d say easily over 95%), but the statistics do not lie. It is young people who are dying on the roads of Ireland. They are dying every week, primarily at the weekend and almost always at night.

Young people must now stand up and take the lead on this issue. We are killing each other. The Government, The Road Safety Authority and Local Authorities around the Country are doing what they can, but this is an issue that every Irish person needs to get involved with.

It’s time to stand up and be counted. Last week, I made a small contribution to a Highland Radio debate on E-Voting. From that, I got coverage across the Internet, peaking with a piece in the main section of yesterday’s Sunday Times. Without the Internet, I would just be another small-time politician speaking to a local audience.

The Internet amplified my small contribution to that debate. E-Voting is important, but voting machines won’t kill 400 Irish people this year.

What can we do? I’d like to see Irish Bloggers declare this “Stop The Carnage Week”. We each have a voice; this is an issue on which we need to be as vocal as possible. But, if everyone shouts “something must be done” we’ll be no further on than we are today.

Here’s what I’d like to do:

• Write a post on your own blog
• Tag it with “roadsafetyblog“, link to this post or add a comment below with the link
• If you don’t have a blog, you can comment here
• Most importantly, we need your suggestions on how to improve things
• I’ll prepare a report on the submissions, and forward it to the Minister, Taoiseach, Road Safety Authority, Insurance Federation and every member of the Oireachtas.

To get started, here are some of my suggestions:

• When a driver loses their licence, they lose their licence.
  Rather than a suspension, as currently happens, the driver is banned from driving for the period and must then apply for a provisional licence, and resit their test, rather than automatically getting their (often clean) licence back.
• Permanent Penalty Points
  Currently, penalty points expire after three years. I propose two changes – firstly, for serious breaches like Drink Driving, Speeding and Dangerous Driving, penalties points should be permanent. Second, once you have been banned your licence should be automatically loaded with a number of permanent points, related to the reason for your ban.
• Zero Tolerance Approach
  A few issues really get to me. I believe their should be automatic bans for, among other things, using a mobile phone while driving, drink driving, driving while uninsured and driving without a licence.
• Two Strikes, You’re Out
  Everyone deserves a second chance, but if someone has been banned from driving, then resat their driving test and returned to the road, their should be no more chances. A second driving ban should see a driver off the road, permanently.
• Probation Period & Repeat Tests
  The entire system of driver education in Ireland needs to be completely overhauled. Two elements I’d like to see, as part of a new testing system, are a probation period and repeat tests. I believe newly qualified drivers should have all the same rights as other drivers (speed limits, distance, hours etc), but they should be at risk of having their licence revoked on four points, instead of twelve, for the first two years. New drivers should also be tested at least once again after they pass their test, to ensure that at least a year passes before the bad habits form.

I’m not a perfect driver*, and I’m sure there are things I do on the road that would annoy many people as the items above get to me. We all need to be committed to full awareness while on the roads, at all times.

I can’t do this on my own, so any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Drop me an email or a comment if you can help out. I’ve registered roadsafetyblog.com today to co-ordinate and develop this campaign, but it’ll be a few days before that domain is operational.

Update: In my haste to get this started, I forgot to mention RoadDeaths.ie, the first Irish site to tackle this issue. Their Map of Road Deaths is very chilling.

Much controversy has erupted recently regarding the Council’s decision, taking a good few years ago, to sell the site of the current Letterkenny Leisure Centre, on the High Road, as part of the funding package for the new Regional Sports Centre, at Sallaghraine. A meeting took place this week, at which the Letterkenny Community Residents Association took the decision that they would attempt to oppose the closure. They have called another meeting, for October 24th at 8:30 in the Orchard, to discuss the plans further.

I have some reservations about parts of the plans for the new Centre, and have raised them both at Monday night’s Council meeting and in private with Council officials since. I am awaiting clarification on some of these issues back from the Council.

To clarify one point in particular, the Leisure Centre on the High Road is not turning a profit. The Centre is very well run, and has greatly improved its financial performance in recent years. But it is still losing money. Last year, it lost approx. E270,000, and continues at a similar rate this year. I have no problem with this; Letterkenny Town Council covers the loss, as part of our remit to provide a public Leisure service, Indeed, I consider this to be among the best money we spend.

There are three issues being muddled together as part of the current controversy:

1. Closure of existing Leisure Centre
2. Sale of site on High Road
3. Management of new Centre, at Sallaghraine

I’d like to address those three items, in reverse.

Management of new Centre

The Town Council, before I was a member, took the decision that the best way to manage the centre would be with the involvement of an outside contractor with experience managing similar centres.

I have difficulty in accepting this. Currently, the Town Council succesfully manages our existing centre, and a similar body operates An Grianan Theatre. I fully believe we could effectively mange the new Complex in a similar fashion, and that the involvement of a third party would not be desireable.

However, I do not have the full facts behind the decision yet. When I get this information, I will be better able to discuss this issue.

Sale of site at High Road

The new development at Sallaghraine is budgetted at approx. E18.5 million. E6 million of this has come from Government funds, with the rest being delivered locally.

Part of this came from a loan of E5 million, secured by the Town Council. At the time the loan was issued, Letterkenny Town Council was one of only a handful of local authorities capable of getting approval for a loan of this size, due to the healthy state of the Council’s finances.

The sale of the site at High Road makes up a substantial part of the funding package for the new centre. The value of the site is estimated at E2 million.

My view on this is simple; if anyone can identify a better place to get the E2 million, I’ll listen to them and give it full consideration. As yet, nobody has suggested any other source for the funding.

It would be fantastic if Letterkenny Town Council could retain ownership of this valuable site for the future. I feel, however, that the new sports centre is a much better investment of the money than leaving the site there, unused, for the future.

Closure of existing Leisure Centre

Firstly, if you don’t know what is going into the new sports centre, please read this article first.

I live very near the current leisure centre, and have made regular use of it since it first opened. I learned to swim there. In my time as a Councillor, I have seen the huge efforts that go into running the Centre, and the great work done by the staff there.

As I said above, the Centre is currently running a (manageable) loss, despite having a high volume of visits. Letterkenny Town Council has committed to running the current Centre until the day the new Centre opens.

The big problem arrives when the new Centre opens. It is clear that people will be attracted to use the facilities of the new Centre. This would mean less of trade at the High Road centre, meaning it would require more of a subsidy from the Town Council. This is money that would have to be raised from local rates, and diverted from other projects in the town.

The operation of two centres would harm the trade in both, meaning two massive subsidies would be required from the Council, when we could run one centre with either a small loss, or potentially breaking even. When we consider the various strains on Council finances, I don’t believe that is justifiable.

I’m not an accountant, so I could be wrong in these points. If anyone cares to raise anything about these points, or any other, please leave a comment. It will go straight on to the page, and be viewable to everyone who reads this post.

For me, the most important issue in this is the employment situation for the staff the High Road centre. The Centre is run fantastically, and the staff there could provide invaluable support to the new Centre. It is vital that Letterkenny Town Council ensures the best possible way of ensuring we get our qualified, experienced staff from the High Road Centre to the new complex at Sallaghraine. I’m absolutely emphatic about this point, and it is connected to my views on bringing in an outside company to manage the new Centre.

I have posted this here in the hope of stimulating debate. I have raised the issues that are concerning me, and would welcome any comments you have to make on this project. If you would rather not comment directly on the site, you can get in contact with me directly.

Update: Post following public meeting on Oct 24th, 2006

Local minds have become very focussed on the next election, which is due to come up in the spring of next year.

To ensure you are able to take part in the next election, you should make sure you’re registered to vote. You can check the register for the entire county at http://www.donegal.ie/eReg/.

If you’re not registered, send me an email and I’ll help you get on the register. It’s a very simple process.

Last night saw the AGM of Letterkenny Town Council, and the end of my term as Mayor. Councillor Ciaran Brogan was elected to the position, and Cllr Dessie Larkin was elected Deputy Mayor.

I’ve had a fantastic year as Mayor; I’ve been able to represent the town across the country (and abroad), and have been in a position to push the agenda of the town council. I detail more of this in my speech, which you can read here.

It’s also about a year since I started this website. I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and support it has received, both locally and across the internet. I’d like to thank Damien, Simon (1), Simon (2), James, Michele, Mick at Slugger O’Toole, Irish Election, United Irelander and all those who have linked to the site over the year. I’ve also spent a lot of time on the North West discussion board at boards.ie, which has a very high standard of Donegal-focussed debate.

My year as Mayor has been, by times, controversial, interesting and frustrating, but it has always been very rewarding. I’ve learned an awful lot this year, and I hope I can continue to serve the people of Letterkenny long in to the future.

Thank you to everyone who has helepd me throughout this year. Your continued support is very much appreciated!

Last week, in one of my last official acts as Mayor, I officially launched the environmental improvements at the Cathedral Car Park, the centre-piece of which is the new Celtic Cross (which was the source of much controversy earlier this year, more info here).

More photos here

The cross is an absolutely stunning piece of work, towering over an area which has seen huge improvements over the last three years. It was a great honour to officially unviel the cross, and launch the new car park. This area of the town is an area the Council are very proud of, and rightfully so. In my speech, I paid particular tribute to all the council staff who have worked on the project, between designing, planning and building.

Redmond Herrity is an exceptionally talented artist and sculptor, and this piece will be a testament to his skill for many decades to come. If you’re in Letterkenny, check it out (it’s located outside the Cathedral, which can be seen from all around the town).

Fine Gael look set to pin their hopes on Ardara based Cllr. Terence Slowey in their bid to retain a Dail seat in the Donegal South-West constituency at the next general election.
On Wednesday, Deputy Dinny McGinley announced that he will not be standing next time.
The news came as a surprise to many people, especially as McGinley has been very vocal on a number of issues in recent weeks.
Source: Letterkenny Post

Best wishes to Dinny McGinley on his retirement. I’ve met Dinny a number of times at events across the County, and have always found him to be a first-class public representative and a genuine gentleman. He’s also been quite the thorn in the side of Fianna Fail during the term of this Government!

This all leads to make the situation in Donegal South West very interesting. Fine Gael meet on Sunday (June 11th) to select their candidates. Much talk will focus on how this impacts on Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty, and who Fine Gael will put up to attempt to retain their seat. Fine Gael have yet to decide on whether they will run one or two candidates in Donegal SW, a decision which will certainly impact on the race.

Most speculation points to Cllr Terence Slowey taking the nomination. Slowey is indeed very popular, and is another very genuine person. I would wish him every success. If Fine Gael look to run two candidates, that opens the interesting prospect of a young candidate, with (County) Councillor Barry O’Neill and (Town) Councillor Brendan Travers both seeking the nomination. These Councillors, both in their early twenties, both from Ballyshannon and both elected in 2004, have performed strongly in polls to date.

From this distance, it would seem that O’Neill has the edge. But I wouldn’t rule out Travers yet; any time you can get a father and son team elected to the same authority, it’s clear you have a hard working team on your hands.

Update: Fine Gael are running one candidate. It’s Terence Slowey, who beat Barry O’Neill, Brendand Travers and David Morrow at the convention last night.