Calls for a ban on soft toys at roadside memorials
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What new policy is being proposed for roadside crash memorials in South Dublin?
The Claire Byrne Show on News Talk. With Aviva Insurance.
Now a ban on soft toys is among the restrictions proposed for roadside crash memorials in South Dublin. The policy will be presented to the Dunleary Rath Down County Council today for approval and will result in the taking down of these toys. It's part of a plan to improve road safety and will also include restrictions on tributes, including large floral arrangements and illuminations. Vice President of the Irish Road Victims Association, Leo Legio, is with me now. Good morning, Leo.
Morning Claire. Your own or
your own organization seems to have been conflicted on this because you say sometimes these memorials can serve as a road safety um reminder for people, but then they can be distracting too.
Yeah, yeah. Well, once they're appropriately managed, uh you know, some of them can be over the top. I I'll admit that some of them can be over the top, but I
Why do some roadside memorials, like soft‑toy tributes, help road‑safety awareness?
think there absol uh there's an absolute necessity there on the side of the road to show people where that A some of we was killed here and we need to be aware. And It's it's it's not it's not just a mem a memorial, it's a reminder for people to take care on the roads. They they don't get the soft high thing, to be honest with you.
You don't get yeah, but it's but it's very important to some people as you know, and they'll mark the anniversary, they'll put something new on the on the memorial, and that is a comfort to them, isn't it?
Absolutely. Like I h I have one for my own daughter. It's on the side of the road. It's It's not over the top now and again there's a bunch of flowers there and that's it. But a memorial, yes. And uh usually if there's a soft hide there, that means it's a child after being killed.
How do families of victims feel about the removal of personal memorial items?
And Like you have to have compassion here. Like it's part of the grieving process as well. As well as a reminder for other road users.
Mm-hmm.
And until you've gone through something like that, until you've lost someone on our roads. It's very hard to explain to uh uh uh someone else what it means to you. You know, it means a lot that you're passing by there and you You're reminded of your your child and not that you need a reminder, but you're reminded that that someone was that your child was killed here. And people need to slow down and need to be more careful. It's me. This is all. This is all cosmetic stuff to be honest with you.
When should a memorial be taken down because it creates a traffic hazard?
Because instead of concentrating on What's killing people on our roads? They're just nitpicking at diff different little things just as distractions.
Mm-hmm. And the the council now though will on foot of this remove memorials like the one that you have for your daughter. Th that's gonna be very upsetting for people, isn't it?
That's g g gotta be very upsetting and very shocking. And uh to be honest, I wouldn't stand for it to try to take Marci's away and I w wouldn't be one little bit happy. Thank you. What what harm are you doing? Let's be honest, what harm are they doing? How many people have been killed by a roadside memorial?
What alternatives could replace soft‑toy memorials while still honoring victims?
But
I can't I can't think about it. Why if they're gonna ban if they're gonna ban the roadside memorials, uh what about election time when all posters and banners are all over the place? Are they not a distraction? That's a decent point.
But
your
own organization didn't have a billboard your own organisation did say though in the submission, Leo, on this that memorials placed in unsafe locations or which introduce harass urds to road road users cannot be supported. So you are saying that in some cases they should be removed.
Uh whether causing a danger and w where they c uh visibly can cause a uh hazard, of course, yeah. Like no one no one wants the uh a danger on the roads or something that's gonna cause a cause a c a collision. Well it's like like I said, some of them can be over the top. And which there over extravagant and they will cause uh blocks uh vision and v the tr view of the road coming up and that will do cause a hazard.
How will the council enforce the ban and prevent memorials from being reinstated?
Yes, they have to be taken down and maybe replaced by something across or something like that there.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What new policy is being proposed for roadside crash memorials in South Dublin?
0:01–1:01
2
Why do some roadside memorials, like soft‑toy tributes, help road‑safety awareness?
1:01–1:46
3
How do families of victims feel about the removal of personal memorial items?
1:46–2:23
4
When should a memorial be taken down because it creates a traffic hazard?
2:23–3:01
5
What alternatives could replace soft‑toy memorials while still honoring victims?
3:01–3:54
6
How will the council enforce the ban and prevent memorials from being reinstated?
3:54–4:32
7
What should listeners do if they’re affected by the new roadside memorial rules?
4:32–5:37