Bereaved families now need to apply to Cork County Council for permission to erect a roadside memorial should a loved die in a car accident.
A new policy bans families from placing bouquets of flowers, pictures, candles and soft toys on the roadside in tribute to crash victims.
The new bye-laws aim to standardise the roadside tributes, making it safer for drivers passing by and relatives visiting the sites.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Cork County Councillor Declan Hurley said the new laws are, “all about safety.”
“It is not about banning soft toys or pictures or candles,” he said.
“It is really about supporting families and next of kin in grieving for a loved one and in doing so, it is making these roadside memorials safer.”
Roadside memorial
He said the changes may be “very upsetting for families” but insisted they are not about clamping down on the memorials.
“It is not about banning soft toys, even though they are not allowed in the new policy, this is about safeguarding families who want to go back to a location where a loved one passed away,” he said.
“We want to allow families to continue to this but do it with safety in mind and safety for the motorists.”
Approval
From now on memorials will have to meet certain criteria to be approved by the council – for instance, they cannot include lights and must be no larger than 60cm X 60cm wide and 15cm deep.
Floral tributes should take up a space no larger than 1m squared and will not be allowed on motorways or dual carriageways.
“What will be allowed is some permanent planting of shrubs or flowers, but anything that is moveable won’t be allowed at these locations,” said Cllr Hurley.
“The best example I can give is, on a windy day, if there is a soft toy or a picture frame or something than can be blown over, that can roll out on to the road and may cause a motorist to swerve or it could distract them for a split second – enough to cause an accident.”
He said memorials will not always be allowed at the crash site; however, they will be located, “as close as possible that is safe for loved ones to attend and won’t be a distraction for motorists.”
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