As a consequence of the recent flooding and freezing weather conditions, our regional and local roads are in an appalling state. Some roads are in such a bad state of repair they are impassable and are a major risk to driver safety.

Fine Gael believes that the failure of the government to prioritise our local and regional road network will have severe consequences for the economy. These roads serve an important economic and social role. 94% of all our roads are regional or local and carry about 60% of all traffic and 43% of all goods traffic.

Current Problems
  • Question marks remain as to the quality of our roads network. Hundreds of millions annually is spent on secondary roads yet when the country suffers a cold snap and road surfaces go below freezing, our infrastructure disintegrates. This does not happen in other countries and it is a serious matter which the Minister for Transport needs to address.
  • Road safety is central to all road improvement and maintenance work and is supposed to be a key plank of the government’s road investment programme. Yet, the government has now cut the funding programme and content to leave our roads is a disgraceful state, putting drivers’ safety at risk.
  • At a local level, access for people in isolated areas is compromised. It is in such areas that roads are suffering most. Massive potholes and disintegrating road surfaces mean locals remain cut off from their local communities.
  • In areas of particular tourist attraction, tourists will have immense difficulty navigating rural locations and will be disinclined to travel if they know that the roads are hazardous. The tourism industry already suffered a €1 billion loss in 2009.
The Minister for Transport failed to protect this Roads Programme and failed to put in place an adequate emergency response for the recent severe weather conditions. Last year, the Minister for Transport announced with great fanfare a €607.5m investment programme in the regional and local roads programme for 2009. He stated that even though Exchequer funding was under enormous pressure he was still able to hold onto his budget for these roads. Just 2 months later, the Emergency Budget cut a staggering €150m off the roads programme. Budget 2010 then cut a further 8%, leaving Local Authorities struggling to maintain these roads. This represents a decimating €196m cut in the Local and Regional Roads Programme in less than one year – 32% down.

Fine Gael solution

The Government should immediately release emergency funding through the NRA for the restoration of these roads. The continued ignorance by government to this issue will only result in further deterioration which will cost more in the long run and place drivers’ lives at greater risk.

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