Mr. John McLaughlin:

Mr. Mulholland referred to current practice in respect of prioritisation, etc. I am going to review some of the ongoing developments in which we and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are involved throughout the country. The term "MapRoad" provided in the next slide relates to the overall platform for road management in respect of the regional and local road networks. Within that there is a pavement management system module. I wish to provide members with the American definition of what constitutes a pavement management system, namely, "a systematic method for routinely collecting, storing, and retrieving the kind of decision-making information needed to make maximum use of limited maintenance [moneys]". That definition lies at the forefront of all of this. We are moving towards an evidence-based system for assessment rating that complements the work to which Mr. Mulholland referred. The latter system was developed in Wisconsin, USA, but is being adapted for Irish conditions by the local authorities, the Department and some outside experts. It will come into force this year and it relies on standardised visual inspections which are supplemented by a certain amount of machine testing to validate the results. There is a scoring or rating system, with ten representing what is best. The system is quite simple, cost-effective, easy to use and practical. The road network throughout the entire country needs to be rated by the end of 2014. Significant work is already under way in this regard and we will see evidence of this later. Very good progress has been made with existing staff in local authorities.

Two people are required to operate the system. One drives the car and the other uses a hand-held device to record scores for the relevant road. In practical terms, a two-person team can cover approximately 150 km per day. In the context of Donegal, which has approximately 6,000 km of roads, the ten different areas into which it is divided can be covered by the various engineers in four full-time days. This could even be spread out over a longer period. As members can see, therefore, the system is quite practical. There are close to 100,000 km of roads throughout the country, so machine testing would not be needed and neither would it be practical or cost-effective. The visual rating system is very good for assessing roads, however.

I accept that the chart currently on screen is difficult to read but it provides the necessary information. At the very top of the chart, designated by the number 10 and the colour green, are the roads which are in first-class condition and which only require routine maintenance from time to time. At the very bottom of the chart, designated by the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, are those roads which require either completely new structural overlays or rebuilding. The challenge we face is to try to identify the latter roads to assess what might be done about them.

The next slide shows, in map form, what has been done to date in County Donegal. Members can see quite an amount of green on the map. There is a need to validate the work being done in this regard throughout the country in order that everyone will be on the same page in the context of their interpretations. Standardised training and manuals have been provided. The work will be validated during the next year or two to ensure a score of 8, for example, will mean the same thing in all counties.

The next slide contains a map of a particular electoral area in Donegal which shows the position in greater detail. Members can see there are quite a few blues and reds. It is possible to provide very good analysis in respect of the different scores and the number of kilometres involved. It is a good decision-making tool. Further developments are already under way in the context of, for example, assessing what would be required in terms of investment to improve a score of 7 to one of 8. There are many ways in which one can consider this matter and we hope the system will be well used in the future.

The next slide shows the MapRoad system on our road management tools function and illustrates how we are moving more towards technology. This is the accident database and the one on screen shows the position in south Tipperary. There is such a database for every county. Unfortunately, the system indicates that last year there were 162 fatalities on our roads. These are tracked through the Garda system and then transmitted to us. The red dots denote fatalities. This is a tool by means of which we can target improvements to where they are most needed.

The next slide shows the history of works in south Tipperary. Mr. Mulholland referred to the multi-annual programme. The work that is done and the year in which it is carried out is logged into the system and the various colours on the map show different roads that were done at different times. This is a useful tracking tool. If, after a number of years, there is a failure in respect of a road, it is possible to identify when the work was carried out and the materials that were used. This provides very good information. The provision of such information within the system is a requirement throughout the country.

The next slide shows the machine-mechanical surveys. This allows us to superimpose visual ratings onto the stretches of road that are tested by machine and to carry out comparisons. The machines rate more than just the visual condition of roads. They also take into account the roughness of the surface, skid resistance and a number of other factors. All of the information is superimposed and the most important ones are placed at the top. This assists in prioritisation.

The final slide shows the position with regard to bridges in Galway. Bridges are also logged into the system and rated. It is difficult to see on the screen but there are some bridges which are in very poor condition, which have been damaged, etc. They are all rated. Some of the bridges which form part of the regional and local road network are quite old and are in poor condition. Obviously, it is necessary that such bridges should be in a serviceable condition. Information on these bridges is contained in our system along with a number of other items.

The system involved is both very structured and evidence-based. There has been very good co-operation between local authorities and the Department in the context of seeing it through to completion. One of the beauties of it is that the scoring system is quite easy to use. People who use the system adapt to it very quickly. We expect it to be used much more in the future and to yield good results.