Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In his opening statement, the Minister of State stated that we are all aware that drink and drug driving and distraction while driving are major causes of accidents. There is absolutely no doubt but that poor infrastructure in rural areas is a major problem. Representatives of TII have been before the committee on a number of occasions and we have asked them about the issue. The first thing that public representatives are asked when there is a collision or a fatality in a rural area is why they did nothing about the road. Perhaps the road in question has been the scene of a number of accidents and incidents where people have been injured and lost their lives. There has to be a stronger message in that regard. The Bill deals with speeding and the issue of driving under the influence of intoxicants but the issue of safe roads is not being dealt with. The standard answer we get from TII is while it has reports noted on its register and it knows that particular areas are black spots and dangerous, it has to prioritise because it does not have sufficient funding. In rural Ireland, in particular, people are concerned. We see a flood of money for walkways and cycleways when a couple of kilometres down the road, there might be a very dangerous junction to which no priority is given. How does the Minister of State propose to deal with that?