Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I must apologise. As I was at a meeting for most of the morning, I was not aware of the arrangements and I apologise for being late.

I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue for my constituency. I also welcome the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, and thank him for his attendance. The Minister is both aware of the position and is supportive of what I am about to say but I acknowledge there are difficulties in arriving at the desired outcome. This issue concerns the road coming into Adare, the N20 from Limerick to Kerry. The road into Adare has been named by AA Roadwatch as one of the country's worst in terms of traffic tailbacks. It appears in the list of seven of the country's slowest roads compiled by the Automobile Association, AA, based on its own experience and information from the Garda Síochána and bus companies. That is no surprise to the people of Adare, because tailbacks have been experienced for a number of years, which has caused delays for traffic coming into and leaving Adare. During bank holidays, two-mile tailbacks build up on the approach into Adare from the Kerry side as a result of people returning from holiday periods after the weekend. It happens both ways, but the problem is very serious at weekends, especially on Friday nights. It is no surprise to the people of Adare that it is on the list of the seven slowest areas compiled by the AA. I believe the Minister has some personal experience in this regard from his journeys to the south west.

I wish to highlight a number of issues. Obviously, commuters going west experience great frustration. Many commuters who travel through Adare morning and evening are from the west of County Limerick but work in Limerick city and its environs. There is also a serious problem on the small country roads because of what are often referred to as rat-runs. Some time ago, a total of 133 people signed a petition calling for a speed limit on those roads but the council is not prepared to concede this because it is not a 24-hour issue. There are serious concerns about the safety of children and at certain periods, people cannot walk those county roads because of the traffic going west avoiding Adare. This has been a problem for more than 30 years. Several routes for a bypass have been identified over that period but we were extremely disappointed that An Bord Pleanála turned down the last route the council proposed, using the excuse that the motorway from Limerick to Cork is being delayed and it was to be part of the programme to establish that motorway.

I make the case for a bypass for Adare because many other towns have been bypassed. Deputy Griffin will know that the bypass of Castleisland was done as a single project. In my opinion the bypass of Adare should be regarded as a stand-alone project and should not be connected with any future motorway to Cork. I was informed recently that the project has cost more than €5 million to date in providing plans and identifying various routes.

Adare is a premier tourist project in the mid west which has been described as one of the prettiest villages in Ireland. There is great potential for the development of the tourism business in Adare and in the mid-west in general if the bypass is constructed.

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