Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What plans does the Government have and what arrangements are being made within the Estimates to address the appalling conditions of our rural roads network? We had an election six months ago. Prior to that election, the big parties conducted their research, had their focus groups, were taking soundings as to what the issues were and were sending people to America and the UK. I am surprised that the big parties, particularly Fine Gael, did not consult their councillors. The one message they would have received from rural Ireland is that there is a massive neglect of the rural road network. As a result of councillors losing touch with their constituents, the Fine Gael Party and other big parties suffered a loss of support. I have to say that I felt sorry for many Fine Gael and Labour Party councillors who canvassed rural areas and came back and said that they were ashamed and embarrassed to be asking people for votes from laneways, byroads and side roads that were simply inaccessible.

According to a recent report, there are 91,000 km of regional and local roads in Ireland which account for 94% of the country's road network and carry 54% of all the traffic on our roads. That same report highlights that when the condition of those roads was examined, over 75% of them were in urgent need of repair and maintenance. At the same time, we have an additional 75,000 cars travelling on Irish roads since 2010. That has increased the annual income from road tax by €17 million. While that money was coming into the Exchequer, at the same time there was a decrease in the funding for our national roads programme. In my own constituency, the national roads fund decreased from €608 million in 2008 to the current figure of €294 million. My county of Tipperary was allocated a total of €45 million for roads in 2011. By 2015, that had fallen to €28 million. In the current year, it has fallen by a further €3 million. In other words, within five years, we have lost €25 million worth of funding for our road network.

The unacceptable quality of the rural road network is having a negative impact on the social and economic well-being of rural communities. There are school buses, ambulances and buses that are collecting people to take them to day care centres on these roads. I am aware of a situation in which an ambulance was taken out of service for three weeks due to damage that was done when bringing a patient from one of these side roads. Every day, my office receives countless complaints of dangerous situations in which people are forced to drive erratically to avoid potholes. Vehicles have been damaged, tyres have been ripped off and the steering, wheels and suspension of cars have been damaged seriously. These rural dwellers pay the same car tax as urban dwellers but are at a complete disadvantage.

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