Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The principal reason for the Rural Independent Group putting forward this motion is to highlight that the Irish road network is significantly underfunded. This raises safety concerns and concerns over the lack of connectivity between our major urban areas and it inhibits balanced regional development which significantly disadvantages our peripheral counties. The programme for partnership Government acknowledges that the capital budget for local and regional roads is still recovering after the economic crash and the new partnership Government proposes to increase this budget by approximately 50% in the years ahead if the national finances are improved. We acknowledge that the road budget has increased by 9% this year. This must be increased year on year to redress the ten years of underfunding. On 24 January, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, announced details of the €324 million investment programme for 2017 for regional and local roads. It was not a spectacular announcement but it was a step in the right direction.

We all pay equal road tax but unfortunately this does not ensure an even distribution of acceptable road infrastructure. The symbol of the rural road is still the pothole, which often multiplies and coalesces to change from comic to dangerous proportions. Poor road structure and inadequate investment must also be a contributory factor in some road traffic accidents and we are calling for urgent safety improvement schemes to address dangerous junctions and bends where serious or fatal accidents have occurred. Additionally, it is very difficult to convince county councils to take important simple safety measures to add rumble strips at entrances to our villages and towns where speeds are excessive and it is proving almost impossible to lower speed limits on roads which have excessive limits, as judged by local residents, road users and commercial traffic. The level of proof required that a limit is excessive is beyond the capacity of most local groups, having had to pass through so many regulatory bodies as to frustrate people to distraction. This process needs to be simplified and streamlined.

One of the legacies of the Celtic tiger era was the development of our motorway structure, linking our major cities. That undertaking was never completed and many projects were half finished or did not commence. We are still waiting for a motorway link between Limerick and Cork and for one between Limerick and Galway, to name but two projects. This deficit is a major factor inhibiting balanced regional development. My colleagues, Deputies Michael and Danny Healy Rae, are repeatedly speaking of the mythical Macroom bypass, which I presume will link Kilgarvin with the rest of the world. I am sure many of my colleagues will have similar projects which have not been completed or have not yet started.

The development of road connectivity is essential for economic development in trade, tourism and in health planning where travel time has been reduced allowing connectivity between hospitals. However, the recession has taken its toll on regional, secondary and local roads. A crumbling rural road infrastructure was one of the legacies bequeathed to the Irish people by the recession. It is estimated that roads need to have essential maintenance at least every seven years. Many of our roads have not been maintained for ten years or more and are now in a sorry state of repair. Maintenance costs multiply when roads are allowed to crumble and disintegrate, thus placing additional burdens on local authorities to bring them back to an acceptable level of structure. Additionally, county councils have lost many of experienced staff who had local knowledge on how to manage and maintain our secondary and local roads. Recruitment and retention of staff is critical if we are to upgrade our county road structure.

The Wild Atlantic Way has experienced extraordinary traffic increases over recent years and much of this traffic is using our secondary road system which is struggling to cope with the associated wear and tear. Combined with our extremes of weather, in particular flooding, this is putting great pressure on road maintenance requirements. The programme for Government also commits to reinstate a fully funded local improvement scheme to support the maintenance and repair of non-local authority roads. I am particularly keen to see the reinstatement of a separate grant allocation to the local improvement scheme, as funding becomes available, to support the upgrading and repair of non-local authority roads. This very worthwhile scheme was suspended in 2011. The purpose of the local improvement scheme is to provide funding for the upkeep and repair of isolated roads and lanes which have not been taken in charge by local authorities. In effect these are private roads, a legacy of history. The scheme was vital in keeping isolated people connected to their local community. So far the Minister has resisted calls for a separate ring-fenced fund, despite the state of many rural roads and lanes. However, I believe he has indicated that he would like to get the scheme started by the end of this year and I can assure him that he will get every encouragement from the Rural Independent Group Deputies in this matter.

The action plan for rural development contains a commitment to progress the major roads projects detailed in the transport element of the capital investment plan 2016-2021. This should help to deliver economic and business benefits across rural areas and regions. However, the action plan is weak on the subject of rural roads and their importance is under-emphasised. The road network across rural Ireland is like the arteries of the body. When the artery becomes damaged and neglected, one does not need to be a doctor to realise the consequences.

Ministers need to be on notice that, in the coming months, we will be regularly knocking on their doors with a copy of the plan. Most rural Deputies were elected because of outrage at the economic and structural decline of rural Ireland, leading inevitably to a decline in the social and cultural fabric of an important element of the Irish nation. We have shouted "Stop" in regard to rural issues and we expect them to respond. The rural road which we are discussing today is emblematic of rural Ireland. It is vitally important in itself but is only part of a greater totality. The action plan for rural development, with goodwill and drive, can be the catalyst for positive change. It is our role to ensure that it is.

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