Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It does not matter as one death is too many.

I have already addressed this issue and it has been brought to the attention of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. It is aware of this issue and it is attending to it, but it is probably not fast enough for the Deputies.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network. The maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer.

Due to the national financial position, there were significant reductions in Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure over the past several years. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. The Government’s capital investment plan, Building on Recovery - Infrastructure and Capital Investment, provides the strategic and financial framework for TII’s national roads programme from 2016 to 2022. As Minister, I have to work within the capital budgets included in the plan. In turn, TII has to prioritise works on the basis of the funding available to it. TII allocates funding specifically for safety works based on its analysis of the network. This year it has allocated approximately €17 million for such works.

Under its HD15 programme, safety works are based on an analysis of accident density across the network. Those sections of the network with considerably higher than average accident densities are selected for analysis. Sections of road which are amenable to engineering solutions are prioritised for treatment.

In addition, TII operates a HD17 programme based on road safety inspection reports. These reports indicate which issues, for example signing, lining or safety barriers, need to be addressed on different sections of road and programmes are drawn up to deal with the priority issues. It should be noted that good pavements also contribute to road safety. TII has allocated approximately €50 million for pavements in 2017.

Kilkenny County Council, the road authority for the area, appointed consultants to undertake a review of the Tower Road-Piltown junction on the N24. The latest update from TII is that an allocation was approved to Kilkenny County Council for a signing and lining scheme to address issues identified by the council’s consultant in the performance of Piltown junction. In parallel, Waterford County Council’s road design office, on behalf of Kilkenny County Council, is currently preparing a preliminary appraisal examining options to close the median crossing at Tower Road junction and the possibility of providing an overbridge at this location.

I am aware of the safety issues which the Deputies have raised. I am particularly anxious that safety should be the top priority in my time in this particular portfolio. I cannot emphasise more the fact that I have told TII that this is a priority. It has responded in a positive way, not necessarily to this particular junction, but to this issue in the future.

See this speech in context