Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding of the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects are a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. As a result of the national financial position, there were very large reductions in the Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure after the financial crisis. For this reason, the focus has had to be on maintenance and renewal rather than new improvement projects in recent years, and I envisage that the emphasis on maintaining assets together with safety measures will continue into the next capital plan period. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is, therefore, a matter for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act.

TII allocates funding specifically for safety works based on its analysis of the network and has allocated €17 million for such works this year. Each year, TII carries out a collision analysis of the entire national road network to identify locations that have a high concentration of collisions. Following completion of the analysis, local authorities are requested by TII to carry out reviews of safety at each of the identified locations and to submit feasibility reports, including details of proposed remedial measures to improve road safety at those locations.

The absence of a site from the network safety ranking locations identified as part of this collision analysis process does not preclude a road authority from submitting a feasibility study for safety improvement works elsewhere. In this context, it is open to local authorities to submit proposals for road safety measures at schools for consideration.

My understanding from TII is that following contact between Limerick City and County Council and the regional road safety engineer about traffic calming measures at Kilcornan, the council initiated preparation of a report on proposed measures for consideration by TII. I know the Deputy has raised this issue in parliamentary questions on a regular basis over the past year and I understand that TII has provided him with updates in response. In October, I understand TII indicated that the design of the proposed traffic calming measures at Kilcornan were expected to be finalised shortly. I have now been advised by TII that it is anticipated that funding will be provided in 2018 for traffic calming measures between the two junctions in Kilcornan, which will also involve a reduction in the speed limit. I am glad to be able to inform the Deputy of the progress being made.

See this speech in context