Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State has acknowledged, we have made progress on road deaths, and fatalities have decreased significantly in the past decade. Paradoxically, however, by making roads safer for those in cars, vans and trucks, we have inadvertently made them lethal for those who are not in such vehicles. It is a questionable success if it relies on our roads being so dangerous that our young and old are too terrified to walk or cycle along them because of the high risk they bring.

There is one area that could be examined in respect of our rural roads. This year we have budgeted €584 million for the maintenance and upkeep of regional and local roads. Work in this regard is managed and funded through our local authorities. I am aware of arguments that this is necessary investment to achieve a steady state in the condition of our regional roads, but I would argue that if this is a steady state that involves children getting killed while walking and cycling, it is an unacceptable steady state. Most of our regional roads in rural areas are bordered by drainage ditches and hedgerows. There is scope on many if not most regional roads to provide a segregated section for walkers and cyclists. It may require narrowing carriageway widths in some places and taking away parts of ditches but it is very possible and is done in other countries. If we did this, we would provide people living in rural areas with the freedom to leave their front gates in safety. While we maintain and upgrade rural roads with that approximately €500 million annually, we can also make them much safer for children and adults who wish to go for a walk or to hop on a bike.

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