Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hear what the Minister is saying about safety and towns. I will come back to that in a minute. It is also important to remember that the N17 is a strategic economic corridor for the north west. That cannot be left out of any calculations.

Regarding safety schemes on the N17 and national roads, one of the issues raised with me is that, rather than having a minor improvements scheme, which usually cost between €1 million and €2 million, a smaller scheme costing a couple of hundred thousand euro might be considered, perhaps to improve sightlines at junctions, for example. The only funds that seem to be available for that kind of project are in the region of €50,000 or €60,000. That is not enough money. There is an important middle ground there that would make a difference on the N17. I ask the Minister to look again at that when he is finalising his plans. If he could come back to me on it, I would greatly appreciate it.

On a related issue, the bus service on the route from Tubbercurry to Sligo is only Expressway. Over a distance of 24 km, there is only one designated stop. We need a bus service on that route because the current service is totally inadequate. I ask the Minister to look at that also.

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