Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue for debate. It is an important one and sits within road safety. This was a tragic day on our roads in Donegal and east Meath. I extend my deepest condolences to all those affected. Internationally, in the world of sport, there was a very high-profile death on the roads. Road safety is incredibly important and this is a really important case in respect of Carlanstown. I raise it here because avenues have been pursued in Meath. Carlanstown is a growing community but it contends every day with speed on the roads, heavy vehicles on the roads and lots of movements in an area that has been wanting for investment in connectivity, traffic-calming measures and safety measures for vulnerable road users, particularly preschool children, school children, elderly people, people with buggies and people with limited mobility.

There is very heavy traffic and people travelling at speed. If we were standing on the streets of Carlanstown village rather than here, the Minister would immediately recognise there is a need for physical intervention and engineering intervention to calm the traffic. We raised this with Meath County Council and the reason I raise it here is that I have been informed, as have the local community and the local public representatives from the Minister's party, my party and from across the political spectrum, that this is a TII issue and not a Meath County Council issue. When we raised it with the council it points toward the process. TII identifies high-collision hotspots. It has road safety inspections. Those inspections have not identified Carlanstown as an area for investment. From its end, Meath County Council has feasibility and options reports and if identifying Carlanstown as an area in need of investment, it applies to TII for funding to bring the project to design stage and then it goes back to TII for investment in the project itself.

In effect, the residents in the area and the local representatives have been pushed from Billy to Jack. For me that is incredibly frustrating because it is clear what needs to happen. What is needed is some layers of tar for ramps at various spots along the road, signage and some markings along the road. This is not a significant investment. I have had experience of this before. Public lighting is already in place and it is often an issue we have in rural areas, in that public lighting needs to be installed. It is already there. It is incredible that these small works have not been earmarked and working their way through the planning and implementation phases.

Sometimes TII states something cannot be done because of the nature of the road, but this is the N52. It is a national road. If one goes further along that road to Clonmellon or Delvin, which are in County Westmeath, the exact traffic-calming measures the people of Carlanstown are looking for have been installed. We say firmly that they need to be implemented in Carlanstown as well.

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