Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking this Adjournment matter on the road safety measures required throughout the country.

The context in which I raise this matter is that I acquired the support and signatures of 300 people living in the Kilreekill area of County Galway who are very concerned about the condition of the Kilreekill to Mullagh road which, regrettably, is well known locally as a notorious accident black spot. This stretch of road represents a major hazard to all local road users and has been the scene of a number of fatal collisions in recent years. One of the main issues is that there is no white line on a portion of the road. This presents a significant safety risk as road users are unable to identify the central demarcation line.

The people of Kilreekill and surrounding areas should not have to put their lives at risk on a daily basis by having to drive on a clearly dangerous and substandard stretch of road. The 300 signatures which I will furnish to the Minister's office are further evidence of the strong depth of feeling locally concerning the issue. The Minister's intervention is urgently required to ensure this safety issue is addressed and that there is none or at least a much reduced number of fatal road collisions on this road and others throughout the country. It would be remiss of me not to put this issue to the Minister and ask him to set out a policy programme through the National Roads Authority to ensure the adequate lining of all secondary and regional routes in the interests of road safety.