Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 16, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following:
"Safety of Road Infrastructure
14. In accordance with Section 17 of the Roads Act, 1993 and the EU directive on road infrastructure safety management, the National Roads Authority shall issue guidelines on road safety matters. The Authority may issue a direction to a road authority, being a local authority, and shall make regulations for the carrying out of road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, safety rankings of the road network, safety inspections, repairs and the conduct of road works and the impact of local authority planning on national roads, and approach roads and their adjacent areas. The NRA will publish annually an analysis of collisions in which the safety of road infrastructure was a contributory cause.".

This also arises from a point made by the Minister on Committee Stage. Up to 6% of accidents can be traced back to road factors and they have contributed to the deaths of 12 people in recent years. This must be considered in this context. As he said the last day, responsibility for that aspect of safety rests with the NRA. Technology is available to take measurements regarding these factors. One calculates the polished stone value, PSV, of roads, which relates to a car's liability to skid. Design faults in roads can also be attributed to the 6% of accidents believed to be caused by roads. The NRA annual report and accounts for 2012 says that as it took on these duties, it produced a document, Road Safety Management Procedures for National Roads in Ireland, which was submitted to the EU in May 2012. The report reads: "It is anticipated that the first round of road safety inspections, in compliance with the directive, will be completed by the end of 2013." We would like to bring that report forward to tackle the cases where roads are judged to be the cause of an accident.

The amendment reads:

The Authority may issue a direction to a road authority, being a local authority, and shall make regulations for the carrying out of road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, safety rankings of the road network, safety inspections, repairs and the conduct of road works and the impact of local authority planning on national roads, and approach roads and their adjacent areas. The NRA will publish annually an analysis of collisions in which the safety of road infrastructure was a contributory cause.

There is some way go to in this regard. The reference in the NRA report covers approximately one page in a 51 page document.

If roads are a contributory factor in 6% of accidents, that must be investigated. I gather there is a fear among engineers that if they report on this, they will be sued by people claiming it was the road's fault and not theirs and so on. However, we are trying to combat a major problem and we took a sample of the available information. The first low cost remedial measures programme was carried out in 1994-95 and the publication date was 2001. The second programme was carried out between 1996 and 1997 and the publication date was 2005 while programmes nine to 11, inclusive, were carried between 2004 and 2006 and they were published in August 2012. The programme of safety measures implemented between 2002 and 2005 was published in June 2010. I acknowledge measures were taken and the safety audit was completed at the end of 2013, as the annual report says, but we must bring this aspect of road safety up front in our discussion on how we address it.

We mentioned technology when discussing the previous amendment. Reporting on the condition of roads will become more important in the future and that was the purpose of that amendment.

If the first round of road safety inspections was completed by the end of 2013, it should be published by now, so we will know where to put investment. It would also allow road users to contribute to rectify problems they have noticed. This is information well worth putting before the public so we can all take measures to deal with this category of 6% of accidents.