Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is lovely to have the Minister here today. Good evening to him. Since we are talking about transport and transport infrastructure, I want to address a really urgent concern for the people of north Cork and Kerry, namely, the dangerous condition of the N72. I am talking particularly about the stretch between Cullen and Clonbanin. I have been contacted by numerous locals who have had burst tyres and other serious vehicle damage on the road. While quite a bit of funding was allocated this year to road improvements in the constituency of Cork North-West, the N72 stretch was left out. The Cullen to Rathmore section was resurfaced in 2024 but the works stopped due to funding shortages. In a statement last year, the Department of Transport cited inflation, increased material costs and land acquisition expenses as some of the reasons for the postponement. However, we must be clear that postponement is just another word for delay, and on roads like this it is just a serious accident, possibly a fatal accident, waiting to happen.

That brings me to the wider issue of what we are talking about which is transport connectivity. Today we are discussing a motion which calls for improvements and we can all agree that there have to be improvements in public transport services. However, roads also need to be improved because buses and other public transport cannot function properly if road conditions are so poor. I am calling on Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Department of Transport to take immediate action on this issue. I urge the Minister to ensure that the N72 stretch from Cullen to Clonbanin is resurfaced as a matter of urgency because we cannot wait for a tragedy to happen and it is only a matter of time.