Our rural road network needs immediate additional funding – Lombard

Critical roads funding is needed for local authorities nationwide, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Tim Lombard said nationwide road maintenance is essential for the safety of all commuters and motorists across the country.

The Cork Senator said he has spoken with his Fine Gael colleagues on Cork County Council and all agree more funding is needed from the Transport Department for rural roads.

“This is not just a local issue for me and the Cork County Councillors, but a serious national problem that requires immediate attention.

“Cork itself faces a unique challenge as the Cork County Council’s Roads Directorate is responsible for the maintenance of the largest road network of any local authority in the country—12,200 km. This represents a staggering 12pc of the entire national roads network.

“I raised the issue of roads funding for Cork with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan in the Seanad last week. On the same day, a delegation of Fine Gael Cork County councillors met with Minister of State Jack Chambers to make the case for additional investment.

“You have to give credit to local authorities across the country for managing funding and the upkeep of roads as best they can. However, the simple truth is current funding levels are not keeping pace with the demands of our national infrastructure.

“I’m all for public transport but our national, primary and secondary roads and privately owned cars are the main source of commuting from one place to another. We need to ensure our roads infrastructure is maintained and improved.

“The never-ending rain we’ve experienced over the past six months has compounded the issue, causing significant damage to many roads across the country.

“Large potholes in some roads across West Cork, from Beara to Belgooly, look like they were caused by misguided Russian missiles.

“Councillors and council officials are left in an impossible situation without the necessary funds to maintain our roads.

“According to the Department of Transport’s guidelines, each county should resurface approximately 5pc of their roads network annually.

“In Cork, we are currently only able to resurface 2-2.5pc of our roads each year. At this rate, our roads can only be resurfaced once every 45-50 years—far from the recommended rate of once every 20 years.

“This situation just isn’t good enough.

“Poor road conditions are not just inconveniences; they are hazards that can lead to serious accidents. This is an area we can no longer afford to be complacent in.

“Recently my Fine Gael colleague, Minister Heather Humphreys announced a record funding allocation of €40m for repairs and improvements work on non-public rural roads and laneways.

“I am calling on Minister Ryan to now follow this and take decisive action and allocate the necessary additional funds for the repair and maintenance of our local and regional roads. We need to act decisively to safeguard the well-being of rural Ireland.” Senator Lombard concluded.