Third of local roads in ‘danger of collapsing’
DESPITE a planned expenditure of over €32 million on road transportation and safety throughout the county in 2020 the County Council has stated it will not designate a specific fund for traffic management plans.
Querying the 2020 budget Independent Councillor Leonard Kelly argued that Wexford Town was ‘grinding to a halt’ due to roadworks and that a target traffic management plan was required to alleviate the problem.
Outlining the issue after the budget meeting Cllr Kelly said, ‘I’m pushing for a specific budget for Traffic Management because I believe it needs a particular focus, especially in town.
‘I am being contacted on a weekly basis about traffic issues in town. So I’m looking for investment in a consult to look at traffic in and around the twon to advise on the best way to plan traffic flow.
‘Why? It is having an economic cost, people being late for work, an environmental cost with idling cars pumping out air pollution, and a mental health cost due to the ongoing stress for those stuck in it,’ he concluded.
Accepting Cllr Kelly’s concerns the Head of Finance for Wexford County Council Annette O’Neill said that although there was no specific fund for traffic management plans it was included in the overall budget and provision had been made to cover any associated costs in other sections.
Unsurprisingly the bulk of those costs will go towards local road maintance and improvement with €22,667,858 spread across works such as road surface dressing, road reconstruction and overlay, and general maintenance works.
Although he welcomed the forthcoming developments and the planned improvements of roads in his and other districts, Sinn Féin’s Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin queried whether any further funding would be coming from central Government.
‘Our roads are in a terrible state, 30% of them are in danger of collapsing. This is an emergency issue which needs to be addressed by the Oireachteas,’ he said.
However, the budget plan revealed that just €14,682,300 wil be furnished to Wexford County Council from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
For Fianna Fáil Councillor Barbara-Ann Murphy the issue of lighting in rural parts of the county was at the forefront of her thoughts.
Reacting to the announcement that €1,881,430 would be spent on public lighting throughout the county Cllr Murphy asked whether this would see the LED lighting programme rolled out to areas such as Bunclody.
‘In relation to the public lighting programme, when is that going to be rolled out in smaller towns and villages? Are we spending all the money on LED lighting in major towns, and not improving places like Bunclody and Tombrack?’
Following the meeting’s conclusion Cllr Murphy said she had received no proper response to her question and had also been informed that, following her query on the 50/50 scheme, that too would not be returning.