Film trail road not a pretty picture

December 2002

A ROAD outside Arklow which is on the film trail is not presenting a pretty picture to users at the moment.

Snugboro Road, which is included in a new tourism initiative promoting Wicklow’s links with the movie industry is littered with potholes.

It is also constantly being flooded in the present wet weather conditions.

Local resident Ms Margaret Ryan has been living on the Snugboro Road for the last 23 years.

In all that time it has never been properly resurfaced by the County Council.

There are two caravan parks at Redcross and the road is very busy with camper vans and tourists, particularly during the summer season, as well as day to day commercial traffic.

She said that she has written and complained to the County Council about the state of the road.

‘They come out and throw a few shovels gravel and tar into the holes, but that is quickly washed away by the rain, leaving the road as bad as before within a couple of weeks.

‘The road, which had sections of it named Parnell Drive and Michael Collins Drive has never been properly repaired in my 23 years living there.

‘It is riddled with potholes. I do not know how the tourists put up with driving on it,’ she said.

Wicklow County Council accept that the Snugboro Road is one of the roads in the county that has suffered a lot of problems with flooding in recent times.

A spokesperson for the County Council said that their roads programme was being reassessed and re-prioritised based on the flooding problems.