Councillors seek meeting with Ryan over roads funding

RURAL Climate change a factor in road problems

The council is to write to the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to request a meeting to discuss the need for more money to repair rural roads in Cavan.

Assurances meanwhile have been provided by the Cathaoirleach, John Paul Feeley, that any delegation sent from the county would be representative of the council as a whole.

Fianna Fáil’s Aiden Fitzpatrick raised the matter at the November monthly meeting of elected members, where he stated in respect of his own Municipal District - Bailieborough-Cootehill - that “roads are being ripped to shreds” and that drainage is not able to “take the flow” of water.

The downpours experienced of late, he stated, was indicative of climate change, and he demanded that Minister Ryan establish a special fund to pay for damage caused at local level by drastic weather events. He said the minister was “setting lots of targets” but that he needed to visit the likes of Cavan to see the impact locally.

Fellow party colleague Clifford Kelly warned that care was needed to ensure the condition of the county’s roads did not slip back to that of the 1980s when Cavan had a reputation for potholes.

“It was a disastrous time,” he said.

Carmel Brady (FG) stated that lorries travelling to several of the large manufacturing firms based in the MD required “reinforcement” due to the weight being carried and the excess pressure caused by the condition of the roads.

Paddy McDonald (SF) agreed. “As a rural county we should get extra funding.”

Brendan Fay (Ind) also supported the motion, as did TP O’Reilly (FG). He said that roads in the Ballyjamesduff area were badly in need of investment.

Cathaoirleach John Paul Feeley stated it was evident that “more money” was needed throughout the county.

Sarah O’Reilly (Aon) however delivered a scathing rebuke that in April of this year the “cost of materials” caused councillors in Bailieborough-Cootehill MD to drop the L7543 from their roads work programme for 2022. She then claimed to have received subsequent correspondence that the L7543 will be surveyed again along with the planned roads for 2023 to ascertain which were in the poorest condition.

“At the time that this happened, I knew it was wrong to allow it, I did my best to fight against it,” she said of her attempts to have the April meeting decision overturned, before suggesting “I didn’t get much support from colleagues, in my opinion because the road was in Shercock, not on anyone’s home turf.”

Who, she asked, was “going to stand up for the people in Shercock?”

Cllr Fitzpatrick said he was “offended” by her comments, and that he provided representation to the people of the village.

Director of Services Paddy Connaughton said he could not comment on the correspondence referred to by Cllr O’Reilly without having had sight of it. He maintained that any cutbacks occurred because of a shortage of funds in the face of rising costs.

Shane P O’Reilly (Ind) asked the executive that any council delegation be “representative”, unlike he said, the “fiasco” that saw him and others “excluded” from the last organised meeting. He further demanded confirmation of such from a member of the council’s executive.

“It will be representative of the whole council,” assured Cllr Feeley.