£30,000 paid for pothole damage

Editorial Department Meadhbh Monahan - 1503 • Published 6 Jul 2009 13:22 0 Comments

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There has been a 40 per cent drop in Fermanagh"s Roads Budget in the last year while over £30,000 has been spent on compensation for local drivers whose cars were damaged by potholes over the last five years.

The impact of the falling maintenance budget on rural roads in Fermanagh was debated at Stormont on Monday when SDLP MLA Tommy Gallagher raised the issue saying that the average spend from 2002-2008 was approximately £2.4m which reduced to £1.49m in the last financial year.

'That is a 40 percent reduction which the area simply cannot sustain.'

He told the Assembly: 'This is an area which doesn"t have any railways and it is poorly served by public transport. There is a heavy reliance on cars and the state of the roads is a major issue for local communities. The great majority of the working population travel to towns like Enniskillen and Omagh and have to make daily round trips of 40 miles or more.'

Mr. Gallagher said that 'for rural communities the issue isn"t only about access to employment. Access to essential services like hospitals, health centres, education facilities, banks and post offices is also a very big challenge.

'Unrepaired pot holes are a cause of serious damage to vehicles. Almost on a weekly basis, I have car owners calling into my constituency offices with photographic evidence of damaged vehicles and the cavern like potholes.

'Road users in Fermanagh and South Tyrone contribute to the regional rate and they pay their motor taxes, we are therefore entitled to have roads that are well maintained and safe for all who use them.'

DUP MLA Tom Elliot agreed. He told the Assembly, 'I would like to highlight the A32, the Omagh to Enniskillen road. Due to the building of the new acute hospital in Fermanagh, it is vital that that road be upgraded as soon as possible. A couple of schemes are under way, but they are not enough.'

He continued: 'One part of the A32, between Mossfield and Trory roundabout has developed cracks that are so bad that the Roads Service has had to pour concrete directly into them. That is not acceptable on an A road. That is not reasonable maintenance by Roads Service. I ask the Minister to look directly at that.

'The Bain Report did not recommend the decentralising of jobs to Enniskillen because of its poor infrastructure. Roads are a key factor in that.'

Sinn Fein, MLA Michelle Gildernew added to the debate saying: 'Members and the Minister are aware that there are areas in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, such as Brookeborough, Belcoo and Derrygonnelly, which suffered for decades under direct rule from ongoing neglect and a lack of investment in roads infrastructure and maintenance. It is clear that jobs follow roads therefore it is very difficult to attract investment to Fermanagh and South Tyrone, because of the lack of infrastructure in the constituency.'

She added: 'Those Members who have travelled on the back roads, particularly around Lough Erne, will know that the ground there is boggy and wet, and that those roads were obviously never piled. I have used the back roads from Lisnaskea to Derrylin to avoid the worst of the traffic. Having done so while pregnant, I advise Members that they should not go much faster than 40 mph, because they would not come out of it very well.'

She welcomed the investment of £7 m in the Fermanagh District Council area to mitigate some of the difficulties that are experienced on the roads.

Independent MLA, Gerry McHugh welcomed recent roadworks but called for more funding.

'There is a good stretch of road outside Fivemiletown/Brookeborough, but I believe that is due for an overhaul similar to that which was done on the road at Tamlaght, near Enniskillen, which was a tremendous job and the work was done quickly. That was the case with the entire A4 duelling, which was carried out efficiently and with little disruption. Those who carried out that work with such efficiency must be commended. It was a similar case with Henry Street in Enniskillen. That scheme confounded many who believed that it would not solve the traffic problems, when, in fact, it seems to have solved them completely. Therefore, some tremendous things are happening.'

Mr. McHugh added:

'I also thank the Minister for bringing the southern bypass to at least its early stages. The southern bypass should be part of the Sligo/Enniskillen/Augher connection.

'Fermanagh makes quite an input to tourism, and the quality of journeys into the county will be greatly improved by the new dual carriageway. Over the next few years, we cannot continue with the roads as they are. We cannot continue to fight to get potholes in our local areas fixed in small dribs and drabs. I do not know how the situation can be improved unless the budget is raised to new levels.'

The minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy responded to the comments by confirming: ' All of the Department for Regional Development"s programmes are under-resourced, and there is no painless solution.'

He outlined the budget for the next three years as being £56·3 m, £71·8 m and £70·4 m a year during the three-year Budget period. However he admitted that is £125m less that what is needed for structural maintenance for the 2008-2011 period.

He insisted that Fermanagh/South Tyrone got its 'fair share of the budget for road maintenance.'

Minister Murphy also confirmed that 'Consultants have already looked at some route options for the Enniskillen bypass, so work in relation to it and a Fivemiletown bypass have been identified in the forward plans for the Department.' However, he added that there will be no further work on the A32 Enniskillen to Omagh road than what has already been planned.

'Substantial works are planned on the A32 because it is recognised that the new acute hospital will have a significant impact. That is one road that merits future attention because the issue of Omagh versus Enniskillen is always a very touchy one.'

The Minister concluded: 'We do not have enough money in the structural maintenance budget. If we had more, we could do more. I look forward to support from Members when the budget debates come up again. At that stage, all the support and advice that I get throughout the year about what we should be spending can be translated into action if Members vote for greater allocations to the Roads Service budget.'

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 02 Jul 09

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