People in West Clare deserve better than the terrible sub-standard roads they have to contend with day after day.
That’s according to Aontú Representative for the area, June Dillon, who says the desperate condition of the roads was brought into sharp focus again with closure of the N68 following another serious incident where a truck crashed and left the road. People have been contacting her about their concerns since the incident happened.
Describing the aftermath as “simply chaotic” she says “The first thing of course to say is thankfully there was no loss of life, but the road was closed for several hours with diverted traffic coming up our small narrow roads here in Lissycasey, Cranny, and Kilmurry McMahon. It was absolute bedlam especially as it coincided with rush hour.
The roads around here are like an obstacle course at the best of times, but I really think this incident served to draw attention to the dangers we face travelling on them. The roads slope off into a soft verge which is terribly hazardous and pose all sorts of dangers as motorists can end up in the ditch or drain very easily.
The conditions are worsening now with the advent of the Winter and inclement conditions which are throwing up new difficulties with frost, ice and rain all adding to the dangerous state of the road network here in West Clare.
“I have been raising this time and time again but there are still no serious long term improvements being implemented. We don’t need strategies or plans kept in filing cabinets, we need funds to be released and action to be taken, not just to repair bits of the road here and there but bring the N68 to a national standard. The N68 is a national road but it is not comparable in condition to other national roads, and such busy roads should reach a certain standard.” .
Repeating her calls for the condition of the roads to be taken seriously, June Dillon says: “Do we have to wait until some unfortunate person is either killed or very seriously injured before there is action on this issue?”
“With the Irish Open being hosted in Doonbeg next year, a major overhaul of many of our county’s roads is absolutely vital.
For example, the road from Cooraclare to Cree will see a huge amount of traffic, including buses, and needs to be upgraded without delay. Ultimately Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) work on recommendations from Clare County Council for the N68, while Clare County Council manage all other roads.
I have consistently highlighted the fact that a main artery from the Killimer Ferry up to North Clare, which sees a large amount of tourists, needs to be made a lot safer as buses and cars are hitting lumps and bumps along a road with no ditches, at 80km an hour. Many of the people travelling this route are not familiar with our roads and this makes the upgrades all the more urgent.”