I want to stress the importance of the Castletownbere port not only to the Beara area where employment opportunities are few but as a national port. The road to the port must be improved irrespective of whether it becomes the responsibility of the National Roads Authority.
EC money for roads is welcome but I fear most of it will be spent on major road improvements only and that little will be left for county roads. I believe EC money is being spent wisely, but I hope, as Senator Farrelly suggested, a percentage will be allocated to roads in rural areas. Without money to improve these roads rural under-development will continue.
Motorways, national primary routes and national secondary routes have the highest classification followed by regional routes and county roads. The bulk of the money is spent on the major roads; there is not enough money for the maintenance of county roads, let alone road improvements. More money must be spent on the local improvement schemes to bring these roads up to standard.
Cyclists are in more danger than other road users. Many continental countries have cycle lanes. In Germany, paths are divided for walking and cycling. In Berlin pathways are made from a special type of stone. Cyclists must be accommodated because more people than ever are cycling now. If there were as many cyclists in Ireland as there are in Holland there would not be the same level of congestion in our cities.
The Bill also refers to vegetation. Commercial drivers continuously claim that vegetation does an enormous amount of damage to the mirrors and sides of their vehicles. If a left hand side mirror is broken by a branch that immediately creates an element of danger; by law, the driver should stop and get the mirror repaired. However, in reality, the driver must finish his day's work. The National Roads Authority should take this issue into account when formulating policy.
The present policy covering the clearing of roadsides is unclear. At present, Telecom Éireann and the ESB clear trees and small vegetation, if they are a danger to wires or are causing damage to communication lines. This absolves councils of responsibility for some stretches of road. County councils are only responsible for clearing growth for four feet on either side of the road on the outer side of the fence. Thereafter responsibility lies with the landowners.
A policy of clearing overhanging trees would provide work, firewood and so on. Some people like to see trees overhanging the road because of their environmental value but this must be balanced by considerations of safety and the cost of repairs to side mirrors and to the sides of vehicles. There is a danger that a child who puts his head out the window could be seriously injured by overhanging vegetation.
The system of roadsigns must be standardised: at present, one finds signs of different shapes, sizes and colours fulfilling similar functions. It is not good enough for signs giving advance notice of roadworks, to be painted on boards, in any colour and in any shape. Frequently one may pass a signpost without seeing it.
During the Seanad election campaign I often went 50 metres past a turn before realising I had gone wrong. Even on English country roads advance signposting is of a very high standard. One sees the sign well in advance of the turn and then can note the finger posts showing the distance in miles of the actual turn. It is dangerous for drivers to make late turns at crossroads, having just seen the signposts. We must standardise and regulate the signs, finger posts and lines on our roads.
When two lanes merge should it be to the right or to the left? This needs to be standardised or accidents will occur. It must be clear who has the right of way.
On motorways all over the world, hitch-hiking is prohibited because of the danger to hitch-hikers and to traffic. Hitch-hiking on other roads is acceptable however, because it enables young people especially to travel cheaply. I would not like to see a total ban on hitching. When I was a student I was very glad to be able to hitch a lift; it spared me the bus fare. It was better to be able to use the money for entertainment.
The toll road on the western side of Dublin was a high cost project and I understand why a toll is being charged in that case. However I would like tolls to be lifted after a certain length of time. If the present situation is taken to its logical conclusion all new roads will be toll roads because all roads are expensive to build. I understand that where big projects are involved and bridges or tunnels must be built, the amount of money involved make a toll necessary but I would not like additional toll roads. The cost of motoring is high enough without adding a further bill to it.
Cork County Council allows the use of its roads for races, rallies and the west Cork sport of bowling. Horse racing on the road has a certain character about it and I know of a race that is run every year. If there were any difficulty in running such races it would cause great disappointment. These races are part of the social calendar for people living in rural communities. However, the cost of insurance for these races is so high that some of them can no longer be held. Luckily, some races can afford the insurance costs and have managed to survive.
Rallies are also held on our roads. Very often people come to see the rally from abroad bringing much-needed money into the area. In Clonakilty, a rally attracted visitors from Britain and all over Ireland who stayed in guest houses in the off-peak season when business is usually slow. This was a great boost to the local economy.
Ból Chumann na h-Éireann and Cork County Council enjoy a very good relationship. This sport is not played in some countries but it is very popular in the south-west. Ból-Chumann na hÉireann usually invites the chairman of the county council and the county manager to its functions because a special type of chip is needed on roads used for bowling. The surface of the road must be smooth. It is great on a Sunday evening to see people taking part in this sport.
School bus drivers must be complimented on the work they do. They can have three or four scamps in the back seat — scamps usually sit in the back seat — and they control the children and drive safely at the same time. These people must be magicians to do their job so well.
Co-op drivers are also to be commended on the good work they do. A previous speaker mentioned that lorries are getting bigger and cannot always get into farmyards. We have to examine this problem seriously because if a small farmer cannot get a truck into his yard it will eventually mean ceasing production if he cannot obtain equipment necessary to do the work.
Road workers are becoming scarce. In the past many road workers were employed and it was money well spent. A road worker who knows his area well will know where trenches and drains are situated. The cost of road repairs can often be reduced by draining flood water from roads. The ganger who knew every drain, pool and turn on the road has become a thing of the past and their work is done now by machinery. Road workers are essential for road maintenance. This is also a form of employment at a time when employment is scarce. I know the importance of road and forestry workers. They are a rare species today, whereas in the past many families were reared on their earnings. The more road and forestry workers we have the better.
I commend the people who have made such a fine job of Millstreet in preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest. Tremendous work has been done there by engineers, road workers and machinery operators. I know that the contest will be a tremendous boost for the Millstreet area and for the south west.
I welcome this Roads Bill. We need a roads authority to coordinate the improvements of our roads.
