Amendments No. 20 and 25 are related and may be discussed together.
SECTION 10.
Chairman
I move amendment No. 20:
In page 11, subsection (1) (a), line 3, after "may" to insert ", after consultation with the Authority,".
These amendments will ensure that before the Minister classifies a road as a national road or divides national roads into primary and secondary categories he will first consult with the National Roads Authority. It is only proper that the NRA should be consulted on the classification as it will have overall responsibility for the provisions of a safe and efficient network of national roads.
Would the Minister consider it valuable to consult with local authorities within whose area such changes would arise?
What is the present procedure for the classification of roads?
Local authorities should be informed and allowed to give an opinion on whether a road should be declared a national road.
The classification of roads is a major problem in the Border regions where cross-Border crossings have been closed and traffic diverted on to non-national and non-secondary roads or on to county roads that are now carrying a volume of traffic more appropriate to a national, primary or secondary road. That has led to major problems in my county and has caused the occasional outburst in the Dáil. We have failed to get roads reclassified that have been shown to carry a volume of traffic comparable to roads on which much money has been spent in other parts of the country. I do not know if this section will streamline the present approach to having roads upgraded with recognition for the volume of traffic carried.
This is an interesting amendment. Deputy Power asked how one classifies a national primary route. It has already been explained to me how these are classified and the criteria used. I am sure the Minister is aware of the Limerick/Tarbert route which has been mentioned many times over the years where the local authority wanted it reclassified as a national primary route so that it would get the appropriate funding because there is a heavy density of traffic on it. I wonder whether there is a policy against reclassifying roads as national primary routes and to what degree would the Minister be serious about future reclassifications, or will he wait until the National Roads Authority is functioning before any of these roads, which should be reclassified, will be considered?
On Deputy Finucane's point, over a period of time representations have been made about the N69 and about many other routes throughout the country where local authorities and locally elected members feel that a roadway deserves to be reclassified and upgraded to a national primary route. We have consistently refused to do this and sometimes on a cursory examination it may look as if we are not listening to advice from people on the ground who are dealing with these matters on a day to day basis, but after more examination one will appreciate that we have a national road network of so many kilometres. The dogs on the street know that we are not in a financial position to upgrade all those roads immediately to the standard required to carry the quantity of traffic using these routes. Even with substantial aid from the European Community, there is still a considerable distance to go on our existing network without adding another rung to it.
Reclassification in its own right would not achieve the results which people may expect. The ambition of local authorities and locally elected members is to upgrade and reclassify as a national primary route by order of the Minister for the Environment — these are the only areas where I have the power of classification — to put a road into competition for additional funds. These roads are already in competition with a great many routes that are not capable of being upgraded through our own resources. It is not that there are not good cases for reclassification or that I deny that some unclassified roads carry very heavy traffic, but pitted against all the other routes with a heavier workload and which are not yet upgraded sufficiently, Deputies will understand my reluctance to reclassify.
In Border counties there are special problems in this regard. We have fought a strong case at European level for new funds to assist us there but problems there are not easily resolved. First, some roads have been closed and we do not accept that we have to design and improve our road network to meet the standards adopted by the British Government or its agency in the North of Ireland. There is not easy solution and all of it cannot be taken account of in this Bill.
At present a more co-operative approach with the Northern Ireland authorities is developing with new emphasis on possible business between the North and the Republic of Ireland. Statistics indicate a real potential in markets that have not yet been explored. The argument is that the North has approximately half the population of the South, yet we do only a quarter of our business with them. The statistic is the reverse in the North where they have half of our population and do half of their business with our population. These are clear statistics on a market that is very close as regards access, etc. I am back now to Deputy Yates's transport question. The port at Larne has been developed in recent years. This is another point we must consider. In consultation with our colleagues in the North we must work to obtain a sensible resolution of some of these matters. We must upgrade and develop routes which link as distinct from trying to develop routes which were never intended to carry the existing levels of vehicular and axle weights.
The Bill should outline the classification of roads about which there is some confusion. The Bill refers to national roads, regional roads and county roads, but the terminology used is Euro route, national primary route, national secondary route and regional and county roads. Obviously our motorways — which will be of a similar standard to those on the Continent — will be financed from European funds. The National Roads Authority will be required to maintain those standards for the top Euro routes, sign markings and lighting will have to be of a standard above that which applies to national primary routes. There seems to be an unofficial speed limit at present of 70 miles an hour on motorways; at least that is what a judge said about a motorway in my constituency.
The Deputy had better hold on to him.
He is on holidays at present, so we do not know what will happen. If one is driving at the correct speed one is passed by trucks and so on. Some people must be able to understand maps, speed limits etc. In my view the Euro route, the national primary route and secondary and regional roads will come under the aegis of the National Roads Authority and only county roads will remain with the local authorities, but there is some confusion, in that regard.
There is a great difference in the quality of some of our roads, for example, on the N3 one is liable to drive into the River Erne because there has been no bridge there for several years. It is necessary that the various routes are clearly defined in the Bill.
I have good news for the Deputy.
Chairman
Sorry, Deputy Boylan wishes to make a point.
There is a demand to have roads upgraded to national, primary and secondary routes because such roads attact higher grants from Europe. However, a recent statement by Commissioner MacSharry indicated that that is not necessarily the case, that the Government may divert those moneys to roads as they see fit. That news is very welcome and I am sure Commissioner MacSharry is correct. The standard will always be better on national primary and secondary routes.
In regard to Deputy Kavanagh's point, 15 years ago the N3 came to a full stop at the River Erne. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with that route, it is the main road for all traffic from the west and the midlands to Enniskillen and Belfast, but it leads nowhere. The British authorities constructed an excellent wide bridge there which was subsequently blown up and for the past ten years Cavan County Council, through no fault of theirs had to reroute all traffic going to Enniskillen and Belfast. Yet, Cavan County Council have failed to obtain any commitment from successive Governments to upgrade those roads to the same standard as the N3.
I have good news for Deputy Kavanagh who has been passed by heavy trucks as he heads south to Wicklow. I have been anxious for some time to find solutions which can be implemented and enforced. I hope to make an announcement in the next few days in regard to those matters. I have been concerned for some time at the speed with which some heavy vehicles travel. It is important that, whatever limits are set, the Garda authorities can enforce them and that there is clarity in regard to speed limits.
There are national routes, regional routes and local routes and this Authority will be responsible for the national routes whether they are called national primary or Euro routes. The suggestion made by Commissioner MacSharry may not have taken account of the fact that we have been able to use European Funds for regional roads over the past number of years and the INTERREG programme is another indication of the Commission being in a position to provide for those areas. We have had some success in our negotiations so far, but there is a limit to how far one can go in seeking funds from the European Commission for these purposes. However, we have been successful in the past and I have no reason to believe we will not succeed in the future.
Amendment agreed to.
Chairman
We agreed to conclude at 5 p.m.
Perhaps we could finish the section.
Yes.
Chairman
Amendments Nos. 21 and 34 are related and may be discussed together.
I move amendment No. 21:
In page 11, subsection (1), between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:
"(d) Where a public road has been classified as a national road or a regional road under this subsection and where that road has been realigned or a by-pass has been constructed on it, such realignment or by-pass shall, unless otherwise provided by order of the Minister under this subsection, be a national road or a regional road, as the case may be, and that section of the existing road which remains following the realignment or the construction of the by-pass shall be a local road.".
Amendment agreed to.
Amendments Nos. 22 to 24, inclusive, not moved.
I move amendment No. 25:
In page 11, subsection (3), between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following:
"(b) The Minister shall consult with the Authority before making an order under this subsection relating to a national road.".
Amendment agreed to.
Section 10, as amended, agreed to.
Progress reported; Committee to sit again.
The Committee adjourned at 5 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 July 1992.