No guarantee ‘cow path’ will be repaired

A ROAD in North Clare was described as a “cow path” this week by a local representative in the area but despite this a Clare County Council engineer said the local authority could not guarantee that it would be restored this year.
At an Ennistymon Electoral Area meeting on Monday, Fine Gael Councillor Joe Arkins called the road at Dromoher/Crossard a “cow path” and claimed that “there is a number of people using it and it is causing quite a lot of damage to cars”.
Councillor Arkins had tabled a motion asking the North Clare area engineer to give a firm commitment that the road would be resurfaced as early as possible this year.
“A new water scheme was completed two and a half years ago now and the roads were left in a terrible condition. This road had been included in the annual roadwork’s programme in 2010 and was dropped due to lack of funding. The road has now deteriorated and is in a very dangerous condition and unsafe to drive on with potholes, bumps and a completely uneven surface. Members of the community in that area have spent considerable sums repairing their vehicles as a result of damage caused by driving on this road,” Councillor Arkin’s motion asserted.
The Ruan councillor stressed that people living in rural areas paid their road tax too and that “surely to God they are entitled to a roadway to come and go to work or to the shops or wherever they need to go. If there is to be any road works programme in the coming year we have to put this on it.”
Stephen Lahiffe, senior executive engineer, at the Ennistymon Area Office responded to the motion stating that the road was included in last year’s roadworks programme and sections of it are included in proposals for the 2011 programme. “The 2010 programme was abandoned and Clare County Council was instructed to redirect all resources into the repair of roads damaged during the severe weather event of 2009. No such direction has been given in 2011 but the National Roads Authority is considering it in view of the severe weather events of 2010,” he stated. 
“Clare County Council cannot give a firm commitment to the restoration of any road as allocations have not been announced and the roadworks programme has to be presented and adopted by Clare County Council,” Mr Lahiffe continued.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Kelly supported Councillor Arkin’s assertion that it is in very “bad condition” and used by a large number of people.
“If there is a single road that needs to be done, this is the one that needs to be done and needs badly to be done,” he said. Councillor Kelly stated that the users of the road at Dromoher/Crossard “are rate payers and tax payers and they are entitled to a good road”.
Councillor Arkins agreed, saying “if there is a square foot of road to be tarred this should be prioritised.”
Mr Lahiffe assured councillors that Clare County Council proposes to repair the road “but it depends on funding and our funding has not been sanctioned yet and it is part of the roadworks