"Ongoing budget decrease is preventing rural roads from been repaired"

by Gráinne Connolly

Local Mid Ulster District Councillor, Mark Glasgow met with Transport NI recently to discuss some concerns he has surrounding the rural roads crisis in the district area; particularly around the Ballynasollus, Pomeroy, Coagh and Cookstown areas. 

It's following several letters written to the Permanent Secretary on a number of occasions. 

Councillor Glasgow said: 

"The meeting discussed a lot of items such as the outlook towards potential budgets, the rural roads repair policy and moving forward on the badly needed investment and repairs on our rural roads.

"Acknowledgement was given to my concerns and to my points regarding the ongoing crisis surrounding the lack of investment and repairs carried out on our rural roads.

"I made recommendations and called for action to be taken in order to get our rural roads repaired and brought back to a safe and drivable standard but everything came down to one thing, funding.

"The ongoing budget decrease is preventing rural roads from been repaired and having further investment as I was told  in the meeting money dictates the policy and guidelines set out by Transport NI, so looking at the current situation and looking to further forecasted budgets what could be, our rural roads will dip further into crisis coming to a point where I fear they will no longer be drivable, safe and cut the rural people off from vital services.

"I stated and explained  in the meeting that the way Transport NI is operating by cutting off investment and work in rural roads can’t be allowed to continue any further, enough is enough.

"Daily roads are falling further into crisis and potholes are getting much larger and deeper costing an absolute fortune to motorists in repair bills.

"My fear is this will continue into 2018/2019 and further, as there is no Minister in post to allocate funding where it needs to go and the Civil Servants left to do the job in the absence of a Minister are operating from policies and a budget that’s not fit for purpose.

"Rural Villages, Settlements and Rural Comminity’s will be cut off from vital services as the roads network will not be safe to drive on and as a rural councillor I will not standby and allow this to happen.

"Daily I am doing my duty as an elected councillor, working to keep roads on Transport NI lists for repair and I will continue to do so. My fight for the rural roads and the people who live on them will continue until they receive the fair investment they so urgently need.”