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A CLOGHER Valley councillor has warned that deteriorating road conditions could lead to a ‘really serious accident’ after he suffered a puncture caused by a pothole over the weekend.
DUP councillor Mark Robinson said the incident highlights what he described as a growing crisis across the local road network, with defects now affecting not just rural routes but major roads and busy junctions.
Cllr Robinson has taken to social media to highlight the problem, sharing a series of videos showing potholes and surface damage across the area. Some of the clips have attracted more than 10,000 views, reflecting widespread public concern.
One of the most widely-viewed videos focuses on the condition of the A5 Garvaghey junction near Canavan’s, an area where a number of fatalities have previously occurred.
In the footage, Cllr Robinson points out several potholes at the junction, as well as badly-eroded white road markings.
The councillor also revealed that he personally suffered a puncture while driving on a main road over the weekend, which he attributed to the poor state of the road surface.
“The state of the roads is a disaster right across the country,” said Cllr Robinson.
“It used to be mainly rural roads, but now even the main roads are in poor condition. I got a puncture myself over the weekend after hitting a pothole. Some roads are in a dangerous state, including the junction at Garvaghey, where a number of fatalities have occurred.
“If something isn’t done soon, it could lead to a really serious accident.”
Cllr Robinson also questioned the quality of pothole repairs and the length of time it takes for reported defects to be addressed.
“The pothole repairs don’t seem to be lasting as well as they used to,” he said.
“I don’t know whether that’s down to the materials being used, the quality of workmanship or the fact that the roads are in such poor condition they need more than a simple patch job. What’s clear is that potholes often seem to be just as bad again only a few months after they’ve been fixed.”
He added, “We need a more sensible approach to spending by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). There is currently an £80 million funding requirement just to maintain our roads, yet around ten per-cent of that is being spent on schemes linked to climate initiatives and the installation of footpaths and cycle paths.
“I’m not saying these shouldn’t be installed, but our priorities need to be better. That money should be focused on maintaining and improving our road network.”
Last week, DfI Minister Liz Kimmins announced the launch of a £7.85 million Winter Recovery Road Fund to address the impact that recent severe weather has had on the road network.
Speaking about measures to improve road conditions, the Minister said, “I want to raise the standard of maintenance across the network, ensuring that interventions are timely, durable and delivered to consistently high specifications.”
She added, “The Winter Recovery Road Fund will allow additional repairs on the roads worst affected by recent weather. This short-term boost is complemented by a longer-term strategy that will help inform strategic decision-making going forward.”