Funding of major roads urged after report warns of fatalities in Cork city

TWO Cork city TDs have urged Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to make swift progress on funding major roads projects for the city and county after it was revealed a briefing note from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) that, in one instance, up to 18 lives could be lost and 252 people injured should there be further delays to progressing the proposed Cork City Northern Ring Road project.

The Cork City Northern Ring Road was among a number of Cork roads projects which TII — the body charged with road construction throughout the country — included in a document entitled ‘Briefing note to Department of Transport on the consequences of the funding scenarios for 2023’.20

The TII document gives a range of three options relating to a large number of roads projects around the country, including the Cork City Northern Transport (or ring road), the M20 Cork to Limerick motorway, the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy route, the Mallow Relief Road, and the Midleton to Youghal road with its notorious bottleneck in Castlemartyr.

There were three scenarios in respect of each road envisaged in the TII document. In two of those scenarios, both of which envisaged a five-year delay, the TII had extrapolated figures relating to casualties from collisions.

The largest number of fatalities and serious injuries to be linked to the delay in any road throughout the country related to the Cork City Northern Transport road, with 18 road deaths projected and 252 people seriously injured.

According to the TII document, consultancy fees amounting to €100,000 relating to the suspension of the project until 2026 have been committed. If the TII’s preferred scenario was adapted, funding of €1.3m would allow route selection to commence.

While the M20 is at a more advanced stage than the Cork City Northern Transport, a five-year delay in this project would lead to up to 12 deaths and 22 people with serious injuries, while delays to the M28 (Cork to Ringaskiddy), the M25 (Midleton to Youghal), and the Mallow Relief Road would lead to three fatalities in each case with a total of 12 road-users seriously injured, according to the document.

Sinn Féin Cork North Central TD Thomas Gould described the potential for 18 additional road deaths due to a delay in the Cork City Northern Ring Road as “shocking”.

He said that while one of the spurs to seek the development of the Northern Ring Road was to bring investment and connectivity to the northside of Cork city, the most pressing issue was road safety.

“The biggest reason we have is that articulated trucks and lorries are going through residential areas, going up Cathedral Rd, through Parklands, and Onslow Gardens, and Farranree,” he said.

He added that trucks were going down Gurranabraher every few weeks, getting stuck and having to reverse back up, causing traffic chaos and danger. One of the reasons for this is that drivers are being directed through these areas as shortcuts by online navigation systems.

Cork North Central TD Padraig O’Sullivan, of Fianna Fáil, said that there had been talk of the need for a Northern Ring Road and the other roads for a number of years, but this report, with its warnings regarding the possible loss of life if the roads suffered further delays, should compel action to speed up their development.

“The fact that so many of them have slowed down over the last 12 months is a cause for concern,” he said, adding that he was encouraged by the minister of state for transport Jack Chambers who said that there would be supplementary funds following this week’s budget in which he hoped there would be funding announcements relating to roads projects.

“We’re repeatedly being told that money isn’t an issue, so let’s get on and fund it adequately if that’s the case,” he said.

In response to the TII report, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and ministers Roderic O’Gorman and Jack Chambers insisted the coalition Government has invested in roads while acknowledging that the warnings were concerning.

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman insisted that Green Party party leader Eamon Ryan has provided the necessary funding as transport minister.

Mr O’Gorman also defended the government’s record on road safety and investment in infrastructure.

“Safety on our roads is absolutely paramount in terms of the Green Party’s approach, and indeed in terms of the approach of the Department of Transport,” he said.

“Since this Government has come into office, €5.1bn has been spent on roads, and €1bn specifically has been spent on improving our roads.”

He added that Mr Chambers is engaging with Justice Minister Helen McEntee to “set out” enforcement mechanisms.

Asked about the TII report, Mr Chambers said it was important that the “wider political system reflect” on it.

“The warnings and the report from Transport Infrastructure Ireland is stark, and obviously is a particular concern for me as minister with responsibility for road safety,” said Mr Chambers.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We have a lot of investments and roads, you know, hundreds of millions of euros go into maintenance and restoration of local, regional, and national roads every year. In addition to that, we sign up for new projects.

“So this month, nearly half a million euros are being invested in road upgrades in the north-west, for the M5. It’s always the case that any Government agency will always say they need more money, and if we don’t give them more money, there’ll be negative consequences.

“People make their case for more money, and I wouldn’t expect anything different. That’s the normal course of budgetary negotiations, but I do support funding for roads, I should be clear on that.

“But also, we need to make sure there’s adequate funding for public transport, [there’s] some really big, important public transport… like BusConnects in Dublin, like Cork Metropolitan Rail, and we have a commitment in the programme for government to make sure that funding for public transport outweighs investments on roads by two to one.”