Fianna Fáil Local Election Candidate for the Ballina Municipal District, Eamon Moore, is calling for Mayo County Council to apply to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for specific roads funding for the Ceide Coast, incorporating Killala, Lacken and Ballycastle.
Moore made the call having spent a number of weeks canvassing for the local election in the area and after witnessing at first hand the desperate state of many local and national roads.
He said: "From my canvass of the Ceide Coast, both this time and in 2014 when I first ran for the Council, I am clearly seeing that this very busy section of the Wild Atlantic Way, needs a strong advocate on the Local Authority.
"The condition of the local roads was quite bad in 2014 and I would say that they have deteriorated even further since. I am already inundated with requests for road repairs and local improvement schemes in the outlying areas of Lacken, Killala and Ballycastle.
"These areas have seen a massive increase in visitor numbers in the past couple of years and we all know just how popular the Wild Atlantic Way has become. While that is very welcome in terms of the area becoming a prime tourist destination, it also brings challenges in terms of the roads network.
"The roads have become extremely busy, particularly during the summer months, with campers, cars and cyclists all descending on the area. In many instances health and safety concerns are now paramount as many of the roads are of a poor quality, many have no adequate lay-byes or space for two vehicles to pass.
"It is all good and well promoting The Ceide Coast and The Wild Atlantic Way but if we do not upgrade both the local and national road network in the area, we will soon see potential visitors opting to tour the southern section of The Wild Atlantic Way.
"I am calling upon Mayo County Council, in conjunction with the Department of Transport, to ring-fence additional funding, over and above the annual roads allocation, for the Ceide Coast area."
