Longford/Westmeath Fine Gael Deputy James Bannon said this week that a concerted effort must be made between the NRA and local authorities to improve the visual impact of our roads in the Midlands.
“National and secondary roads throughout Longford/Westmeath are becoming an eyesore due to littering, overgrown grass, and an excessive growth of ragweed.”
Deputy Bannon believes that in recent times the standard of grass and weed cutting has fallen in the area, to the detriment of the overall appearance of our roads, which are the gateways to the Midlands.
He is now calling on the NRA to complete the necessary actions and to properly maintain the roadsides, particularly on the approach roads to town such as Athlone, Mullingar, Longford, and Edgeworthstown.
“Our motorways, national, and secondary roads should give visitors an attractive first impression of the Midlands, as a desirable place to holiday. It’s vital that the NRA in cooperation with local authorities do everything possible to ensure that the littering of our roads is minimised. When littering occurs it must be cleaned up and the offenders held to account.”
Deputy Bannon is urging the NRA to engage with councils to address this issue. “Litter is the fault of those who litter. It is being perpetrated by a small minority, but affects us all,” he added.
“We need maximum cooperation by all to keep our county tidy even if that entails providing motorway litter wardens with cameras to monitor the problem on a random basis at certain locations.
“Communication between the relevant authorities is all important to deal with this problem.”
