One Fine Gael councillor has become so vexed by the number of potholes on the county’s roads, he raised the issue at two separate council meetings in the space of four days.
Moate’s Cllr Joe Flanagan initially raised the issue of the condition of road at the recent Kilbeggan Area meeting.
“There are floods and potholes where I’ve never seen them before, I’ve never seen the roads get such a hammering,” he said.
“I don’t think it is humanly possible for staff to get to all of them; as soon as they are filled they are empty again. It is really worrying. Maybe we have to deviate from the roads programme... to fill a pothole is grand but it is a very short-term measure.”
Area engineer Pat Nally explained that the problem is not that the filling is failing, but that when potholes are filled the road surface around them subsequently fails.
“The programme is there as much as possible, but unfortunately with cuts we are going to have this problem,” he added.
However, unsatisfied, Cllr Flanagan brought the issue to the full council meeting a couple of days later, saying that the council was failing in its road maintenance role.
“The growth in the number of potholes is a road safety issue. I think we are failing in our role as a council. I don’t think I have ever seen so many floods and potholes, and motorists are suffering the consequences,” he said.
