Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD, Seán Crowe, has today said that the Government’s daft proposals for serious road repairs must be scrapped, because people living on or off secondary roads should not be discriminated against.

Crowe also said that to expect local communities to also fundraise to repair their roads on top of other financial demands in education, health, sport, and community services is not logical.

Responding to the proposals from the Minister for State at the Department of Transport, Alan Kelly, Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“Behind all the spin surrounding these daft proposals, there is a drive towards privatisation.

“The proposals will have no real impact on the difficulties facing road users and particularly those forced to use secondary roads that are literally crumbling apart.

“This Fine Gael/ Labour Coalition Government, not satisfied with hammering tax payers with demands for a Property Tax and numerous stealth taxes, is now unbelievably proposing that local residents should carry out their own road repairs.

“Minister Kelly’s proposed road repair scheme expects local people to put forward 20-50% of funding, including free labour, in order to ensure their roads are repaired.

“Aside from the brass neck of Minister Kelly in coming up with these proposals, surely there has to be serious questions about health and safety, as well as the potential job loses that will inevitably happen if they press ahead with these proposals.

“Essential repairs to our roads must be carried out by those trained in this specialised work. To expect local people to repair their roads to a high safety standard is totally irresponsible.

“To expect local communities to also fund raise to repair their roads on top of other financial demands in education, health, sport, and community services is just not on.

“People pay more than their fair share of taxes to cover the cost of road repairs and other essential services. Residents should not be discriminated against because they live on or off secondary roads

“These ideas come at time when Government is slashing Local Government funding from €210m in 2011 to €24m this year. They also took a further €150m out of the Motor Tax Fund to pay off the foreign debt.

“These savage cuts have led to the crisis that is at the heart local authorities in Ireland today and expecting hard pressed local people to plug this financial gap is a non-runner.

“This privatisation drive by Junior Minister Alan Kelly will hit less well-off and isolated communities who are suffering the brunt of this government’s mismanagement of our resources.

“The Minister needs to go back to his ideas box as this one is going nowhere soon.”

ENDS