'Rural Mid Ulster deserves better - not excuses', says local DUP MLA Keith Buchanan
DUP MLA Keith Buchanan says roads across Mid Ulster are collapsing while the Department for Infrastructure repeats the same stock answer every time he raises concerns: “limited resources and staffing pressures.”
Mr Buchanan said in a statement that this excuse has worn thin.
“While rural roads are left to crumble, those same ‘limited resources’ have somehow been found for new bilingual traffic signs and fresh road markings in West Belfast. When optional projects are being prioritised over essential
maintenance, the problem is not just funding, it is political will,” he said.
"Let me be absolutely clear: If money is available, then the first duty of the Department is to keep people safe. That means fixing roads, repairing verges, replacing damaged signs, and ensuring rural communities are not treated as an afterthought.
“Families, farmers and workers rely on these roads every single day. They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the basics, safe, passable roads that do not damage vehicles or put lives at risk”.
Mr Buchanan said Mid Ulster will not be fobbed off with excuses.
"Our communities deserve fairness, respect and proper investment. I will continue pressing the Department until rural infrastructure is treated as a priority, not an optional extra,” he continued.
“To the road users, I say this, the Department has failed to put the necessary finance into the roads it is responsible for. Its priorities clearly lie elsewhere, and rural communities are paying the price. Be prepared for this winter,
because the road conditions that await us are the direct result of underinvestment and neglect.”