Policy for road repairs needs to be changed says Cookstown councillor

He said in the past month he reported a number of roads needing repairs, stretching from Coagh, Loughry, Pomeroy and Cookstown.

“The reality facing these roads is some, if not most, do not meet the Transport NI policy for rural roads repair,” he said.

“It seems the policy insists that routine inspection schedules should be kept to, therefore not being proactive to the sudden changes our roads experience, such as potholes or road surface sinking.

“This means roads could have to wait up to a number of months from being reported before they are repaired as the defects would not be picked up until the inspection of that particular road is carried out.

“Resulting in a defect already a cause for damage to motorists is left to become a hazard which is unacceptable in my opinion.

“The policy states defects for example potholes would have to be 50mm deep before they would meet the criteria for repair.

“A pothole 50mm deep on a road that might not have a routine inspection will become bigger, potentially cause damage to a vehicle and result in a compensation claim for damage which will be paid out by the Department.”

He said the Minster continues to talk the about her opinion on the fixed link between Northern Ireland and Scotland, but fails to mention the reality of what actually is going on around Northern Ireland when it comes to the current state of our roads. “The first course of action the Minister must take is change the policy currently in use and design a policy that actually deals with the reality our roads are facing which is decline and a lack of investment,” he added.

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