Road safety, eyh?

peasant

Three people died in circumstances where their families suspected that the actual condition of the road caused the accident.

They had to take their case all the way to Europe to get some reaction, only to be snubbed again

The Farren family of Carndonagh, Co Donegal, the Gallagher family of Achill, Co Mayo, and the Keane family of Ballylongford, Co Kerry, all claimed road conditions and signage were at least partly responsible for the deaths. Last November the families addressed the European Parliament’s petitions committee, outlining the circumstances of the deaths.

The efforts of the families to raise the issue of road surfaces, particularly temporary road surfaces, with the European Parliament last November, were the subject of an RTÉ programme entitled Mr Farren Goes to Brussels , which was screened in January.

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins, a member of the petitions committee, who has raised the matter on a number of occasions with authorities both in Ireland and Europe, said the Europeans had serious concerns about the practice of road surfacing in Ireland.

“They took this very seriously and asked that the national parliament hear the family’s concerns,” Mr Higgins told The Irish Times .

“As a result the petitions committee wrote to the Oireachtas committee on transport asking that the families be heard.”

However Mr Higgins said he was horrified that committee chairman Frank Fahey could not accommodate the families.

“It is simply unbelievable that Frank Fahey’s transport committee – which espouses a ‘major interest in road safety’ – should choose to ignore the plight of those whose suffering and loss has resulted from unsafe and substandard road conditions,” he said.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0413/1224268227932.html

Apparently Frank Fahey has backtracked now

However according to this morning’s Irish Independent, chairman of the Transport Committee, Frank Fahey backtracked on the decision, and said if any committee members wished to invite individuals who have lost relatives in road accidents, he would be happy to receive them.

http://oceanfm.ie/news/2010/04/13/transport-committee-open-to-meeting-bereaved-families/

but wtf, like ...having to go to the EU to get something done about our sometimes downright dangerous roads?

keithclancy

I was Driving from Galway to Tuam on the weekend (was home for an event) and I forgot about the solid/spaced white line on the National roads in Ireland, there were parts where it was supposedly ok to overtake, but there were hidden dips that made it in no way safe at all, or points where it was allowed to overtake coming into a blind bend.

Bloody crazy, saw lots of really dangerous driving all over the weekend.

Also saw a lad running out into traffic on the Dual Carriageway coming into Galway, cars had to stop for this edjit running across the road.

Saw a dozy fat cow walk out onto the road infront of a car, the car had to stop quickly to avoid hitting her, he beeped his horn and she gave him the finger and called him a c*nt.

Madness .. Common sense is out the window with regard to Pedestrians and Car Drivers, you can't put all the blame on the crowd that manages the roads imo.