David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue and thank the Minister of State for being here this morning. She is working overtime and should get an increase in wages, she is doing so many Topical Issues for everybody else. I also acknowledge Deputy O'Connor. Both of us are Government TDs from the same constituency and raise the same issue. I do not know if anybody takes any notice out there any more in Government Departments of what happens in this Chamber. In any event, I will have probably my final go at this particular issue. I have raised it many times.

The N25 between Carrigtwohill and Youghal is probably one of the busiest roads in the country. It carries about 30,000 cars, vehicles, lorries, trucks and motorcycles per day. There are a number of sections. Concerning the section from Carrigtwohill to Midleton, in around 2020 there were plans between TII and Cork County Council to upgrade it, in other words, to build a whole new section there. It is way below standard at the moment. For some reason, when Deputy Ryan came in as Minister for Transport, he stopped the funding even though millions had already been spent on it. It is a very dangerous road. I am worried about the safety issue more than anything else. I do not want to stand here or see in newspapers in the near future situations where the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, had told me this was a grand, safe road and that we have no money yet people have been killed on it. That will not be good enough. My worry, which I know Deputy O'Connor also has, is that there are grade junctions, median crossing points and direct access points on this road. One can imagine traffic going at 100 km/h, two lanes of traffic bumper to bumper and people trying to get on it; they cannot. They cross the dual carriageway there as well. There is also the Amgen site which has been there for decades - an IDA industrial site which cannot be used because the road infrastructure is not up to standard. Thankfully, we are building thousands of houses in the area which is great for house-building but will increase traffic volumes enormously. The road is already at capacity. The section between Carrigtwohill and Midleton was stopped, the money was not made available and the local authority and TII were upset and concerned about it. My worry now is that even though a lot of work has been done, public consultation and so on, they will have to go back and do all of this again if it gets the go ahead in future.

Then, there is the Lakeview roundabout which is beyond capacity. I use it quite often. Every time I am on it, my heart is in my mouth. You play chicken trying to get onto it especially at peak times in the evening. It is exceptionally dangerous now moving into darker and wet evenings. I worry there will be a major collision there and loss of life. I have raised this time and again and have been told, as I am sure Deputy O'Connor has, that there will be safety measures put in place on that section of road from Carrigtwohill to Midleton. Nothing has happened; not a bob spent on it. The Lakeview roundabout is exceptionally dangerous. It is one of the busiest in the country and will get even more busy because more houses are being built in the area, increasing traffic congestion, risk and danger. Further east is Castlemartyr. Every morning, if you listen to the traffic reports on the radio, you hear about the traffic building up from the east into Castlemartyr. It is the same in the evening. There are several kilometres of traffic congestion on both sides morning and evening at peak times. It is very frustrating for people. Ironically, the pollution it causes is just crazy.

The quality of life for people living in Castlemartyr and in Killeagh further down has disimproved enormously because of this situation.

Deputy O'Connor has mentioned Burgess previously, and he has done a lot of work on this issue, as have I. It is between Killeagh and Castlemartyr. We have had several serious accidents there and again we have been promised safety measures and road improvements, but nothing has happened. Not one thing has happened. I do not know if people are asleep at the wheel in TII. The Minister has certainly pulled the funding for all this work. My major concern, however, is safety and ensuring people can get from A to B and to their places of work safely and much easier. The whole pollution aspect has gone way up as well with traffic sitting there, belching out diesel and petrol fumes.

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