Roads in Mayo 'not fit for purpose', says senior Garda

The roads in the West of Ireland are not "fit for purpose" and are a factor in some traffic accidents, according to the head of Garda Roads Policing in Mayo.

Inspector David Tiernan believes there should be a strong focus on engineering and improving the quality of the infrastructure in the region.

“The roads are not fit for purpose. People seem to forget there are one million more people in this country in the last 20 years. You see the amount of traffic that is on the roads, it’s madness at times.” 

Insp Tiernan described how on a recent drive to Dublin he encountered seven articulated trucks on the N5 near Strokestown.

There was huge disappointment last year when the much-needed upgrade of the N17 road between Ireland West Airport and Sligo was shelved. There was also frustration before approval was finally granted last September for the long-awaited N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramogue Road Project.

A total of 12 people died in road traffic collisions in Mayo in 2023, an increase of seven from 2022. A further 13 fatalities occurred in Galway, a rise of seven, while there were six in Roscommon, an increase of one, and four in Sligo, a reduction of two.

Insp Tiernan believes a combination of improving the roads and enforcement of the existing laws will help to reduce road deaths.

"Engineering is a huge part of this and anyone will tell you this. Something has to be done with the roads and especially in the West of Ireland.

"I was at a conference in Sweden about four months ago and 90% of it is about the engineering of the roads to save lives. Enforcement is only a small part of it and they have improved their statistics over the years.” 

Insp Tiernan said there are no static cameras in place in Mayo or the West but they are being considered as an alternative to some GoSafe vans. He believes they would be a "huge addition".

He also said that new roadside drug testing and Garda powers led to 34 drug driving arrests in 2023, an increase of 17.