Council received almost 3,000 customer service submissions

THE SDCC Road Maintenance Section received almost 3,000 customer service submissions from elected members and members of the public regarding defect reports and service requests.

Most of these reports related to road repairs, footpath repairs, hedge- and grass-cutting, potholes and road markings.

Misaligned or obscured signage, missing street name plates, and vegetation encroachment on footpaths are also regularly identified through this channel.

SDCC shared this information following a request from Councillor Eoin Ó Broin at the council’s latest meeting, which was followed by the council explaining why it is unable to carry out a biannual inspection of the road network as proposed, saying;

“The council is responsible for approximately 1,200 kilometres of county roads, in addition to associated footpaths, signage, and ancillary infrastructure.

“To undertake a comprehensive inspection of this entire network twice yearly, as proposed, would require a very significant increase in staffing and associated resources.

“In this context, and having regard to current demands and service priorities, such an inspection programme would be inefficient when compared to the benefits derived.”

Cllr Ó Broin described the system he would like to see adopted, which would involve a publicly available checklist allowing members of the public to see when a road was last inspected.

He expressed discontent with the SDCC response to the proposal and believed in the Road Maintenance Section’s ability to cover the 1,200km of roads over the course of six months.

In its reply, SDCC highlighted the increase in the number of Road Inspectors from three to four this year, which has strengthened the council’s capacity to identify and assess maintenance requirements across the county.

A level of observation and oversight of the road network is provided by these inspectors, along with other roads staff operating on the ground, which provides a practical level of coverage across the county in place of a twice-yearly inspection regime.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme