Extra salting routes needed in Laois

A councillor was deeply disappointed that his request for extra salting routes was refused. 

Cllr Ben Brennan claimed replies to his motions were simply being printed off from previous years.

He had asked: “That Laois County Council give an update on the salting routes in Killeshin, Crettyard areas and if any additional routes are included as requested by me.”

In a written response, Senior Engineer Adrian Barrett said: “The following roads are salted in the locations identified by Cllr Brennan: the N78, the R430 and the R431. There are salt bins located in the Killeshin Church car park and adjacent to the waterworks in Rossmore / Killeshin.”

“The Council’s winter salting operation consists of seven routes that treat 479.5km of public roadway in the County. The capacity of the salting vehicles is utilised fully i.e. there is no salt remaining when a route is salted. The inclusion of any additional lengths of road for salting would be subject to the removal of an existing salted road.”

Cllr Brennan said “same answer last year and the same answer the year before, the very same. It is just printed off.”

“The road from Gruaiguecullen to Knockbeg, with over 500 kids in it, that is a bad road when the frost is on it and rain and there is ice on it.  I am after asking can that be salted and no, they won’t do it,” Cllr Brennan said. 

“I think that’s the most pathetic answer I am after getting, I am sick of it,” he remarked. Cllr Brennan said in Kilkenny they have a tractor that can do the minor roads. “I can’t understand why they can’t put on another salting route,” he said. 

“I am asking now that we do put on something minor to cover these roads. It is only now and then, it’s not every week,” he remarked. “Kilkenny can do it, Carlow can do it but Laois can’t,” said Cllr Brennan. 

“If someone is hurt or a child is maimed there is no point getting two or three or four or five lorries on the road with salting units…it’s too late then,” he said. 

Cllr Padraig Fleming agreed with Cllr Brennan and said “the answers are the same.”  He said it wasn’t right to say you would have to remove routes elsewhere to accommodate new routes. 

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“No road has changed or been included I believe in years now,” said Cllr Fleming. 

“When we had heavy snow in that area local people and farmers came out and helped,” he explained. 

Cllr Fleming said there should be “some kind of a fund to compensate people who spend a good couple of days clearing the road.”  

“There should be some kind of system even to pay for diesel,” said Cllr Fleming.

Cllr Aidan Mullins asked if it was possible to look for additional resources.  He said the use of a tractor and a spreader should be explored. 

Cllr PJ Kelly said he believed it would be possible to use a tractor. He asked that salt bins be made available at schools and church car parks during the freezing weather.  

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Cllr Aisling Moran asked for the budget for salting. “Could we get a breakdown of how much for the county and how much on the national roads and the local roads,” she asked. She also requested a breakdown of the costs in each of the Municipal Districts.