Fine Gael Ireland North West MEP Jim Higgins, speaking in the aftermath of
the Petitions Committee meeting on road safety and local roads in Ireland,
said he was very happy with what appeared to be a fair outcome to the case
made by the Farren, Gallagher and Keane families regarding the tragic loss
of their daughters in three Irish road traffic accidents arising from road
conditions.
Jim Higgins MEP with the Farren, Gallagher and Keane families during the Petition meeting
Speaking at the Committee meeting yesterday, Jim Higgins proposed that the
cases of the Farren, Gallagher and Keane families should be referred to the
European Parliament’s Transport Committee, of which he is a full member.
There he hopes to prepare a report on local road conditions and pressurise
the Irish Government to introduce road safety audits for local roads.
“At present no independent body inspects local roads in Ireland. This is
simply unacceptable. The Irish Government has signed up to the EU Directive
on Road Infrastructure Safety Management yet they are unwilling to apply
the same standards to their local roads. This selective approach to road
safety is farcical and will not protect Irish drivers. It is the
Government’s responsibility to ensure that all public roads are safe. This
includes rural and local roads.
“The Petitions Committee will draft an opinion which will be sent to the
Oireachtas Transport Committee recommending that the Farren, Gallagher and
Keane families be invited to state their cases before the Oireachtas
Transport Committee. It is likely that the opinion will outline the general
consensus as expressed by the families in their submissions to the
Petitions Committee and supported unanimously by MEPs from several member
states.”
Jim Higgins paid tribute to the Farren, Gallagher and Keane families who
have shown incredible strength and courage in their pursuit for justice:
‘They are not out for revenge or compensation they just want answers from
those responsible and a change to the condition of local roads, so that no
other family has to go through the pain which they have so stoically
endured’.
“We are not asking for the Government to turn our local roads into
motorways. We merely want safe roads with adequate signage. In this day and
age I really do not think that is too much to expect.”