Rural roads are left to ruin while busier stretches near cities are under constant care

Some of the roads around Dublin – especially the likes of the N11 to the south-east – are in great fettle. The surfaces are excellent.

Sadly, I can’t say the same about some I’ve encountered in the midlands over the past few weeks.

One in particular near the Offaly-Westmeath border sparked reminders of the great pothole era of the early 1980s when councils were famously accused of “tricking around with kettles of tar” such was the cash-starved nature of their response.

We’ve come a long way since, I hope.

I know traffic on some of the smaller byroads probably is so light (relatively speaking) that it is hard to prioritise them when roads taking larger volumes have to get their share of maintenance out of necessity.

But people living in relatively remote areas do need their roads in reasonable shape, not just for driving considerations, but also for safety concerns and car wear-and-tear.

I’m probably being over parochial here, but one short stretch I drove through – after a wet morning – between Clara in Co Offaly and Horseleap on the Westmeath border seemed to be comprised of more holes than actual surface.

It is only a short stretch, but is relatively busy, so how people put up with it is beyond me.

I wonder why bits like that are left to go to pot (pardon the pun) for so long given that they are so short.

I know budgets are always under pressure and I know there are deserving cases elsewhere.

But it would be a pity, at a time when we are spending so much on the long tracts, that we would forget the small stretches of rural road upon which so many, collectively, depend.