Potholes and the deteriorating conditions of rural roads are affecting journeys with vulnerable passengers, a transport provider has said.
Frances Scullion is a driver with Out and About Community Transport in Magherafelt, a charity that offers lifts and day trips to elderly and vulnerable adults.
“I have passengers in their 90s and wheelchair users, and some of the rural roads I drive on are just getting in worse condition, so you just have to always be extra vigilant,” he said.
New figures show that more than £500m has been spent on trying to fix Northern Ireland’s roads during the last five years.
But Mid Ulster, where the largest amount of money was spent, still has one of the highest numbers of potholes in Northern Ireland.
A total of £62.4m was allocated to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) - with £22.8m for ongoing budgets and £39.6m towards capital spending.
But it is unclear how much of it will be set aside to deal with road maintenance, as a chunk of it is being ringfenced to address problems with Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure.
More than £500m has been spent on trying to fix Northern Ireland’s roads during the last five year
Out and About Community Transport makes about 200,000 journeys annually, taking vulnerable passengers to appointments and the shops - it is raising serious concerns about the state of the roads.
Mr Scullion, who spends his days driving for the dial-a-lift service, said rural roads in Mid Ulster were "very tired" and "the edges have eroded away".
“When I’m driving these roads I’m always having to scan ahead to see just where the potholes are, because there are plenty of them," he said.
“Rural roads make up about 60% of my journeys, and they are continuously eroding and wearing on the vehicle’s suspension and it’s causing ongoing damage to the buses.”
'I'm constantly called about potholes'
£500m was spent on fixing roads across Northern Ireland in the last five years
For most local councillors, especially those in rural areas, the issue of potholes is not a new one.
Malachy Quinn, an SDLP councillor in Mid Ulster, said people "can sometimes mock councillors for getting pictures beside potholes and things like, but it’s probably the issue I get people calling me and talking to me about most in this area".
For years he has been on a mission to raise the state of the Ferry Road in the Washingbay area of County Tyrone.
Last year he posted a picture on social media of himself standing hip deep in a pothole on the road.
“That picture did get a lot of reaction, and although it was filled in after that, it’s already started to fall away again into a pothole, but that’s just one example.
"That road is full of them.
“These are potholes that have formed during the summer, and things are only going to get worse during the winter.
“We’ve had some resurfacing schemes and you can see how much is being spent on road repairs, and while investment is welcome, it’s just papering over the cracks.”
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