Monaghan councillor Richard Truell has welcomed the official opening of a new bike track and turning of the sod on a €400,000 project at Dartrey Forest. While the popular amenity will no doubt attract visitors from afar, Cllr Truell is concerned that local road infrastructure is not in place to accommodate locals and those travelling to the area.
Due to his concerns, Cllr Truell put forward a motion requesting emergency funding for road repairs in Co Monaghan at the most recent sitting of the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District. Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Truell said that local roads have taken a "major battering" in recent months due to poor weather conditions.
As a result he is calling on Minister Eamon Ryan to fund an emergency repair scheme that would give council workers in Co Monaghan more resources to carry out essential repair works. "There's a road between Newbliss and Clones and it's like driving on Mount Errigal. It's rough, it's bad and the people of Ballybay-Clones and Co Monaghan as a whole deserve better roads. We all pay motor tax, NCT, property tax and we are not getting anything in return. People are frustrated and they deserve better."
