Councillors dig up dirt on road signs

“You wouldn't send your child out with a dirty face in the morning to school.”

The words of Independent Cllr Danny Collins who was one of many elected members calling for filthy and illegible road signs around Cork county to be cleaned on a regular basis.

Speaking at Monday’s meeting of Cork County Council, the West Cork councillor said it would not be a massive undertaking to keep the signs clean and would “only take a bucket of sudsy water to clean them at the end of the day.

“It should be a policy that we have to clean them all over the county. It's not a good look for our tourists coming into West Cork or any part of the county,” said the councillor.

His comments followed a recommendation from the Cork Tourism SPC (strategic policy committee) that signs be adequately cleaned on a regular basis, especially on approach roads to towns and villages and other areas. Speaking on behalf of the Tourism SPC, committee member Fine Gael Cllr Karen Coakley said dirty signs are not merely an inconvenience but pose a real health and safety threat to road users.

She said: “On a few occasions, I've seen cars stopping who are struggling to read the signs. It could lead to a serious accident and it's a major safety concern.

“We are looking at a very busy tourism season ahead. It is an embarrassment driving around our beautiful county looking at our road signs. We have one chance to make a first impression.”

Fianna Fáil Cllr and fellow Tourism SPC member Cllr Joe O'Carroll said the issue reflects a serious lack of Cork County Council staff.

“It's not long ago we had a man based in Skibbereen going around cleaning signs and I can't see why that can't be done again,” said the West Cork councillor.

He continued: “Of course it's down to the matter of staff. Our staff are being cut continuously. We actually had a new toilet facility in Baltimore last week locked up, we had to get it locked up simply because the state of the place was so bad, there was no other thing for it. That is because we don't have personnel to do that kind of business. It's the same with cleaning the signs.”

Carrigaline Cllr Audrey Buckley said she has witnessed the issue in her area too and added that overgrown hedging was also a major concern.

“I myself live in a rural community. We have been saying it for many years, a lot of the signs can't be seen because of overgrowth and unfortunately local landowners aren't cutting back the hedges before bird nesting season,” said Cllr Buckley.

She added many bus stops had also been covered or worn completely away and appealed to the National Transport Authority to replace them.