CORK County Council has deemed it inappropriate to comment on one person’s proposal to establish a GoFundMe campaign to tarmac the roads of Skibbereen.
‘I’m wondering if the community would support a GoFundMe campaign aimed at purchasing bags or trailers of patch tarmac for the roads in West Cork,’ the author, who calls himself Chris Ire, posted on Facebook recently.
‘The materials could either be distributed to individuals or we could organise a community effort to fix the roads ourselves before a serious accident occurs.
‘The Council does a great job, but I believe a community-driven project could raise enough funds to address the major potholes on both main and side roads leading to busy towns. We don’t need any bureaucracy—just a collective effort and funds for the materials,’ he added.
‘This initiative would ensure that the right materials are used, with all funds going directly to filling the roads, not anyone’s pockets. This is all about addressing the hazards and making our roads safer,’ Mr Ire, not his real name, concluded.
His proposal got a mixed response.
‘OMG. Thank you for this post. I admire your enthusiasm,’ said Geraldine Cotter, whilst Robert Davies suggested it would be better to organise a ‘collective group of people and try to organise a meeting with the local authorities before taking matters into your own hands.’
Susan Cobley tagged local TDs and said she often wonders why the road conditions in West Cork are so poor.
‘As soon as you leave West Cork and travel through the rest of the country there is an immediate and noticeable improvement,’ she stated.
Others offered to ‘sign up’ immediately if it meant they could stop paying their road tax, while Lorna Beavon advised caution, telling Chris to check out the legalities first before someone files a lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Cork County Council said it was ‘not appropriate’ to comment on a private GoFundMe page.
They also noted that there are ‘ongoing maintenance and restoration programmes, which are implemented based on available funding annually.’
At a recent meeting of the Western Committee, councillors didn’t hold back when it came to complaining about the state of the roads in Skibbereen, particularly the stretch of road from the roundabout to filling station at Cork Road.
‘Is this the worst road in West Cork?’ Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) asked, as John Slattery of the council advised that a legal issue with a local landowner over a culvert has not been resolved.
However, he did say that some work would be done shortly to improve the road surface.
