NRA drops rest area plan

Just one week after an infant died after a crash between a parked car and a van on the N2 near Ashbourne, Co Meath, it has emerged that plans for "rest areas" on the State's national road network have been dropped. The baby boy was seriously injured when the family car was struck from behind by a van, after the baby's mother got out of the car with her sister, leaving other family members with the infant in the car.

While gardaí have appealed for witnesses to establish what exactly happened in the incident, it has sparked concern from politicians about the number of people who stop along main roads with children or adults who are unwell or in need of a toilet break.

Yesterday the National Roads Authority (NRA) said it had abandoned plans for 11 rest areas on the new motorway network, because of anti-social activities at rest areas in other countries. The authority said its network of full service areas would cater for the requirement for rest stops in a safer environment.

Rest areas are distinct from full motorway service areas in that they usually comprise little more than a signposted lay-by with toilet facilities. The NRA said the areas "might not be to the public benefit" for a number of reasons, ranging from illegal dumping to anti-social behaviour, including prostitution. Currently, the NRA is in tendering discussions with private companies on the provision of three full motorway service areas - two on the M/N4 and one on the M1. They are scheduled for completion by 2009.

However, the spokesman said the agency was planning to have full services areas on all the inter-urban motorways by 2010.

The NRA has faced frequent criticism for the lack of rest areas on the State's new roads.

In addition, in October 2006 the RSA described driver fatigue as a silent killer which could have been a contributory factor in almost 200 driver deaths over the previous five years. In the same month, British research indicated fatigue could be responsible for up to 20 per cent of road deaths.

However, the NRA maintained yesterday that the full service areas, which will be approximately 50km apart, would be able to cater for the need for rest stops. The spokesman said criticism of the time taken to develop the service areas "was valid", but he said it was an illustration of the amount of time it takes to deal with local authorities, commercial interests and landowners.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the RSA said regulations for the wearing of high visibility jackets and carrying warning triangles were not law in the Republic, as they were in other European countries. But he said safety advice for motorists who must make sudden stops on main roads was contained in the Rules of the Road, which was available on the RSA website. The RSA has previously run road-safety campaigns which advised drivers suffering from fatigue to "stop and park in a safe place", and "take a nap for 15 minutes".

The full service areas are proposed for locations which are about 60km from Dublin. For example, these include the Arklow bypass on the N11; north of Carlow on the proposed M9; the Monasterevin bypass on the M7; Kinnegad on the M6; and Blundlestown on the proposed M3. The exact locations of the service areas have not been revealed, because of commercial sensitivity.