Private companies should not be allowed operate traffic management on public roads unless they have the necessary permits, an independent councillor has told a meeting of Meath County Council. Cllr Yvonne Everard said that a private company had recently operated a stop-go traffic system on a regional road without having a permit from the Gardai or any other authority. Work had started at 8am on this regional road with 35 minutes delay in one direction and a similar delay in the other, she said.
This left people late for school and work. The permit was only one issue to be dealt with – many of the employees of these firms “clearly did not have any idea of how to run a stop-go system”, posting a safety risk for road uses. She said it was vital for every employee to have sufficient training for the role of stop-go operation. It was up to the companies to provide safety equipment and safety training when carrying out relevant work in construction.
She said she had spoken to the company on the day and it was admitted they had no Garda permit or the necessary documentation. There was also an admission that the stop-go operators “hadn’t a clue” and that there had been several complaints because of the long delay. Cllr Everard said that having spoken to several councillors this seemed to be a universal issue throughout the country.
She called on the Minister for Justice to inform all Gardai about this problem and to “clamp down on these dangerous operations”. An official said he wanted to clarify that there was a difference between the firms which applied for road opening licences and the companies who operated the traffic management systems. The companies applying formally for road opening licences is vetted through the RMO (Road Management Office).
