For years, rural communities across Northern Ireland have been warning that our roads are failing. Only in the last few weeks have many MLAs finally woken up to the scale of the pothole crisis. While this late surge of interest is welcome, it begs an obvious question: why has it taken such severe deterioration for this issue to register at Stormont at all?
Across the countryside, potholes are not a political talking point, they are a daily hazard. Rural motorists are facing constant and costly vehicle repairs: burst tyres, cracked alloys, damaged suspension, and steering failures. For families, farmers, and small rural businesses, these are not optional expenses but unavoidable bills, landing at a time when fuel, insurance, and living costs are already stretched to the limit. For rural communities, who already pay more simply to travel longer distances to reach schools, healthcare, shops, and work, the additional cost of repairing damage caused by poor roads is yet another blow.
Rural businesses are being hit hard. Delivery delays, increased vehicle maintenance, and disruptions to farm machinery and supply chains all impact profitability. Small enterprises, from local shops to agri-businesses, cannot absorb repeated road-related costs without passing them on to customers or cutting back on services. The result is a double burden: not only are rural communities paying more to live and travel in the countryside, but businesses are also losing out financially because roads are not fit for purpose.
Safety is another major concern. On narrow country roads, drivers have little room to manoeuvre around deep potholes, increasing the risk of collisions. Motorcyclists, cyclists, and horse riders are placed in particular danger, while emergency services, carers, and school transport are forced to navigate roads that are simply no longer safe. In rural areas, where alternative routes rarely exist, bad roads cannot be avoided, they must be used.
This crisis highlights a deeper failure of political focus. Rural communities are growing increasingly frustrated as MLAs and the Infrastructure Minister neglect the bread-and-butter issues that affect people every single day. Meanwhile, time and public money are squandered on politicking, debating non-binding motions, political distractions like the recent spectacle involving Timothy Gaston, which wasted an hour and a half of Assembly time, vanity projects and, soon, Private Members’ Bills, while essential infrastructure continues to crumble.
There is a bitter irony in the current situation. Motorists are legally required to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, passing the MOT test to prove they are fit for the road. Yet there is no equivalent accountability when the road itself is demonstrably unfit for the vehicles using it. Rural drivers and businesses are effectively punished twice: once to keep their vehicles compliant, and again through repeated repair bills caused directly by neglected road surfaces.
This problem is not new. Rural residents and businesses have been reporting potholes and failing road edges for years, only to see short-term patches applied that quickly break apart. This approach wastes public money and leaves communities trapped in a cycle of neglect, reinforcing the perception that rural Northern Ireland comes a distant second to urban priorities.
Countryside Alliance Ireland believes the recent attention on potholes must mark a genuine turning point. Addressing the basics – safe, reliable rural roads – is not glamorous, but it is what people want and need. These are the bread-and-butter issues that sustain communities and local economies, not vanity legislation or headline-chasing initiatives.
Our cars must be fit for the road. It is time the road was made fit for our cars, and for the rural people and businesses of Northern Ireland who depend on them every day.