More than 9,500 people have signed a petition by the AA to call for more repairs to Ireland's roads.
Local authorities have been awarded a further €60 million to tackle the problem, but the AA says this is not enough. Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy for the AA Ireland, said: "It's good news and definitely a step in the right direction that an additional 60 million euros has recently been made available to restore regional and local roads. But given the scale of the work needed countrywide we are likely to find that it is a long way short of what is needed to do the job right and bring our roads back up to scratch."
Faughnan went on to add: "Our patrols are being called out to AA members who are at their wits end at this stage. A classic example of this is motorists who would have recently shelled out hundreds for new tyres only to write one off shortly after as a result of hitting a pothole."
Safety is the prime concern of the AA, who points out that, with summer just around the corner, there will be a far greater number of cyclists and motorcyclists on the roads. These more vulnerable groups are even more susceptible to poor road surfaces.
The petition has been signed by people from every county in Ireland and the AA will disseminate the petition to the appropriate local authorities. Faughnan concluded: "Damaged roads and potholes are causing huge frustration and damage, so we are not surprised that we got such a strong response. Authorities are aware of the problem, but despite the allocation of some extra resources for road repairs they are still strapped for cash. That and the effects of the last winter mean that 2011 is the year of the pothole."