We Need to Talk About Transportation

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday January 27, 2003 15:25 by Graham Caswell - Green Party caswell at indigo dot ie

Still obsessed with the Cult of the Car

In a world of gridlock, climate change, oil-wars and 2-hr commutes the government spends six times as much on new roads as on new public transport systems. This is short-term, myopic madness. A real public debate is long overdue.

The Green Party is calling on Minister Séamus Brennan to present the report on the Strategic Rail Review to the Dáil to stimulate a debate on our National Transport Strategy.

Green Party Transport spokesperson, Eamon Ryan TD, said today: "The arrival of the strategic rail review on the desk of Minister Séamus Brennan has been accompanied by the leaking of the main recommendations. Rather than adding to
the public confusion and cynicism that has come with the myriad of recent transport plans, the Green Party wants the Minister to present the report to the Dáil for a proper debate on our National Transport Strategy."

"While we welcome the main conclusion of the report that substantial investment is needed in our rail services, we can only react with some dismay that the report is said to rule out the immediate opening of new rail lines such as the proposed Western rail corridor."

"The reported emphasis on promoting the inter city routes eliminates the huge potential that exists for the development of new commuter rail services into Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Sligo. Additional rail services increase marginal costs but they help spread the huge capital cost that is already spent on maintaining the national rail network. It is ominous in this regard that the leaked reports have omitted to mention the future of the rail freight
services."

"The proposed rail interconnector from Heuston to Spencer Dock would improve the efficiency of both the Dublin suburban and indeed the interurban rail system. This could also connect up with the city centre underground Metro stations, the designs for which are also sitting on the Minister's desk. The rail review will be useless if the Government does not reverse its current strategy of spending six times as much on new roads as on new public transport systems."