Sir, – As a resident of rural Ireland, Cloughjordan eco-village to be precise, I read Cliff Taylor's dismissal of rail lines in favour of broadband connectivity with a sense of mounting disbelief ("Ballybrophy needs broadband not railway lines", Opinion & Analysis, November 19th).
Yes, I do need better broadband, but is he condemning myself and hundreds of thousands of other rural dwellers to immobility while enjoying the benefits of virtual connectivity?
The reality, of course, is that rural Ireland needs both if it is to flourish. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tells us that transport is responsible for 19.5 per cent of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions and that this proportion is expected to increase substantially by 2020 (Ireland's Environment: An Assessment 2016), offering commuters the option of rail takes on a vital importance.
Can Cliff Taylor please tell us how we can undertake the “major transformation in how our transport network is operated and managed” that the EPA says is necessary if railways are a thing of the past? – Yours, etc,
PEADAR KIRBY,
Cloughjordan,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – Your graphic of the week showing broadband speeds by county in this day and age made for dispiriting reading (News Review, November 19th). One must ask how we can expect to attract inward investment to rural areas given the extraordinary poor level of performance in every area in what is the life-blood of modern business.
Even Dublin by international standards is poorly served, with a speed of just under 45 mbs.
It is my experience that the speeds claimed by the major suppliers of broadband are not being realised.
Our Government is remiss on many fronts in this saga. It continues to drag its heels in awarding contracts to improve speeds nationally, chooses to ignore the seemingly exaggerated claims of our major suppliers as to current speed performance, and attempts to fool us that we really are at the forefront of this technology. We are not. – Yours, etc,
DEREK MacHUGH,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.