Madam, - It is indeed dispiriting to turn into Mount Merrion Avenue from the Stillorgan dual carriageway to be confronted by the sight of the trees on this gracious avenue decorated with red ribbons. The reason: to alert us that some of these trees are facing the chop if the seemingly unstoppable trio of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Dublin Bus and the Dublin Transport Office get their way and widen the road to accommodate a QBC.
Research conducted by local residents has found a low level of customer demand for buses travelling on this route. They remain to be convinced that a QBC is needed.
Why can't a more imaginative, less destructive solution be found? Why not use the existing roadway to its maximum and introduce a central bus lane that would reverse direction morning and evening in response to traffic demand? This system is in use in other countries to great effect. Yes, it would take getting used to but, as with everything else, people would adapt.
This would be an efficient solution accommodating the QBC while preserving one of Dublin's loveliest avenues dating back to the 1840s. - Yours, etc.,
FIONA O'MALLEY, TD, Progressive Democrats, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.