Sir, - I was delighted to read Frank McDonald's article on LUAS (LRT) of August 16th, and I agree wholeheartedly with it There has been a huge amount of anti LRT propaganda, much of it high profile, on TV, in the press, and on the radio, in recent weeks. It is a tonic to see someone defend the light rail system so strenuously, point up the great benefits it can bring to Dublin's serious traffic congestion problem, and nail some of the falsehoods spoken about it.
A group of Drumcondra Residents' Associations commissioned a development plan some years ago which, among many other things, took on board the Dublin Transportation Initiative recommendation of a light rail route through our area, to Ballymun, and at an early stage afterwards to Dublin Airport. This was because of our serious traffic problem, because it was non polluting, and because it traversed a very large passenger catchment area of hosing, schools, colleges, seminaries, a university, two of the largest hospitals in the country, football stadia, and of course Dublin Airport.
We were bitterly disappointed when the DTI recommended route was put on the long finger. It contravenes the much repeated statement by the DTI chairman, Pat Mangan, as you quote: "The DTI was an integrated package which needed to be implemented into, rather than `cherry picked' by vested interests". Our great fear is that with so many countries queuing up for EU Structural Funds, little if anything will be available for a Phase 2 LRT system, so we are fighting tooth and nail to have it installed in Phase 1.
The present situation with Dublin traffic cannot continue for Winuch longer. Too many cars, with low occupancy (the average on Drumcondra Road, which is part of the N1, the second busiest road in Ireland, is 1.16 persons per car). Air pollution from cars has reached dangerous levels, according to Dublin Corporation, and traffic jams are getting longer and are more time consuming. We believe that on street LRT is the answer.
An underground system would be massively expensive, the construction would be enormously disruptive, and a recent survey has shown that many people would not venture underground, particularly at night. If the critics were successful and the whole concept of light rail in Dublin were to be scrapped, it would be a tragedy for us in Drumcondra as well as elsewhere.
Finally, with respect, could I suggest that the name of the system be changed from "LUAS" to the more appropriate "Dubtrax". - Yours, etc.,
(Drumcondra 2005, and Chairman Drumcondra Residents Association),
Ferguson Road, Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.