Sir, - As one of the Glen O' Downs activists, I have been following your series of articles on transport policy with great interest. One of the conclusions of the debate - as communicated in your Editorial of September 4th - is that the present chaos on our roads stems from: "A lack of strategic vision and leadership". How true.
The proposals for the road widening through the glen are a perfect example. An information pamphlet issued by Wicklow County Council states that one reason for the widening is to facilitate the rapidly increasing amount of traffic. To quote: "Five years ago 21,000 vehicles were using the road each day. That figure has now risen to 25,000 and looks set to continue rising".
We have conducted our own research, which has shown that 99 per cent of cars commuting through the glen into Dublin carry just one occupant!
The Glen O' Downs is an ancient stretch of eco-system whose importance was acknowledged by the status of National Nature Reserve conferred upon it. Our campaign has been to challenge the legal right of Wicklow County Council to declassify that status. We are pleading to the people of Ireland to stop and think before it's too late. Is it morally right, sensible or practical to sacrifice such a precious natural resource for a scheme which encourages car use and which is palpably out of touch with present day conditions?
In Tim O'Brien's report on our successful attempt to stop the council's recent plans to move in and fell the trees before our appealed case is heard in the Supreme Court, Wicklow County Council chairman Mr George Jones is quoted as saying he is confident that they will get the goahead for the scheme. From where does he get this confidence?
The fact is that a key legal issue regarding the interpretation of Statutory Instrument 178 of the 1980 amendment to the Wildlife Act is yet to be debated in the Supreme Court. The outcome of this interpretation has enormous significance, as it will set a precedent which will affect all other occasions when environmental interests and recreational lands in the public domain are threatened by development. As such it cannot be a foregone conclusion. - Yours, etc.,
Maria Mason, Glen O' Downs Tree Vigil, Co Wicklow.