Madam, - Any news, such as Tuesday's launch of the Government's Transport Plan, which might indicate some easing in the misery of the traffic gridlock which has become part and parcel of Greater Dublin living is to be welcomed.
However, it is with some dismay that I learn of even greater "investment" in the Luas (the Lavish Use of Area on the Streets).
Luas, which became an instrument of political urgency in the 1990s has, in spite of the useage figures quoted, been poor value for money.
Assume that a Luas line takes up roughly the same space as a road lane (e.g. the Tallaght line), and all traffic in the road lane consists of single-occupancy cars. Also assume that Luas trains carry an average of 200 passengers (60 seated) at a frequency of one train every five minutes (giving a throughput of 20 people/min).
Now assume that cars in the alternative road lane travel at 15mph, with a spacing of 23m (recommended at 30mph) between cars (giving a throughput of 15 people/min).
Clearly, only a marginal improvement is achieved for a significant outlay - nearly €1 billion for our Green and Red lines. Not factored in are the multiple car occupancies and the presence of buses. Trucks are discounted, since they don't carry commuters.
Also not considered is the route flexibility of vehicular traffic, compared to the fixed lines of Luas.
In the case of the Sandyford line, there is a clear imperative for the re-use of the old rail line. However, let us not take up any more road space with marginal solutions.
If the population of Dublin is to hit five million over the next decade and a half, we need more than piecemeal solutions that take up valuable and finite road space.
It's time to start digging! A proper metro, though expensive, would occupy a third, unexplored, dimension and give us a service which is not encumbered by traffic lights and the well-documented conflict between road traffic and the Luas.
Can we afford not to do this ? - Yours, etc,
(Prof) JOHN RINGWOOD, NUI Maynooth.
Madam, - The focus on public transport in the Government's 10-year plan for transport has to be welcomed.
However, it is a shame that by playing politics, the Government has got the plan upside down, and if the recent cost overruns on Luas are anything to go by, we will have nothing to spend by 2010 on the most important projects.
Two of the most vital projects, the interconnector Dart tunnel (enabling extension of the Dart) and the rail link to Navan, have been put right at the end of the plan. This is a slap in the face to everyone who spends three hours a day in their car commuting from Navan, and the thousands of us who endure sardine-can conditions on our commuter rail services.
Without the interconnector tunnel, we will have very little capacity improvement on the Dart and suburban rail services, especially the Drogheda line which has seen huge growth over the past few years.
We are disgusted that the Government has decided to put these projects last, leaving commuters to hope that there will be some scraps left over after the inevitably late and over-budget Metro and Luas projects. Anyone who thinks that this plan will be built in its entirety and to schedule only has to look at our experience with Luas and the linking of the two lines.
The fast-track funding accorded to the Western Rail Corridor to Claremorris (after an independent study rejected its reopening) is another example of how the Government has got its priorities upside-down in its blatant chasing of votes.
Tuesday could have been a great day for commuters, but unfortunately we are deemed a "low priority" in Martin Cullen's "vision" for transport in Ireland.- Yours, etc,
THOMAS BIBBY, PRO, Platform 11, Ireland's National Rail User Lobby, Phibsboro, Dublin 7
Madam, - How extraordinary that after years of discussion with Government on deregulation, the NBRU's Liam Tobin (letters 3 November) remains blind to the potential for private operators to provide bus services in the capital. I understood that more buses were to be provided but only after agreement had been secured on market opening. Could it be that this policy has now been abandoned? - Yours, etc,
REG McCABE Director, Transport & PPPs, Irish Business and Employers' Confederation, Dublin 4.
Madam - Does the Government really expect the taxpayer to trust the author of e-voting to manage the spending of €34 billion? - Yours, etc,
BRIGID GREENE, Sorrento Court, Dalkey, Co Dublin.