Madam, - The report (November 18th) that a €750 million upgrade of the M50 to accommodate increased capacity is needed, confirms what has been known for a long time: the construction of bigger, better roads merely leads to more traffic. It is also pointed out in that issue that "within a relatively short period of time, traffic volumes on the M50 would again reach or go above capacity levels".
Why persist in building more and more roads and by-passes that cost a fortune and will relieve congestion for a few years and will then have to be upgraded to relieve more congestion? Is it the ambition to concrete over the whole island? After all, there is even talk of a motorway through the Wicklow mountains. - Yours, etc.,
TOMÁS O'BEIRNE, Hex House, Sussex Road, Dublin 4.