Sir, - On Sunday, January 12th at 2.15 p.m. I counted 60 cars parked along the road in the vicinity of the entrance gate of Luggala Lodge, Lough Tay, Co Wicklow. Of these, a line of 12 was completely blocking the east bound lane of the narrow road.
Finding this somewhat disquieting, I went to look at the site of the abandoned Interpretative Centre nearby. I noted that in the forest a car park capable of taking at least 200 cars was virtually complete. Only a tidying up operation, signposting and the making of an entrance is needed to make it usable.
This should be done without further delay. Lough Tay is the most popular spot in all Wicklow to begin a mountain walk. It is absurd to have severe parking congestion along a narrow mountain road, while 200 metres away there is a splendid car park lying unused, where 200 cars could be parked, entirely screened from view from the road by the forest. A large amount of public money has been spent on this facility. It is badly needed, and should be brought into use.
I would suggest further that in view of security problems with cars experienced by walkers in the Wicklow mountains, at weekends and peak holiday periods the car park should be supervised, a charge of £1 a day being made to cover the cost of supervision. - Yours, etc.,
Jesuit Community, Milltown Park,
Dublin 6.
Developing the UN