Sir, - The debacle over the proposed dual-carriageway through the Glen of the Downs and the fact that intelligent men and women are prepared to accept physical hardship, danger and possible arrest to stop it, should prompt our transport planners to review our road-biased transport policy.
On the other hand, and in contrast to the rate at which new roads are being built and existing ones upgraded (i.e. made capable of taking wider traffic jams), the improvements in rail transport, both urban and rural, proceed, like many of the trains themselves, at a pitifully slow pace. Surely there is no need to delay further starting work on the restoration of that stretch of the old Harcourt Street line which will be incorporated into Luas. The same argument applies to many other stretches of disused or underused track which local communities in various parts of Ireland have identified as being suitable for upgrading to provide frequent passenger transport to alleviate traffic congestion.
Every time I travel in Europe, I realise how hopelessly we have fallen behind in the provision of public transport. Even war-torn Sarajevo has a better public transport system than Dublin. In Britain the trials and tribulations of Mr Prescott are indicative of how seriously the present government there is taking the issue of transport policy and, in particular rectifying the previous government's efforts to decimate transport infrastructure.
It is widely accepted that only trains can transport large numbers of people who travel the same or similar route, safely, quickly and without doing unacceptable damage to the environment. When will we in Ireland learn that lesson? - Yours, etc.,
Christopher Hone, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.