A chara, - The public inquiry on the Luas light rail system has been adjourned for at least six months and there is a grave danger that the entire project will be derailed. The car lobby and the small number of business people and economists who want the project either abandoned or pushed underground may be rejoicing, but ordinary Dubliners will lose out.
Dublin's traffic problem has deteriorated to such an extent in recent years that a radical modernisation of the public transport infrastructure, offering commuters an attractive alternative to car use, is urgently required. It is depressing, then, to see how a war of attrition is being waged against the project. First the Ballymun line is left out of the first phase of Luas, then the Tallaght line is re-routed away from the villages of Kilmainham and Inchicore. And now everything is on hold.
It remains to be seen what long-term view the European Commission will take of the authorities' procrastination. When EU for the project was secured, the Commission stated that at least the Dundrum line should be completed by 2001. Unless the authorities show more enthusiasm about Luas, it is unlikely that the deadline will be met.
Modernising Dublin's public transport system will not be an easy task. Disruption to everyday business in the city will be inevitable while the Luas is being constructed. But we have to decide which will cause greater problems for Dublin - some short-term disruption to build a sorely needed light rail system, or prolonged traffic chaos instead of Luas.
Every month I visit Strasbourg to take part in the sessions of the European Parliament. Before 1994 Strasbourg had huge traffic problems. Since the advent of its light rail system in that year, however, the number of cars entering the city has decreased by one fifth and the sale of interchangeable tickets for public transport use has doubled. The benefits of the system to people and the environment are visible.
Plenty of lessons can be learnt from the experience of cities that have opted for a light rail network. If Dubliners are to have a choice between a city of noxious fumes and a city of a smooth transport network, then we must chose Luas. - Is mise.,
From Patricia McKenna MEP
Offices of the European Parliament, Dublin 2.