Madam, - Your Editorial of February 20th on the HGV management strategy refers to the debate surrounding the Stillorgan quality bus corridor in 1999 and says the AA at the time "campaigned vociferously against its introduction". I submit that this is not entirely fair.
The AA, then as now, supported QBCs but was extremely disappointed that critical aspects such as integrated ticketing, real-time bus information, park-and-ride sites and quality bus shelters were not being provided. These aspects are important in offering car users an attractive alternative.
The Irish Times Editorial of August 23rd, 1999 described our criticisms as "cogent" and said that their force must be acknowledged.
The Stillorgan QBC has been extremely successful, and like all good transport initiatives this means that everyone has benefited. Most of the credit for this must go to Dublin Bus. But unfortunately those other aspects of a QBC still have not been provided, and without them the excellent service is still less than it should be.
The AA was a strong supporter of Luas and of the Port Tunnel, even though the tunnel carries a toll designed to discourage cars. We have spoken in favour of the HGV ban in the city centre - though, like all of the other traffic professionals (including Dublin City Council's own engineers, whose advice was ignored), we are concerned about the decision not to allow any southern exit from the port while the M50 upgrade works are in progress.
You state also that traffic has come to a standstill in Dublin "mainly because there are too many cars". That's a bit like saying that a company went bankrupt because it ran out of money. It may be accurate but it does not tell us why.
Dublin has a rate of car ownership that is broadly similar to other European cities. However, we are absurdly over-dependent on our cars, especially for commuting, because we lack public transport. DTO figures show that private car use accounts for 54 per cent of all commuting journeys in the city, with public transport accounting for less than 20 per cent.
Given that every public transport asset that we have is stuffed full to capacity at peak times, including those that travel through our most affluent suburbs, it can hardly be argued that we are a city of selfish car users who refuse to take alternatives.
The port tunnel is a marvellous asset to the city and will serve us well for years. But what a pity that we were not building four metro tunnels at the same time. - Yours, etc,
CONOR FAUGHNAN, Public Affairs Manager, AA Ireland, Drury Street, Dublin 2.