Sir, – Further to the traffic chaos on Dublin’s M50 motorway and the adjacent national roads consequent to the unfortunate early-morning road traffic incident on the M50, is it not time to review the manner in which these incidents are dealt with, given the huge social and economic cost of the extended delay in reopening roads to traffic after such occurrences? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL SHEEDY,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Why does it take so long to reopen roads here in Ireland after a road accident? Several years ago I came across a road accident on a main road in the south of France. The police and ambulance services were on the spot within 20 minutes; two injured people were on their way to hospital within 30 minutes; the police took their photographs and measurements without delay, and at that stage the damaged vehicles were pushed onto the side of the road. The road was reopened to single-lane traffic within one hour!
As everybody in Ireland knows at this stage, the M50 was closed for six hours after a road accident. Apart from the inconvenience, business in Dublin and probably around the country will have suffered the loss of many hours of production.
If there is a road accident procedure, and I am doubtful if there is, it needs a complete rethink. A team of traffic consultants should be employed to draw up a procedure to ensure that roads are reopened as quickly as possible after an accident. If the Garda do not comply with this procedure, then the Garda commissioner should be held accountable. – Yours, etc,
EAMONN ASHE,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Sir, – I see that Enda Kenny is 40 years in the Dáil. Is that why he cannot see the country grinding to a halt around him? This morning I needed to take the train to work, instead of the car. As I heard the traffic reports of the chaos on the M50, I was pleased I wasn’t stuck on it. That is, until I arrived for the 8.29 Dart to discover that there was no parking space left. How exactly are we supposed to get to work? – Yours, etc,
FIONA BROGAN,
Portmarnock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Has the Garda no traffic-management plan for such emergencies, or was traffic chaos its management plan? Surely in this day and age there must be a better way of keeping traffic flowing after an accident? – Yours, etc,
THOMAS J CLARKE,
Dublin 13.