Protest held against ‘unfair’ car test system
Following the protest in Limerick city on Saturday, further demonstrations are being organised for Ennis and Shannon in Co Clare, organiser Pat O'Donovan said yesterday.
"There will be meetings in Clare over the next while and we would hope then to have a protest march in Ennis, probably in late August and then a larger one back into Limerick city in September," he said.
On Saturday, more than 400 anti-NCT protesters from outlying areas of the county took to the streets of Limerick city.
At issue is the 10-year monopoly given by the NCT company. Under the law, all cars over four years old must pass a road worthiness test, for which NCT holds the contract.
The campaign organisers are angry at what they claim is "the absurd nature of car failures on trivial points".
People from Abbeyfeale, 40 miles away, and Inagh, Co Clare, 30 miles distant, travelled to the Limerick demonstration.
"They're not the usual type of marchers," said Mr O'Donovan, chairperson of the NCT Action Group. "They'd be ordinary, rural people. And all they ever marched in their life would be to Mass. We had young people as well."
Two Fine Gael public representatives, Patrick O'Donovan and Jerome Scanlon who have backed the protest since it began in Newcastlewest attended the Limerick march as did independent and Labour councillors.
"When you have a monopoly it almost speaks for itself what can happen," said Mr O'Donovan, an auctioneer and insurance broker in Newcastlewest. "Open competition is an important part of any economy and monopolies like this need to be terminated."
He was one of eight people who met last April to fight what they regard as an unfair car test system.
"I know nothing about cars only to drive them and I have no real hassle myself," said Mr O'Donovan. "Originally, I thought the Government used to get all the money out of the NCT. I hadn't realised it was given to a Swiss crowd and that it was there for 10 years," he said.
From people coming into his office he became aware of the high NCT failure rate and of the people complaining about it. A number of people locally in Newcastlewest said they wanted to call a meeting and Mr O'Donovan, chairman of the local business association, became involved in the campaign.
The initial protest march was attended by a few hundred people in Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick on May 29, following a large public meeting in Newcastlewest.
"It is a very unfair system," said Mr O'Donovan. "The NCT fee is €48.40 and a re-test costs €27.20. People who fail on trivial points are forced to pay this re-test charge, even though it just requires an NCT employee to check and see that it has been rectified."
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