Why we need more pubs in rural areas

IT’S been reported that 400 drivers are to be charged with drink-driving over the October bank holiday weekend.

This places an onerous demand on the gardaí, costs a fortune in public money and clogs up the courts.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. I think it is fair to say the majority of men in pubs or at social functions go by car and drink over the limit. The number of actual offences must be hundreds of times greater.

I assume the garda spokesman was joking when he advised drinkers to “use public transport”. It is practically non-existent outside of big cites. And at pub closing time — forget it.

What are the alternatives? Taxis, a nominated driver, walking or cycling. All are either impractical, expensive or risky. There are not enough pubs in villages and the countryside; in towns almost every other building is some sort of licensed premises.

The answer must be to build more pubs in rural areas and to provide buses and safe routes for cycling and walking. Drinkers pay about €30m a year in alcohol taxes. If we are going to accept that motoring taxes should be spent on roads, why not spend alcohol taxes on grants to build pubs and the facilities for accessing them without having to drive. Irish pubs provide an extremely valuable social function and are imitated the world over. We cannot let them die out — neither can we allow the hazard of drunken driving.

Michael Job

Rossnagreana

Glengarriff

Co Cork