We ripped up the best way to travel on ice

WHAT a pity, with winter weather causing dangerous driving conditions and disruptions to air travel, that we ripped up three-quarters of Ireland’s railways half a century ago.

Railways laugh at ice, fog and snow, which never cause danger. Rail travel is 20 times safer and 10 times more energy efficient than road travel,

It was claimed they were uneconomic. However, councils spend twice as much on roads as they receive in road tax. Spending on roads is €5 billion a year, or about €2,500 per vehicle, more than twice what motorists pay in taxes. External costs amount to another €5bn.