‘Ghost roads’ turn back to haunt us all

THE catchphrase “ghost estates” is well-worn term by now. However, another catch phrase that has appeared in the media of late, coined by the heritage organisation An Taisce, is “ghost roads”.

This describes the ridiculously exaggerated scale that motorways in Ireland have been built to, while completely ignoring future energy problems, pressing environmental concerns, as well as the quantifiable decline in car numbers

We live in a “landscape of subtraction” where more and more land is appropriated for car culture. This is becoming ever more visible as Ireland’s landscape shrinks under swathes of tarmac and the “ooze” of overblown motorways. Crucial public space, vital food-producing land and wildlife habitats have been handed over to the demands of the car.