Grandiose roads plan needs a rethink

NOW that Minister Seamus Brennan has acknowledged that the M50, and in particular the Red Cow roundabout, is a “mess”, perhaps it’s time to rethink the grandiose NDP Roads Programme and instead implement the more realistic recommended of the National Roads Authority Roads Needs Study.

This study recommended upgrading existing roads together with urban bypasses for economic and environmental reasons.

The original estimate for the NDP programme has already climbed from €5.9 bn to a staggering €16bn. Yet only €835 million was allocated to public transport outside Dublin. Rail transport is the safest and potentially the most efficient form of transport but it has been almost completely ignored by this Government.