Public purse funded buses for ships event

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen gave €375,000 of taxpayers' money to his home constituency of Waterford city last week for the provision of free park and ride buses during the Tall Ships Race.

A proposed €5 per person or €10 per family charge for use of the park and ride system and nearby parking for the four-day festival caused uproar locally when it was announced last month. The fee was subsequently scrapped.

Both the minister's office and the organisers of the event denied last month that extra government cash was being pumped into the event to make up the shortfall.

But speaking exclusively to the Waterford News & Star yesterday, Mr Cullen said extra money was provided to make the park and ride plan work. Up to 100 buses transported thousands of people from four locations for 18 hours a day during the event.

"It was a pilot scheme to see if it could be organised and work for a big city and the result was fantastic," Mr Cullen told the paper.

He went on to say that Waterford had shown the way with Park and Ride and there was no reason why a similar system could not work for big events in other parts of the country.

However, Fine Gael's transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said no money was made available for parking and transport at the Tall Ships when they came to Dublin, or to other major events run elsewhere in the country.

"I don't criticise the minister for putting money into the event. But I want to know what budget it came out of, what planning went into it and why this payment only emerged after the event and following a media query."

A department spokesperson said the Government was supportive of any initiatives that result in the easing of congestion in cities.

He said €500,000 had been provided for "car-free" day in Dublin since 2000 and almost €20 million had been paid to Cork City Council since 2002 for the construction of park and ride facilities and the establishment of Green routes.