Sir, - The transformation in motorists' parking habits in Dublin in the past few weeks has been remarkable. Gone is the constant rash of illegal parking on single and double yellow lines, in bus lanes, clearways, etc. Busy citycentre streets that formerly were clogged with illegally parked vehicles have been freed for traffic. This dramatic change of habit has obviously been induced by a tough, highly visible enforcement of the on-street parking code, backed up by the threat of wheel clamping.
By contrast, the scourge of litter shows no sign of improvement. Residences and businesses continue to ignore litter outside their premises; rubbish of all sorts remains piled up and visible in street basements; rubbish skips are invariably overloaded; refuse is left out in flimsy containers days before collection, while dog owners continue to allow their pets to foul pavements and parks.
The fact is, however, that these and other examples of litter pollution are now offences under last year's Litter Pollution Act. However, like so many other measures on our statute books, it is already becoming a measure more honoured in the breach than the observance.
It is long past time for some collective determined will on the part of Government and local authorities to show that they really mean business when it comes to tackling the litter scourge, and to pay more than lip service to the notion that Ireland is a beautiful country.
There is no mystery about what needs to be done. Waterford County Council has officially achieved the status of a "litter-free county" in the past year by a sustained, vigorous enforcement of the law and the appointment of an official whose sole duty is to keep the county litter free. For its achievement, IBAL is now investing £1 million in an advance factory for Waterford.
Surely the clean-up blitz that was necessary to make the route of the Tour de France, and that travelled by President Clinton, acceptable to our foreign visitors should have been enough to shame both Government and local authorities into accepting that the standards that normally obtain, and for which they are responsible, are simply not good enough.
Please let's have some action. Or must we wait until another distinguished visitor comes to these shores? - Yours, etc., Tom Cavanagh,
Chairman,
Irish Business Against Litter.
Dublin 2.