Madam, - How dismaying to note that the Taoiseach has declared that buying out West-Link is not an option. Traffic reports most mornings indicate that jams on the M50 extend as far back as Ballymun. Is it not perfectly clear that the cost of congestion on the M50 is so high that it would literally be economically worthwhile to build another bridge as soon as possible, perhaps further upstream from the existing toll bridge?
The Taoiseach himself admits that "looking to the next decade, I do not believe even the enhanced works will be enough"! This absurd bungling is spoiling the lives of tens of thousands of people and damaging businesses all around the city. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN STAFFORD, Chesterfield Grove, Dublin 15.
Madam, - We are heartened to see Senator Shane Ross give such enthusiastic backing to our call for the State to purchase the West-Link toll bridge with a view to making it toll free.
Having the good senator make common cause with Congress is certainly a new and somewhat unnerving experience but, for the sake of the common good, we are resolved to persevere.
We first drew attention to the serious problem of the M50 toll bridge in our pre-Budget submission of October 2004 ( see www.ictu.ie). We did so for a number of reasons: the imposition of a toll where people have no alternative routes is fundamentally unfair to commuters and an abuse of the West-Link's monopoly. Congress is also concerned that the public interest - taxpayers' money - was not best served when the initial deal was signed.
Congress also believes the imposition of the toll and the subsequent traffic problems creates an additional burden on already hard-working and stressed commuters. And finally, the toll is an obstacle to growth and hampers national competitiveness.
However, with National Toll Roads claiming the "sale price" of the West-Link might be as high as €400 million Congress feels the taxpayer would be badly served by a deal on such terms.
Equally, the Taoiseach recently seemed to suggest that an entirely new ring road was the only solution to the toll bridge chaos. It could be many years before that came to fruition.
In the interim, another solution presents itself: build another publicly financed bridge across the M50 and leave it toll-free. We estimate the maximum cost would be €50 million, but the benefits for the hard-pressed commuter would be incalculable. - Yours, etc.,
MACDARA DOYLE, Communications Unit, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Dublin 1.