Madam, - As president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), I can say that safety is one of our core values. Charles Bagwell (November 26th) makes some very valid points, particularly that the concerns of residents, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users must be addressed. That said, we face three situations as truck operators that are sometimes presented in the media as one problem.
First of all the Government is proposing to introduce a maximum height limit. A consultation process is taking place and the IRHA has made a submission. The main thrust of our argument is that as long as the UK, our biggest trading partner, operates vehicles at 4.95m, we would be threatening our national productivity by having a lower height restriction.
Secondly, when Dublin Port Tunnel is complete it is a fact that some trucks will not fit in it and an alternative route has to be found for these vehicles. A simple change in the law will not ban trucks of a certain height overnight. Some time to allow old equipment to be removed from the system must follow. The airlines were given this courtesy when they had to deal with noise abatement on older aircraft.
Thirdly, a Dublin City traffic plan must be finalised so that the city's residents and visitors can have the streets back. The IRHA is currently in discussions with Dublin City Council. It is our policy to keep as much traffic out of the city as possible, particularly transit traffic. As with most problem solving, this will not be as simple as it might seem. A lot of industry is based in the city and it will require service. I am disappointed that so far a lot of our advice has been ignored.
These three problems I have mentioned are separate issues requiring separate solutions. They are often mixed up and presented as one problem that requires only one solution. Banning heavy trucks will certainly not solve any of them, though the public can be forgiven for thinking like this. A recent outburst by the Taoiseach during a visit to the Dublin Port Tunnel site has not helped. Some political leadership would have been more useful.
I understand the fears and concerns about trucks, but I can assure people that the safety improvements on modern trucks are happening at the same pace as improvements on passenger jets. And trucks are required bring the Celtic Tiger in and out of every corner of Ireland. If you work for an exporting/manufacturing company, would you be prepared to see your employer use two small trucks where a larger one would do and risk making your company less competitive, putting your own job at risk? Would anybody be prepared to tell their newsagent they will only accept newspapers transported by rail? The Sunday papers would then be ready for collection after lunch rather than after first Mass. Nobody in our industry is looking for a clap on the back. We are a service industry and we are happy to play our part in the import-export chain.
These comments are not meant to insult anybody, least of all railway operators, rather provoke debate and comment. My contention is that our economy is dependent on the flexibility and competitiveness of road transport, as is the rest of Europe.The Irish Ferries dispute has shown us that when the supply chain stops, for whatever reason, it does not take long for imports and exports to back up. Trucks and hauliers are the lifeblood of our economy. The more successful our economy becomes, the more important trucks become.
While people consider these comments, I can assure the road users of Ireland that the IRHA will continue negotiations with all agencies to make sure that our roads are as safe as possible and that where we can reduce the impact of trucks on people's lives, we will. - Yours, etc,
VINCENT CAULFIELD, President, Irish Road Haulage Association, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.