Madam, - Before the Minister for Transport starts to amend the speed limits let him first deal with some of the obvious ways of reducing the motorist's carbon footprint by the application of common sense.
My own experience will illustrate the point. Travelling from Cork to Dublin recently I was enjoying the results of the millions spent on reducing the journey between our two major cities - until, that is, I reached the outskirts of Abbeyleix. There I joined the end of a 2.5-km tailback of some 400 vehicles.
About 40 minutes later I arrived at the traffic lights and found that there were four vehicles wishing to exit from the left hand side and none at all from the right. Once through the lights I observed a similar queue on the Dublin side.
The solution to the problem is unbelievably simple: attach a stop/start control button to the timing device of the traffic lights and have it operated by a retired big-mileage driver. No need for an expensive consultant's report; just the application of a solution which is obvious to any thinking motorist. - Yours, etc,
ALAN COOK,
The Coppins,
Foxrock,
Dublin 18.