Sir, - Can Mary O'Rourke give one good reason why she will walk away from the £114m of EU funding for the LUAS?
If she is serious about the project, shouldn't this money be spent immediately to reopen the Harcourt St line to Sandyford, a section of the LUAS where there is no question about the line it will take (the old rail bed) and where design work is already complete. If there was any real political commitment, the public inquiry, which has been on hold for nine months, could be fast-tracked to get this done, even if it takes a three line Bill to change the terms of reference.
Or is the game plan that, having opened up the centre city and found uisce faoi thalamh, the £400m++ becomes £800m++. Hands are thrown up in horror at the expense, there are no Eurofunds left to kickstart the project, and the whole light rail proposal is abandoned. Is this why their own consultants' first and second choices have been rejected, having already delayed nine months to await this report?
Another 4,000 cars are set to funnel through Dundrum village as a result of land rezoning in Stepaside and Glenamuck. I fear that saying goodbye to the Eurofunds for LUAS is tantamount to saying goodbye to any serious investment in a decent public transport alternative.
There is a public meeting on Luas on Tuesday, May 26th, at 8 p.m. in Dundrum College, Upr Kilmacud Road, and all are welcome. - Yours, etc., Cllr Eithne Fitzgerald,
Clonard Avenue, Dublin 16.