Sir, - Mr Mike Norris's letter (May 13th) is obliquely critical of the AA on foot of our recent statements on car numbers in Dublin. To recap, we do indeed make the point that Dublin has fewer cars per capita than all but one of our fellow EU capitals. The city's congestion problem is caused not by too many cars but by too few public transport alternatives.
Mr Norris suggests certain measures that might be applied to benefit "those of us who live on the planet", as if to imply that car owners live somewhere else. This is perhaps indicative of an unhealthy school of thought which suggests that motorists, irrespective of context, are a problem to be curtailed. Any measure which inflicts hardship on them is worthwhile.
This is a seriously flawed perspective in the AA's view. The motor car has been a great friend to society. The economic and sociological benefits which it brings are enormous in terms of personal freedom and consequent quality of life. These lifestyle benefits are the reason that over a million people in the State choose to own a car.
Having said that, the AA does recognise that Dublin is too car dependent for commuting and we fully support and endorse the improvement of public transport. We served on the consultative panel of the DTI study and continue to work with the Dublin Transportation Office; measures such as quality bus corridors, cycle lanes and other such innovations have been met with our wholehearted approval. - Yours, etc.,
Public Affairs Manager,
The Automobile Association,
Blackrock.