Madam, - Today the NRA outlined proposals for the upgrade of the M50 motorway. On the face of it this comes as a welcome relief to the multitudes who suffer on this road each day. Yet the implementation of this plan will of itself cause massive delays in the years that it will require to complete.
Given that traffic flows well, even when busy, throughout most of its route; are extra lanes the answer? It is obvious to any casual observer that the single most important catastrophic delay on this road is undoubtedly the toll booth. Perhaps this money would be far more productively spent by the State purchasing the bridge from National Toll Roads. If the booths were thrown open and the plaza removed I believe that progress would be vastly faster.
Alternative proposals for billing by NTR would be scrappage of the toll booth and an electronic camera system such as those employed in Central London for charging users.
Furthermore when the road is most horrendously congested, as an act of compassion and good faith to its many customers, National Toll Roads should periodically "throw the gates open" allowing relief of the worst congestion.
Similar more sensible solutions to building more roads are to examine the errors that cause congestion such as senselessly short phases to traffic lights or phases of lights that give pointless priority to minor roads. How many of us know of routes where traffic flows considerably faster (in all directions) when traffic lights are turned off?
Prior to the spending of huge amounts of money, in massive disruptive development we should ask whether we can achieve the same ends by trying cleverer sensible solutions. - Yours, etc.,
Dr THOMAS S MONAGHAN, Cruicetown, Nobber, Co Meath.