Any remaining doubts that the Government has begun to clear the ground for a general election campaign were dissipated yesterday by the publication of a transport strategy for the next 10 years.
It is strong on aspirations. And, as the road network becomes choked with cars and commuting times grow, much greater emphasis has been placed on public transport. This is in sharp contrast to the spending priorities of the 2000-2006 National Development Plan.
There is no detailed plan. And providing a gross figure of €34 billion for the entire programme, without a breakdown of the cost of specific projects, is something of a confidence trick. It will not reassure the public that the Government has learned from the wasteful lessons of its past. Finance Minister Brian Cowen did provide soothing words about value for money. At the same time, however, he made it clear that development plans would be shelved if the financial situation required it. The possibility of delays on certain major projects will arise because of a requirement to secure specific Cabinet approval for them.
Much greater detail regarding road, rail and other transport projects will be included in the National Development Plan for the period 2007 to 2013, to be published next year. So why did senior members of the Cabinet feel it necessary to circulate this largely-uncosted wish-list? Voter pressure had much to do with it. The results of last year's local government and European elections, in which Fianna Fáil took a terrible hammering, made traffic congestion, long commuting times and inadequate public transport a potent political issue. Transport Minister Martin Cullen was instructed at that time to prepare a 10-year transport plan. This is it. And, in spite of attempts to suggest otherwise, it has focused primarily on the greater Dublin region.
Our growing economy requires a modern transport network in order to function efficiently. As housing construction begins to slow, it makes good sense for the Government to engage in advanced planning for major infrastructural projects. Construction accounts for 24 per cent of our Gross National Product and an expanded public capital programme would help to underpin employment in the future. But the long-promised statutory arrangements designed to fast-track major projects have yet to become law. And given the failure of the Government to meet its capital spending commitments for the past three years, it requires a leap of faith to believe that the funding situation will change dramatically.
There are positive aspects to this plan. Spending on public transport has been increased to almost 50 per cent. Dublin will, eventually, get an integrated public transport system. And daily life will be made easier for commuters to the major cities. Much has been made of an Atlantic road corridor and of reopening a disused rail line there. But the people of the west would be unwise to hold their breath.