|
Dear Sir
I am writing in reply to Mr Paddy O’Keeffe’s letter of August 04.
Mr O’Keeffe is right in saying that the Cahir protest group, of which Mr Joe
Rea is a member, poses a threat to the building of the new motorways in Ireland. What he does not mention is that the Cahir group is joined by groups throughout Ireland opposed to the proposed motorways. The Campaign for Sensible Transport is a growing national organisation representing groups from Galway to Dublin, Rosslare to Cork and all points in between.
Mr O’Keeffe also mentioned that these new roads are over ambitious. This is an understatement. In 20 years time for example, the combined motorway/National primary Route from Waterford to Dublin will be up to 80% empty. These figures come for the NRA’s own publication, the 1998 Road Needs Study.
Mr O’Keeffe then turned his fire on the legal profession. The Campaign for Sensible Transport has no desire for a protracted and costly legal battle to stop these unnecessary roads, but if that is what it will take to make the government see sense that that is what we will do. Some of local groups have had dealing with members of the legal profession and contrary to Mr O’Keeffe’s experience, find them to be people of honesty and integrity and excellent company for ordinary people trying to stop the madness of the current road building programme.
Lastly, Mr O’Keeffe criticises the Green party and “flat earthers” for jumping on the protest bandwagon. Of all the major political parties the Greens are the only on to have come out strongly against the current proposals. It is unfair to classify environmentalists as opposed to prosperity. Rather they are opposed to unsustainable development. These motorways certainly fall into that category.
Gary Fitzgerald
Campaign for Sensible Transport (CaST)
August 6th 2001
|
