Professor Edgar Morgenroth:

More seriously, the Westport road is remarkable. Westport is a shining example of a place which, despite its remote location, is thriving. It does not have great access in terms of transport. It has a lousy train service and it does not have a motorway but it is thriving. It shows that an area does not have to have a motorway to do well. Putting one there will be nice for people driving but I am not so sure whether we really need it. If we are really serious about the national planning framework it is urban public transport in particular that we need to spend the money on. Some bypasses are needed and there are dangerous roads throughout the country where we need to do something from a road safety perspective but putting motorways everywhere will not solve our regional development problems and it will perpetuate our sustainability issues.