Seanad debates

Wednesday, 5 November 2003

National Development Plan Mid-Term Evaluation: Statements.

 

The choice is quite stark. There are motorways and segregated dual carriageways which can carry a lot of vehicles – in some cases a lot more than they currently carry – and there are wide single lane roads that can carry much fewer. One can easily mess up the main road by having a few trucks travelling at 40 or 50 miles an hour. It does not matter how many cars use the road per hour, if a couple of trucks are travelling slowly, it will encourage people to overtake in dangerous circumstances and slow up people a lot. Irrespective of the usage numbers at which economists inevitably look, there is merit in building to a higher specification if people are to travel relatively quickly from our major cities. I agree with the Minister, Deputy Brennan, that in looking to the future we must consider what is appropriate not just now but in 20 or 30 years' time. Our experience with the M50 in Dublin would tend to bear out these sentiments.

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