Luas inquiry seeks accident details on Sheffield light rail

Details of accidents involving the Sheffield light rail system in England are to be sought by Judge Sean O'Leary, presiding inspector at the Luas inquiry, following claims yesterday by the Irish motorcyclists' action group.

MAG Ireland's general secretary, Mr John Wheeler, produced a dossier from the South Yorkshire Police which appeared to show that there had been 142 accidents, five of them fatal, involving the Sheffield Supertram over the past four years.

Having reviewed the dossier, Judge O'Leary said he was "very concerned" that the figures given by MAG Ireland would be corroborated. He intended to contact the South Yorkshire Police and the Supertram operators.

The judge is heading the inquiry into CIE's plans for a Luas light rail line from Sandyford to St Stephen's Green. Most of the nine-kilometre route will be on the old Harcourt Street railway line, with the rest running on-street in the city centre.

In his evidence, Mr Wheeler said MAG Ireland believed that trams and other road vehicles should not mix on city streets. "This is especially true of such vulnerable road-users such as pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians."

Accidents were caused by vehicles skidding on tramlines in wet and dry conditions. "In one of the Sheffield accidents quoted, a motorcyclist who lost control on the tramlines was run over and killed by a passing car."

At last year's public inquiry into the Tallaght line, CIE conceded that motorcyclists would need to be taught to cope with tramlines. However, MAG Ireland said this would increase the cost of voluntary rider training so fewer motorcyclists would avail of it.

Chief Supt John Behan, head of the Garda Traffic Division, expressed concern about the impact of electromagnetic fields generated by Luas and on the Garda communications equipment in Harcourt Square. He would be seeking assurances from CIE.

Earlier, the Government's preference to put Dublin's light rail system partially underground in the city centre was described by Mr Donal O Brolchain, of Drumcondra 2005, as "a triumph of prejudice over common sense, expertise and cost effectiveness".

The plan for a 2.5-kilometre tunnel between St Stephen's Green and Broadstone "offends common sense" because it would mean two separate Luas routes which would not interconnect, repeating a mistake made over 100 years ago with railway lines.

Speaking for a coalition of seven northside residents' associations, he said the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, had rejected the expertise of W.S. Atkins, the consultants who examined the issue, after telling the Dail she would accept their view.

Mr O Brolchain queried the cost effectiveness of a separate depot for trams on the Sandyford to St Stephen's Green line. He also wondered what the public reaction would be to the 120-metre ramp on the green's west side.

He said that without some outsider's view "we risk having a whimsical transport policy, with God knows how many agencies pursuing agendas that conflict with one another".

Mr Richard Cremins, senior planner with Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council, said it welcomed the plan to extend Luas to Sandyford Industrial Estate and would also support an extension in the longer term to Cherrywood.