Sir, – I understand that Bus Éireann was fined more than €5 million last year for poor performance across Ireland. One wonders how fining public services assists hard working bus service providers to improve the service with less money.
Interestingly, performance in this context is strongly punctuality based. But we all know that the bus services are unable to keep to timetables, particularly in the rush hours, because of the overwhelming level of mostly car traffic competing for space. This is true in all our cities.
The solution is obvious. We need to make the bus services free during rush hours.
Eliminating the time to board (swipe or pay) would dramatically reduce the time spent at each stop. Introduce the free service on just one route. Double the number of buses on the route and be prepared to keep increasing.
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Advertise well in advance, and then collect the data. Having tested on one route, extend to other routes. Be prepared to acquire more bus capability at short notice.
You may well ask, “who will pay?”. The answer is all of us through central taxation. But we might anticipate that the change would create huge productivity improvements for people travelling to work.
Similarly it would make life so much easier for many, many citizens, and a free-flowing bus service is worth a huge amount of voter goodwill.
Some might say, would there be a major shift of passengers to the rush hours that normally travel off peak? Possibly, but many of these passengers would already hold travel cards. Others would be understanding of the change and be happy to travel on a free-flowing bus system.
Others might say implement the swipe card technology. And that’s a good idea but we are decades behind the rest of Europe and we can’t wait. Moreover, the swipe card technology will not maximise the reduction in boarding time that free movement brings.
I don’t have the resources to estimate the cost of this change. But my guess is that this ostensibly simple change would revitalise so many of our cities, and make life less stressful for us all.
And reduce cost of living for many people. How much is that worth? – Yours, etc,
DAVID SPROTT,
Ballincollig,
Co Cork.
Running rings around Galway
Sir, – Last week, RTÉ’s Prime Time programme told the horror story of a ring road at capacity that regularly grinds to a halt, trapping commuters in their cars, in part because a planned light rail parallel to its route was never built.
The M50 saga and the cancelled Metro West should serve as a warning for Galway. For our long-awaited ring-road to succeed for motorists, we must start work now to develop a Gluas as another way to cross the city in future to avoid more gridlock.
It’s been five years since the McGettrick Single Lane Tram Report showed Galway is suitable for light rail, and a 2024 NTA feasibility study bolstered that case.
We had a tram over 100 years ago; it’s time we showed the same ambition today. – Yours, etc,
EOGHAN Ó FINN,
Galway city.
An Post fails to deliver
Sir, – We are a school in Ashbourne with 500 pupils. The children drew their Christmas cards for printing (in Listowel, Kerry) at the beginning of November.
On November 27th, two boxes were brought to Tralee bound for Ashbourne. On December 1st, the two boxes arrived in Portlaoise sorting office. They have been there since. I have tried dozens of times through phone and text to no avail to resolve the matter.
Each year these card sales raise much-needed funds for our school and this year it looks like we will have to return the money to the parents.
An Post should not be taking the work on when they clearly can not handle it. They are also costing themselves money because in the boxes are 10,000 cards for posting. – Yours, etc,
LISA MULVEY,
Chairperson,
Parents’ Association
St Mary’s National School
Ashbourne,
Co Meath.
Sir, – It was nice, and somewhat ironic, to receive a Christmas card today from An Post.
It will possibly be the only card many of us receive this year, as anyone I have talked to is refusing to send cards because of the price An Post are charging for stamps. – Yours, etc,
SUSAN FITZGERALD,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Putting a clause into Santa
Sir, – I approve of Australia’s attempt to prevent children under 16 from using social media. Whether or not it will work, it is a good idea and will empower parents who are trying to mitigate the dangers of same.
I have another proposal which would significantly reduce the stress parents suffer over the festive season: Santa Claus should be prevented from visiting children over the age of seven. – Yours, etc,
VALERIE COLLINS,
Killorglin,
Co Kerry.
Nurturing a food culture
Sir, – On Wednesday (December 10th), you carried three letters under the heading “Irish food culture needs nurturing”, largely to do with the Government’s indifference to the valuable opportunity afforded by Michelin when they host their 2026 awards in Dublin next February.
I would suggest that Irish food culture, as represented by the army of small producers, artisans and growers, and appreciated by millions of visitors annually, is in fine fettle, and that is why Michelin are coming here, recognising and honouring that.
Why are we looking this gift horse in the mouth?
Seven years ago, this would not have happened. One of the letters (from Seán Collender) pointed out that Fáilte Ireland had an “excellent” food tourism unit before 2020.
I was responsible for that unit up to 2017 (when I took early retirement) and collaborated on our third Food and Drink Strategy (2018-2023). Unfortunately it appears that strategy stayed on the shelf.
My team’s approach was to nurture and work with committed practitioners and networks on the ground to shape a nationwide movement and a true taste of place identity – from the ground up, not just from the policy down.
But there might be a tiny flicker of hope. Only last week, the Minister at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, launched Ireland’s “new” national tourism policy statement, “A New Era for Irish Tourism”.
According to his press release, there is a “commitment to develop food-related tourism, placing a key focus on the culinary offering provided by the sector”.
To put this in perspective, there are 71 policy proposals in the 92 pages of policy. The phrase “culinary tourism” is mentioned just seven times, and the section on “culinary tourism” takes up just three pages (including a picture).
It is left to Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to come up with a strategy. The lack of leadership, and the obvious disconnect is so disappointing.
To be clear, the publication of the new policy is required by law, under the Public Services Management Act, 1997, which requires policy to be published within six months when a new minister is appointed.
The Minister had tourism added to his portfolio last February.
One wonders what would have happened to culinary tourism if the law did not require the publication of a new policy?
Food, food culture, and food tourism all need new perspectives, new players and fresh thinking. But are the agencies capable of this?
Where is their expertise, aside from marketing? We shall see. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN D MULCAHY,
Dublin 6.
The nitrates derogation
Sir, – I read with deep disappointment your report on the EU’s decision to grant Ireland a further three-year extension to the nitrates derogation (December 10th).
At a time of clear decline in our rivers, lakes and estuaries, it is troubling that the Government devoted such energy to lobbying for a measure that can only intensify the problem.
Many readers will be rightly concerned with the environmental impacts of continued nitrate pollution in our waterways.
However, have the economic impacts, particularly in the medium and long term been taken into account?
Degradation of the natural resource that is the land and water of Ireland in this way is akin to extractive mining. Profitable in the shorter term but once the mine is spent there is little to be done with it.
We have a nascent profitable tourism in the form of angling, walking and cycling which serves to conserve the very resource it thrives from, not deplete it.
Has there been any study into the economic loss that will occur when waterways and lakes are not fit to be enjoyed by one and all?
Dafter still, if we look at it from a political point of view, how many votes are really in it?
I know farmers who see the bigger picture and are disgusted by the decision. Farmers who know the true value of their produce and want it marketed and sold for the valuable and scarce commodity it is, not race to the bottom competing in terms of volume with factory farmed beef and dairy abroad.
With the farming vote representing between 3 and 5 per cent of the overall electorate and only a small portion of that benefitting from the derogation, it is difficult to understand the political benefit of endorsing the destruction of a national resource.
The golden goose is on the way out, cui bono? – Yours, etc,
JAMES CANDON,
Brussels,
Belgium.
Climate concern
Sir, – Very mild, wild and windy weather, still some fruit flies in the kitchen and a neighbour is just mowing his lawn – today, December 10th.
I rest my case. – Yours, etc,
JEAN BURKE,
Stillorgan
Co Dublin.
Medical card confiscated
Sir, – After changes in the budget of 2020, my husband and I were delighted to become eligible for a full medical card, having been just above the income limit for a long time.
We rejoiced, but we were so naive, thinking that we would have this surety for life, because we would certainly not be taking-up paid employment again.
However, since that time, and at our government’s behest, we have received very small annual increments to our pensions, which account for inflation and cost of living.
To our horror, these rises have now brought us above the threshold for the medical card, and we have had both our cards cancelled, without warning.
There has been much self-applauding by our governments over recent years, regarding its improved medical provision for the over 70s.
Surely this is a blatant mockery if the income threshold by which we are assessed does not keep pace with the small pension increments which that very same government awards to their older population? – Yours, etc,
ANNE QUINN,
Kildorrery,
Co Cork.
Assessing children’s needs
Sir, – I am perturbed reading the article regarding the policy shift with regard to assessment of needs by Ellen Coyne (“Policy shift aims to ease assessments of need backlog,” December 11th). The staggering numbers awaiting an assessment is nothing short of an abomination, not to mention the stress and consternation it causes for primary school principals and teachers.
If a psychologist’s report will no longer be needed, I am curious to know who will be determining the needs of the child?
If the solution is “the teacher,” then teachers will not be happy.
Teachers are already overworked and underpaid in their current working conditions.
I recently retired after 40 years teaching. I was a teacher not a psychologist. I could see when a child had issues but I would not have been in a position to officially label them.
Psychologists are trained to determine the needs of a child with learning difficulties.
While teachers may have some inkling of issues that present, they are not qualified to recommend whether a child should or shouldn’t be in a special class or a special school. – Yours, etc,
DEE DELANY,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.
GAA and falling birthrates
Sir, – I was dismayed to see youth player dropout described as “a safety valve” and a “comfort” for bigger GAA clubs in Seán Moran’s article “Falling birth rates seen as primary concern to emerge from GAA demographics report” (December 9th).
I can assure your readers that this is most certainly not the case in a small inner-city club like ours and there are similar clubs in cities, towns and villages all over Ireland.
From the first time a child walks in our gates they are cherished and supported by our dedicated volunteers. The club work hard to provide a fun, safe environment for them to develop their skills while challenging them to achieve things they did not think they could.
We share their joy when they succeed even if it is just their first jab lift or high catch.
It has become increasingly difficult to hold on to older youth players and we all feel the disappointment whenever a child leaves or stops playing and every effort is made to encourage them to stay and play on with the friends they have made.
I fear the ever-earlier rush to streaming and elite level has broken something in our association that may be very difficult to repair.
The GAA player pathway key principle “as many as possible for as long as possible” must return to the heart of every club and be made the highest priority at every level of our organisation. –Yours, etc,
EOIN BUCKLEY,
Former chairperson,
Ballinacurra Gaels GAA & LGFA,
Co Limerick.
A broad subject
Sir, - What is middle age(d)?
Funniest definition I ever heard years ago was “When the broad mind and the narrow waist change places”. – Yours, etc,
MARY O’KEEFFE,
Foxrock,
Dublin.
You know, you know
Sir, – While it would be helpful to eliminate the phrase “you know” in general conversations, I find myself, when travelling by bus, being the unwilling listener to loud phone conversations being interspersed with the phrase “you-know-whar-I-mean”.
Well, you know. – Yours, etc,
TONY CORCORAN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
