Sir. I was struck by the plain common sense of the contents of the letter from Mr McCormack on the LUAS/Dublin Bus issue. In recent years I have taken to using the buses regularly to get into town, mainly due to the introduction of the Imps. I have found them to be quick and efficient, if a little uncomfortable, but you can't have it every way.
The budget of £200m plus for the LUAS system would be much better spent in a number of ways. The first would be in financing traffic police to enforce the traffic; and parking laws as they stand. Indeed, such a force would be largely self financing in the context of Dublin traffic and the way in which the rules of the road are ignored in Ireland. The fines they would collect for the traffic lights violations, the missing or broken bulbs, etc., would be very significant.
My second suggestion would be to make the bus lanes a permanent feature of the city system, without any time slots. They would be forbidden to all other road users except taxis and cyclists between 7.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Where possible, separate cycle lanes would be preferred. If the transport body is serious about managing Dublin's traffic, decisions are required to make the city more friendly to public transport and positively hostile to private motorised transport.
Dublin Bus staff should also be paid more for what is a very difficult and stressful job. With the very odd exception, I have found, them courteous and helpful and the constant denigration of Dublin Bus and its staff by those with competing agendas is deplorable. - Yours, etc.,
Rossmore Drive,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.