Sir, – Kevin McCarthy (August 12th) appears to ignore the relevance of population density to public transport planning. It is true that there are half a million people living in Co Cork, but there are almost 1.3 million people living in Co Dublin, in an area that is approximately one eighth of the size. In other words, Co Dublin is 20 times more densely populated than Co Cork.
There are two main reasons why population density is important. First, the greater the population density, the greater the traffic congestion, and hence the greater the need for public transport. Second, the lower the population density, the less economically viable it becomes to provide effective public transport.
Mr McCarthy is also rather deluded if he believes the citizens of Cork are subsidising the cost of public services in Dublin. The per capita cost of providing public services in Dublin is lower than anywhere else in Ireland, as a result of the efficiencies that are possible in a small, densely populated area.
Additionally, almost 40 per cent of Ireland’s population live within commuting distance of Dublin, and the proportion of the national tax take that comes from the greater Dublin area is almost certainly a lot more than 40 per cent (due to higher salaries a greater proportion of businesses compared to the rest of the country). – Yours, etc,
PAT DIGNAM,
Mahogany Drive,
Marcus Beach,
Queensland,
Australia.