Waiting for the Diggers
Dear sir - I was disappointed to read the letters to the
editor (Meath Chronicle, 18th. December), all four of
which were against the proposed route for the M3.
Either nobody is writing to the Chronicle in support of
the new route or the Chronicle is biased in not
publishing a balanced account of the debate. The
Chronicle has proven itself a fair reporter of the news
over its history so it must be the former.
So why is there not more support voiced for the proposed
route? The answer is simple: human nature being what it
is, we are much quicker to object to something we
disagree with than to show support for something we are
getting.
The route has been debated, objected to and approved. As
far as most of the supporters are concerned we are just
waiting for the diggers to start.
However, the amount of negative press being generated has
encouraged me to put pen to paper in case there is any
danger of the powers that be caving in and to answer some
of the points for the letters published on 18th.
December.
Mr. Gleeson talks about the interchange north of the hill
being lit 24 hours a day. He neglects to state that the
Hill of Tara has its own streetlights illuminating it
every night.
Mr. Hobbs states that if another route is chosen the
protesters will go away. The P route on the east side of
Skryne seems to be the one most mentioned. What about the
community of Skryne? Does Mr. Hobbs think that we will
not start protesting if the motorway is changed to split
our community in two, demolishing homes and leaving us
with our Gaelic grounds on one side of the motorway and
our church and school on the other?
Unlike the present protestors who have one focal point,
The Hill of Tara (which I would argue is not in danger at
all), the supporters of the present road mainly show
their support indirectly, by objecting to various other
problems.
Commuters protest about long commuting times, business
about bad infrastructure, drivers about unsafe roads,
rural homeowners about large volumes of traffic
travelling at unsafe speeds on country roads.
While it may appear that there is not much support for
the M3, I believe there is a silent majority in favour of
the present route and I urge the powers that be to look
past the current noise level and concentrate on
understanding what is really happening in their
constituencies and urge them to get this show on the road
so we can all get on with our lives.
Yours sincerely,
RICKY POWDERLY,
Hill of Skryne,
Tara,
Co. Meath.
© The Meath Chronicle, 25th. December, 2004.
