Cullen’s outdated model will
do nothing to end the gridlock
JULITTA CLANCY (Irish Examiner letters, December 4)
highlighted the future transport needs of the greater
Dublin region.
This followed a recent and thoughtful statement from
Dublin Chamber of Commerce which correctly asserted that
"the establishment of a Dublin Transport Authority (DTA)
is vital to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to
transport in the greater Dublin area".
Of course, it is.
However, any suggestion that the particular model
proposed by Transport Minister Martin Cullen should be
enacted swiftly is where we depart company.
For those committed to a totally reformed transport
service for the Dublin region, the latest announcement by
the Transport Minister would be laughable if the
implications were not so serious.
Maybe we should not be too worried. Mr. Cullen has
announced all this before and surely will do so again.
The real problem will be if, for once, he delivers.
Unfortunately, the proposals amount to nothing more than
another fudge.
The bringing together of the management of some of the
agencies involved in transport in Dublin does not make an
authority - it doesn’t even include the greater
number of bodies involved in traffic/transport delivery
in the region.
Refusing to include a realistic, accountable land use
remit reduces further any hope that the authority can
deliver.
In short, the proposed DTA will have no meaningful
authority and no legitimate right to determine any land
and transportation policies.
Under the proposals, there is no structured role for the
gardaí and no worthwhile role for the local
authorities.
There are no real proposals for the integration of the
work of the various public transport providers.
Incredibly, there is no accountability by, or a transfer
of powers from, any of the far too many Government
departments which have an interfering, yet seldom
helpful, role in the delivery of our transport
services.
The proposed DTA seems nothing short of a cowardly way
for Martin Cullen to engage in a sly attack on public
transport: a neat way of transferring the power to
license private bus routes without having the courage to
do it himself. Dublin deserves better than an ideological
fig-leaf.
The city needs a real and powerful transport authority.
It needs it to be an integrated land use and transport
agency, and it needs it now.
The suggestion that the new authority will be modelled on
Transport for London is perhaps the most hypocritical
element of these proposals.
Transport for London is led by the city’s mayor and
is encompassed in the overall work of the Greater London
Assembly.
Ironically, the proposal to have a directly elected mayor
of Dublin was abandoned by none other than Mr.
Cullen.
Amazingly, it was the same minister who requested Dublin
City Council to delete an aspiration for a land and
transportation authority from its development plan. Now
we know why.
Mr. Cullen claims his plans follow a period of
consultation with the relevant bodies.
That statement is completely at odds with a reply I
received from the Dublin city manager on November 6 last
that "no consultation had taken place between the
Department (of Transport) and Dublin City Council on the
establishment of the transportation authority".
That was three days before Mr. Cullen (re)announced his
plans.
Given the key role that the Office of Director of Traffic
must have in any Dublin Transport Authority, it is clear
that Mr. Cullen’s announcements are nothing more
than the knee jerk reactions of a minister with no plan,
no vision and no commitment to integrated transport for
Dublin.
The call for a Dublin Transport Authority should be
supported by anyone with a commitment to Dublin and a
comprehensive public transport system.
Unfortunately, the proposals from Minister Cullen amount
to nothing more than a failed attempt at covering up the
inactivity of the past 10 years.
Real reform would see a Dublin regional assembly led by a
directly elected mayor with the authority, mandate and
resources promptly to deliver public services - and that
includes a comprehensive transport service.
Cllr. Dermot Lacey,
66 Beech Hill Drive,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
© 18th. December 2006.
