Turn to the right road for
progress
I write to ask those people who have favoured routing the
proposed M3 motorway through the Valley of Tara to
reconsider their position and support a re-route of the
M3 and the establishment of a Tara Valley World Heritage
Park, as set forth by the drafters of the Meath Master
Plan.
Previous arguments in favour of the current route have
relied upon three staple points:
1. A solution must be found to the traffic problems faced
by Meath commuters.
2. The needs of living, breathing citizens of Meath are
more important than the sanctity of the long dead.
3. All of this uproar and protest should have been voiced
years ago.
The first argument is one we can all agree on. The
question proponents of the alternative route ask is: "How
can the longer route currently under construction serve
commuters better than the shorter proposed western
route?"
No reasonable answer has been given.
Most transport experts agree the solution to congestion
is not bigger roads but better public transport.
The second argument is also true, and though the
protesters have often cried, "Tara has been sacred for
5,000 years", in fact what they are truly saying is that
"Tara is sacred now. Tara is sacred to us, the citizens
of Meath and the rest of the world".
The final point is again true; voices should have been
raised years ago when the route was first proposed.
In fact, they were. People like Conor Newman and Joe
Fenwick (and many more) have been opposing this route
since it was proposed over four years ago, but it has
taken a great deal of time to get the word out to the
greater public.
Three arguments set forth by those in favour of the
current M3 route, all excellent reasons to reroute the
M3.
CS Lewis said: "We all want progress, but if you're on
the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and
walking back to the right road".
Two years from now, as you stroll with your family
through the Tara Valley World Heritage Park, having
negotiated the now-painless evening commute in time to
watch the sunset over the M3, you will be glad to have
taken the right step towards progress.
Charles D. Burgess,
Altamont,
NY 12009.
© The Irish Independent, 18th. October 2007.
