GUBU
An Irish woman's social, political and domestic commentary
Wednesday, December 18, 2002  

Public Transport

Kevin Myers is very funny today. Here is a short extract:

"The single non-smoking carriage was standing-room only: the smoking carriages - whether they were officially so is, of course, another matter - resembled a London film circa 1949, with tobacco fumes wreathing around in oily coils; there was a sense of damp post-blitz despair, social poverty, and ambling through the fog - look! - here come Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard."

I can relate to this as I used to get the train from Enfield to Connolly when I was working in the EBS.
The train would pull into Enfield having come from Sligo. No heat, piles of smokers, no light. You'd clamber into this train in the dark and it would trundle off towards Dublin. It was really pre-historic. I can't understand why so much money is invested in roads to the detriment of the rail network.

Well I do understand. Decisions like this are made by big horrible men who want to drive their big horrible cars on big horrible roads. I believe that millions should be put into developing a fabulous public transport and it should not be required to make a profit. The profit to the economy is indirect but tangible. Less traffic in the city. Cleaner air. Better quality of life for people living in a dispersed society. More women would work because they wouldn't have to spend 3 hours every day in traffic. Its nonsense to demand that buses should make money. Who uses them? Old people, children and young mothers. That's why they'll never be improved. When I'm minister I will stop all investment in roads (the NRA won't be happy but to hell with them) and pump millions into the rail and bus networks.

posted by Sarah | 12:44 0 comments
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