Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister (Taoiseach), has announced a €34 billion scheme to upgrade transport infrastructure in Ireland. The term “upgrade” is probably a misnomer if you consider that in many instances there is no infrastructure to upgrade.
Problems:
– the figure of 34 billion although high will probably end up being a lot higher. The Irish government has a frightening tendency to allow these kind of projects to take longer than expected and to run well over budget
– the proposed Dublin metro will involve digging up large parts of the city and will disrupt business
– connecting the Luas (tram) lines had originally been proposed
– most of the other improvements were previously rejected
– it will take years for this to be implemented
– it will cost more than they project
– Who will pay for it?
Irish government amuses me at times. How can they expect any economy to survive in the longterm if there is little or no long term investment in infrastructure?
So many of these projects seem to be years behind the rest of Europe.
Michele Neylon :: Pensieri
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I was in Paris last weekend for the first time and was absolutely amazed how easy it is to get around (via the metro) and how hard it is to get lost (there are maps and signs everywhere). Its no wonder I hate going to Dublin – its hard to get in, hard to get around, and easy to get lost and subsequently hard to find out where you are. I remember ringing a friend when I got slightly lost on the way to his house in Dublin and he asked me where I was and I wasn’t able to tell him.
The rest of Ireland isn’t much better: there are lots of signposts pointing the wrong way in rural Tipperary and Limerick; I’ve passed through some towns without being able to discern their name at all; every city (and a lot of towns) has huge traffic problems; and the bus and rail networks do not cover huge areas of the country and cost a fortune.
Ennis needed a bypass ten years ago and they’ve just started to build one now. Irish construction companies are a money gouging cabal, who promise the world, and later tell you it’ll cost more than they claimed and if you don’t give them more money when they demand it they’ll just up tools and leave (eg. the Clarion Hotel in Limerick).
Dublin, and Irelands, infrastucture is an absolute joke. I don’t expect these announced changes to make any difference whatsoever – mostly because its too little too late.
Lee – Exactly my point. I’ve lived in several major European cities and they all have proper transport systems, legible signage and sane road networks. Too little too late is an understatement. And yet the TDs will be the first ones to question why Irish industry is slow to develop…