Letter to editor, Irish Times, from Kathy Sinnott MEP in response to an article
in IT on
the EU Petitions Committee report on the M3 and the actions carried out by the
NRA and
Meath County Council...

Stiof

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Dear all,



Please find attached my letter in reponse of an article in yesterday's Irish
Times on the NRA and the Petitions Committee report. Please feel free to
circulate.



Thank you,

Kathy



________________________________________________________



Monday, 08 October 2007



Dear Editor,



I would like to suggest to the NRA and Meath County Council that the report
of the EU Petitions Committee is not as they claim: an EU confirmation "that
they have behaved entirely properly throughout this process." ("Roads body
embraces M3 report" Irish Times 8/10/07)



The report points out that "Routes to the West of the main Tara site,
running closer to the river Skrane, for example, do not seem to have been
seriously considered by the authorities". Also "The delegation is however
perplexed by the choice of route and by the damage done to the integrity of
the many sites in the Tara area. It is also concerned as to why it has been
deemed necessary to build one of the largest M3 intersections precisely at
this most vulnerable location in terms of Ireland's national heritage, which
destroys forever the intact archaeological landscape of the area. This
motivates a clear call by this Committee for a substantial review of the
environmental impact of the M3 and for less intrusive alternative routes to
be designated which should safeguard this area for the Irish nation."



Further, it finds " It is surprising that there is no commuter rail service
between this area, Navan, and Dublin, and that none is planned before 2015
at the earliest, a fact which condemns and confirms an inevitable choice of
motorway construction." This is a clear breach of the EU guidelines on
sustainable transport.



To construe from the report that the Petitions Committee gave its blessing
to the NRA and MCC process is ludicrous. They are as critical with the
continued destruction of Tara as they are with the continued dumping in
Aughinish, the over quarrying of Carrigtwohill "It appears to be the case
that authorisation has been considered without regard for European
Directives and the cumulative impact of the activity has been ignored", the
poor scrutiny in the case of Dan Brennan's shrinking cattle, the ongoing
problems of contaminated drinking water and many other issues.



Not only did the report not vindicate the NRA but it found fault with two
other cases, the new M8 with its rediversion of traffic through
Watergrasshill Village and the almost complete lack of rest stops nationally
for truck drivers who must by law stop and rest. "It is considered that the
Irish NRA received considerable sums of money from the EU for road
development but little if any thought was given to the provision of suitable
stopping points, filling stations and resting space."



It is time, as the report suggests, to have a National Transport Authority
rather than a National Roads Authority so that people can get where they
need to go in an efficient, safe and sustainable manner.





Yours truly,

Kathy Sinnott, MEP

Petitions Committee Vice President