Luas

[Derek Wheeler]

I feel Ive gone quite mad.

A very heated debate just took place on radio between Ger Hannon and I, in relation to our latest Press Release. Obviously the RPA defended their position in relation to safety, but side tracked other matters. However, in a very bizarre twist of events, it was suggested that P11 have a problem with Luas and an "agenda".

I explained to Mr. Hannon that our agenda was to ensure that the RPA are accountable to passengers and quoted the example of the 30m trams on the red line. Regulars will remember that Mr. Hannon referred to this issue as "nonsense" in 2004. Fast forward to 2005 and Tom Manning of the RPA stated that the introduction of 40m trams on the red line, is on the way. Today, when I reminded Mr. Hannon about this, his response was, "it was nonsense then and if it came out today, I'd still say it was nonsense."

What am I missing here?
Were we wrong to request 40m trams on the red line?
Were we right that capacity could have been increased from day one if 40 m trams were used?
Should the RPA just hold their hands up and admit that a mistake or mis-calculation was made?

I'd appreciate the opinions of others on this matter as after todays event, we seem to be annoying the RPA, when all we want is accountability. What is the problem with accountability in this country?