"Green" policies are destroying this country

electricus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909817#Comment_120909817

The irony is that the oil business has relied on subsidies worth trillions for decades.

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/fossil-fuels-received-5-9-trillion-in-subsidies-in-2020-report-finds

we’re paying for that now. current green subsidies are just a drop in the ocean and needs even more investment if we are to successfully replace fossil fuels. Nuclear can play it’s part but until small scale reactors are a viable option, I don’t think we’re ready for that option in Ireland due to scale.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909739#Comment_120909739

As I said we need to invest in public transport. How many billion have we spent on roads.

It is the only answer, the number get thrown around make little difference as the money will need to be spent. We don't need more roads.

Not sure how you are predicting the future? anyone I know who has access to train use them. They are a far better form of transport to bus/car/etc. The problem is the lack of coverage with those trains

Public transport needs to be invested in. As I said nothing to do with the Green party. Every party in Ireland should have that plan.

electricus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909997#Comment_120909997

Not just investment but a coherent plan and a reasonable timeframe too - 10 years sounds more reasonable, maybe 15 to allow for delays.

In the meantime, more buses (electric where possible) to make efficient use of our road network, linking towns, villages, and cities and integrating our existing rail network.

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910071#Comment_120910071

Building is the easy bit and 10 years for that is already pretty generous. The problem is the 20-30 years it takes to go from proposal to breaking ground.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909997#Comment_120909997

Of course we need more feckin roads.

The regions west of these demarcations are pretty much as badly off for safe efficient primary roads now, as they were when I was born.

Roads are this Country's economic lifeblood and yes we do have a good network now - save these areas.

M20 Cork-Limerick is vital. Galway City northern distributor is vital - to name but two.

Pa ElGrande

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909907#Comment_120909907

Not for the first time that report has been pushed, where do those numbers come from? They are counting NOT taxing fuel in airports and farms and fixing potholes as subsidies, in other words they are making sh!t up to suit an agenda. Here is the actual source report for that number.

Broader externalities associated with the use of road fuels in vehicles, such as traffic congestion and accidents (most important) and road damage (less important). Although motorists may take into account (“internalize”) some of these costs in their driving decisions (for example, the average amount of congestion on the road, the risk of injuring themselves in single-vehicle collisions), they do not take into account other costs such as their own contribution to congestion and slower travel speeds, injury risks to pedestrians and cyclists and occupants of other vehicles, and the burden on third parties of property damage and medical costs (van Bentham 2015).

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909564#Comment_120909564

Best road systems. Your having a laugh or never travelled anywhere in this country.

I've always had great respect for the man but he's outdone himself now with these strong words. A great president

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41193802.html

In a stark warning, President Michael D Higgins has said we must all increase the urgency of our response to the existential threat of climate change.

Echoing the words of UN secretary general António Guterres, who this week said the challenge is now to “turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition”, President Higgins said politicians and citizens must immediately act to tackle carbon emissions.

“We have a responsibility as heads of State and heads of government to respond to Secretary-General Guterres’ statement,” he said.

“To ignore it would be a dereliction of our duty of care to our shared planet.

“As he stated: ‘leaders – and particularly G20 countries responsible for 80pc of global emissions – must step up for climate action and climate justice’.”

Meanwhile Leo looks like a fool

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910269#Comment_120910269

We have covered and connected every part of the country with roads. What else would you call it?

Some people have complaints about potholes etc but it doesn't change to coverage

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910234#Comment_120910234

Cork and Limerick are already connected and the road is already planned

No idea on Galway

So no we don't need more roads. We have an extensive road network and motorway network. We have limited, tiny coverage by rail.

Every country in the World has realised the best way to move large amount of people around is rail and not on roads in car when most people in rush hour are sitting one person per car

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910071#Comment_120910071

Exactly, like what is wrong with opening Navan in the next 12 months? it would help with housing etc

They put these plans out and then put them so far out it never happens

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910292#Comment_120910292

We have in our ass.

Try driving to Letterkenny from Ardee. To Killarney from Limerick. To Skibbereen from Cork.

Long way to go yet. Very long way.

Take a glance at TII's project list, they've got 28 schemes at various stages of delivery and that's just the national routes!

prunudo

Leo may be many things but he is far from a fool, he knows there is an election coming and he can read the mood of the public.

Lost a lot of respect for M.D when he and his wife started siding with Russia. How much harm has that ego trip caused the environment, but no, its Joe and Josephine Soap who must do more.

opinionated3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910287#Comment_120910287

Easy for folk like him to come out with these statements. He won't have to take on a mountain of debt to do a retrofit or take out a loan for an overpriced EV ...

So his statement is meaningless to the majority of working people

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910307#Comment_120910307

All of the option you listed have roads connecting them, try google maps and it will give you perfect directions if confused 😂😂😂😂

TII project list includes a few bridges/roundabout etc, that comes under standard maintenance so of course they have to keep the roads in good ocndition

Tell you what, try taking a train on any of those trips you mentioned....start off in Letterkenny and let me know when you get out of Letterkenny

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909997#Comment_120909997

I wasn`t predicting the percentages of use for rail freight and passengers. Those are the predictions of those that wrote the report, so how does a spend of $36 Bn on rail make any kind of financial sense when 90% of freight and 94% of passengers are going to be carried by road networks even after it is spent on rail ?

And no we do not have an excellent road network. We have a good network of dual carraigeways and motorways, but these primary roads plus secondary roads make up just 6% of our national road network. The other 94% is made up of regional and local roads any many of them are in rag order. Many of the seconday roads are nothing to write home about either. They were never great, but with the concentration over the last few decades on the 6% of primary and secondary roads they have gotten worse if anything.

Try telling anyone in Donegal that €3.5 Billion spent on a rail link between Letterkenny and Derry is going to make life so much easier for them for travel or freight than spending it on roads that are in bits and they will look at you as if you just landed from Mars.

If we are going to spend money on a network fit for purpose for public transport, freight and travel, then spend it where even that report said was going to be where the vast majority of usage would be, even after pumping €36 Billion into rail.

Thankfully the ratio of investment on PT vs roads is 2:1 since the start of the term of this govt. That being said, it really needs to get to 4 or even 5:1 if we are serious about inducing modal shift to more sustainable modes.

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910334#Comment_120910334

Build a €3.5 Billion rail link to Derry and tell me how long it will take you to get from Letterkenny to our capital city.

As it is Dublin to Derry is a 5.5 hour trip with a change of trains in Belfast.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910366#Comment_120910366

No the roads are not in "rag order". I spend a lot of time on them and the roads from motorway down are in excellent to good condition. Of course you can find some back road which has tractors on everyday in "rag order"

They done a bit on RTE recently, could be even a few years back about the lack of connectivity and people having to fly to Dublin. The only other was driving. Terrible situation and a disaster for tourism.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910401#Comment_120910401

We need more investment in the likes of Luas, I seen someone post about the ability to connect the airport to Luas for 400m? I think, not ideal but a lot better than current setup.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910427#Comment_120910427

Aye, I can't understand how Dubin airport still doesn't have some kind of mass transit link like that

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910292#Comment_120910292

Windy back road ain't total coverage. Potholes filled in some parts is an understatement. I don't expect motorways everywhere but to say its top notch is over exaggeration

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910427#Comment_120910427

If you believe that the 94% of our regional and local roads that make up our national network are in excellent to good condition then you really ned to get out more.

Any chance of you answering the question on how does it make any financial sense to spend €36 Bn. on rail where even after it is spent 90% of freight will still be travelling by road as will 94% of people travelling. ?

Even Varadkar couldn`t see the logic in that.

When you are at it, the most idiotic of the lot that Ryan is still clinging too, a rail link between Letterkenny and Derry for the princely sum of €3.5 Bn. How is that going to be any benifit for freight or travel when a bus journey from Letterkenny to Dublin takes 3.5 hours where a train from Derry to Dublin alone takes 5.5 hours ?

Some in Dublin may not realise it, but Donegal is not part of Northern Ireland and we regard our capital city as Dublin, not Belfast.

prunudo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910427#Comment_120910427

No, because thats just a waste of money, and the right solution will never be built. The Luas is a tramline, that trundles through streets at 60kph, it is not a viable mass transit solution.

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909907#Comment_120909907

Ok. I see you have not addressed any issues with going Green in my post. 'More subsidies' seems a pretty general way of not talking about the nitty gritty (pardon the pun) of actually making a workable energy system. This is rather commonplace amongst those pushing a fast green transition. I would call it energy naive and that's being nice. I have another point of irony here: the push for a rapid green transition will actually ... delay it. It will be both pushed back by the general public AND reality. You cannot in fact create a reality outside of the one inside your head. Well, you can but then it's called a pipe dream. If it affects large amounts of people, as it seems to do, it is a collective narrowing of the mind. Something for the history books.

lmimmfn

Build a decent road from Dublin to Donegal via Sligo which would stop commuters having to slow down at every roundabout every 10km for small towns on the way, wasting fuel, reducing emissions etc.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905711#Comment_120905711

Mad the way global boiling will lead to Ireland being under Ice if AMOC collapses according to the greenies.

Will renewables work in those conditions? Won’t be great for hearing the house if ya haven’t converted to electricity anyway.

electricus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910618#Comment_120910618

You think change is happening too quickly!? I really don't think that should be a concern. It will probably be 20 years before we have developed enough offshore wind and solar, and retrofit enough buildings, to make a difference so plenty time for objectors to get used to change.

electricus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910687#Comment_120910687

Why wouldn't they? If that happens then our climate will be similar to the West coast of Canada so we could have colder winters but still have enough wind and sunshine. Hopefully our buildings will be insulated and more efficient - requiring less energy more most of the year.

electricus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910246#Comment_120910246

Yeah, I agree. including road damage and traffic congestion takes away from more important points and isn't unique to fossil powered transport.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910710#Comment_120910710

Ok so it would be interesting to see if any modelling has been about what output wind and solar we will have in winter with at least -11C temp (based on latitude of Calgary which we are approx 100 Kim’s north of).

electricus

Calgary is quite far inland so colder . The British Columbia coast, North of Vancouver is more comparable and a quick search shows potential for 3000 more Gigawatts from wind and currently 1.2gW from solar in BC.

If anything, solar panels work better in colder temperatures, once it is bright enough.