You’d think with the new fuel crunch that DB might be looking into proven technologies like trolleybuses, perhaps? Nope, not a peep out of them on that score. Instead, the politicians are racing to the bottom once more to create a new version of the Dublin United Transportation Company under a different name.

Consider the vast amount of Public Funds which have been wasted in the total mis-construction of seperate unconnected Luas lines allied to a committment to spend even Vaster (?) amounts on a Rail Based infrastructure which some argue cannot be made to fit our current spatial and demographic setup.

Then take a look at the pitiful level of investment in the pre-existing Dublin Bus network,which for all it`s faults was and is operating a fiscally tight ship.

Yet every attempt by Dublin Bus management to expand,improve or alter services has been robustly delayed or downright blocked by a Department of Transport which does not have any idea of its role in modern Ireland.

The Department (or at least it`s Senior Officials) declare their helplessness in the face of a variety of EU legal threats from the private sector,yet openly admitting it`s own inability to even monitor the level of unlicenced operation in its area of responsibility.

The only positive aspect in any of this has been the work of the Dàil Committee on Transport under it`s much maligned chairman Frank Fahey.
As Chairman,Mr Fahey was the first politician I encountered to actually understand the mechanics of a PUBLIC Bus service.
He continually sought to wheedle answers out of a variety of public and private sector representatives on the reasons for the lack of OFF-PEAK services on our Bus Routes.
He repeatedly sought answers as to why the Departments highest thinkers could not see merit in directing investment into a Bus Service infrastructure which is Not operating to it`s fullest potential.

If one reads a transcript of the Committee`s questioning of the City and County Managers regarding Park N Ride schemes one can sense the palpable horror at finding out that these Grand Panjandrum`s of Civic Administration had NO position on P`n R for BUS use….they only considered RAIL for their schemes.

Make no mistake but several of the Big Number rail infrastructure projects will be long fingered if not dropped,however the danger is that NO compensatory investment will be made in the Bus sector either.

More Hair shirt stuff I fear !