Rural Ireland is being “left behind” by transport policies that are focussed on Dublin and the surrounding area, according to one Irish MEP.
Colm Markey, an MEP for Mildands North-West, said over the weekend that the next minister for transport should “be from outside the capital”.
Markey cited data from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) which shows that the increased cost of certain transport items is contributing to a higher rate of inflation among rural households.
“Many rural dwellers don’t benefit from recent public transport discounts as they are reliant on private services.
“Public transport discounts are very welcome in general but are meaningless to many people in rural Ireland who are either reliant on private operators or don’t live close to a rail or bus route and are forced to take the car,” Markey said.
He added: “This is backed up by recent research from the ESRI, which found that the increased cost of certain transport items is contributing to a higher rate of inflation among rural households.”
The MEP stressed that the issue of rural isolation may be worsened if “this glaring inequality” is not addressed.
“I’m calling on [Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan] to extend the discounts to private transport services as quickly as possible.
“For much of the last two decades, transport policies have been focussed on the greater Dublin area and that needs to change,” Markey argued.
He also called on the government to put together a comprehensive and sustainable transport plan for rural Ireland.
According to Markey, the government’s Connecting Ireland initiative is a “welcome start” but will only see new and improved services happen on a phased basis over the next three years.
“In my view, this is a little too late. Sustainable transport options for rural Ireland are needed now in order to convince people to leave the car at home, which will save on fuel costs and bring emissions down,” Markey concluded.