"This Kind Of Gridlock Could Become A Daily Reality"

A serious accident at the Lucan exit of the M50 on Wednesday morning blocked three lanes and caused widespread traffic disruption around the capital. The M50 southbound was closed for several hours while debris was cleared and forensic investigators also examined the scene. Commuters were stuck in traffic for up to four hours as roads around the M50 also became jammed with traffic. Speaking on The Last Word, Conor Faughan, director of Consumer Affairs for AA Ireland, described the accident as a "bulls eye – it was the worst possible location for an accident as it affects so many different routes and roads. The M50 has never been busier, with more traffic than height of the boom". Dublin is going to remain vulnerable and it will happen again, he predicted. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the scenes if gridlock were a sign of the bigger transport crisis we face. "The reality is that the M50 is not going to be able to cope as traffic volumes continue to rise. Because every national road leads to this motorway, and because city life is increasingly designed around this ring road, this is going to be one of the biggest problems our country faces. The solution has to be investment in public transport alternatives, but Fine Gael and Labour abandoned the Metro and Dart Interconnector projects just as they were ready to go to construction. The only short term solution has to be a massive investment in bus, cycling and walking infrastructure. Unfortunately the Government has again been blind to this necessity".