GREEN Party TD for Limerick City Brian Leddin has slammed Fine Gael, the Labour Party, and Fianna Fáil for what he deems their low ambition for the Mid West by failing to commit to crucial infrastructure for the region.
Deputy Leddin is of the opinion that from the election manifestos of the three parties, neither has any ambition for the region.
“They pay lip service to developing our regional cities as a counterbalance to Dublin, but yet again their actions speak louder than words,” he insists.
“It beggars belief, particularly, that Fine Gael, which has a junior minister in Limerick City and a senior minister in the county, could hamstring the development of the Mid West by refusing to support the plans for a Metropolitan Rail system in Limerick and the railway to Shannon.”
Deputy Leddin said he has been “very successful in progressing these key projects in recent years”.
“They are now recommended by both the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) and the All Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR). The next step is to get on with it.
“While my party is committing to prioritising this infrastructure (from a €10billion funding commitment to public transport projects across the State), the three parties are saying that they won’t be doing so. They are doing an incredible disservice to our region, and are effectively downgrading it.”
Deputy Leddin also maintains that if Ireland is serious as a country about developing the economy outside of Dublin, it is absolutely critical to make the necessary investment to allow Limerick to grow.
“Failure to invest in an efficient and convenient Metropolitan Rail system in Limerick will essentially put a cap on Limerick’s growth as it will become choked with motor traffic,” he said.
“We already see people enduring long tail backs trying to get into and around the City. Rail is absolutely essential to realising Limerick’s ambition and it’s clear that without a strong Green Party representation in the Dáil our city is going to be left behind.”
