I MUST be honest, from the outset I believed the money being spent on the Eastern Relief Road was a complete waste of money.
The entire project has been nothing but a financial black hole for the local authority. I doubt if anyone knows exactly how much this stretch of road actually cost – which incidentally links the Palatine Road with the Dublin Road out at the roundabout at the entrance to Merc – but whatever the eventual bill it has really turned out to be a very expensive unofficial halting site.
I drove past the other day and wasn’t too surprised to find the number of illegal caravans parked on the footpath along this quiet stretch of road had grown.
If nothing else history has shown that wherever one caravan illegally parks unless that is moved on within a matter of hours or days the entire area will soon become an unofficial halting site.
And that is exactly what has happened along this stretch of road. The day I drove past there were in excess of a dozen caravans, as well as sulky carriages, cars, vans etc. parked along the side of the road.
I know there are those who will say it is up to the local authority to provide adequate halting site facilities for such families. I say take a look at what happened along the Athy Road.
Today it is closed altogether. Why?
Because it was literally dismantled. By who, no one knows but the reality is it became unusable.
People will use the word ‘culture’ to justify others breaking local bylaws in relation to illegal camping.
My answer to that is there may be some justification if those doing the camping were destitute and unable to afford any alternative.
But when you see expensive vehicles parked alongside these caravans that more or less rules out that argument, don’t you think?
I respect the culture of other people but equally those people must also respect mine. My culture says rules and regulations are there for the betterment of society in general.
No doubt the local authority is sick to the teeth spending money on this road but it appears it has some more spending to incur because if it doesn’t do something to curtail this illegal parking it will only be a matter of time before the current number swells to such an extent that there will be caravans parked alongside the entire stretch of road.