Proposals in the plan to upgrade the Dublin-Cork road and a commitment to improving public transport facilities in Cork city and county have been warmly welcomed. The Cork city manager, Mr Jack Higgins, commented: "Certainly we would welcome the infrastructural improvements, particularly in terms of the proposed Cork-Dublin road, which would have major beneficial effects in reducing travel times from Cork to Dublin."
Mr Higgins said that since the opening of the Jack Lynch Tunnel, travel times to and from work for many Cork people had been reduced by half an hour each way. "If an equivalent reduction in travel time is achieved elsewhere in the country with this investment in the road network, then obviously it's going to improve both the quality of life for people as well as to bring major economic benefits."
Mr Higgins also welcomed the commitment in the plan to invest in public transport. Such investment was necessary if bus and rail were to provide the efficient service required to get people to switch from using private cars, he said.
A spokesman for Cork County Council said the council had yet to see any specific proposals but it anticipated that funding would be available for about 30 miles of new roadway from Glanmire to Mitchelstown. This would incorporate a £40 million-plus bypass of Fermoy incorporating a new bridge over the River Blackwater, as well as bypasses of Mitchelstown and Watergrasshill at a total cost of £80 million to £90 million.
Bus Eireann's Cork area manager, Mr Joe Fitzgerald, also welcomed the proposals, pointing out that the commitment to upgrading public transport in the regions coincided with proposals outlined in a recent study on Cork transport, Moving Cork Beyond 2000.
"We outlined our requirements as part of that study - including the provision of 82 new buses to replace the existing fleet, over half of which is 15 years old - so this commitment to investing in public transport is very welcome," he said.
The upgrading of the bus fleet would allow the improvement of services to towns such as Carrigaline, Blarney, Ballincollig, and Glanmire as well as the introduction of 15-minute frequency on all main city routes, said Mr Fitzgerald.
