Road haulage industry has vital role to play

“Manufacturing and retail business are the heart and lungs of our economy, but the road transport industry is the veins and arteries that keep these vital organs of our economy alive.” - Sean Murtagh

Deputy vice president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) Sean Murtagh told a conference on Transport and Access to the Mid-West organised by Limerick Chamber of Commerce that Ireland needs an efficient, safe and toll-free road network in order to under-pin the economy. John Loughran reports.
The road haulage industry in Ireland has a vital role to play in developing Ireland’s economy. For the road haulage industry to deliver an efficient service, it needs an equally efficient road network which is sadly not the case in Ireland, according to the IRHA deputy vice president.

Murtagh told the conference that Ireland should look to Wales for examples of how an efficient roads network can benefit the economy. “Anybody here that has driven from Holyhead in North Wales or Fishguard in West Wales on the M4 or M56 motorways will know that these are fabulous motorways. Fifteen years ago these roads did not exist. The local councils were in the same position then, that many of our councils are in now - small towns choked up completely.”

More than euro 11 billion will be spent on the roads programme under the current National Development Plan to develop an efficient roads network. However Murtagh argues that throwing money at the problem won’t necessarily solve it.
“In this region there are many examples of ill thought our designs that slow down traffic needlessly. The Patrickswell bypass is a good example. If a truck is exiting the bypass to go to Cork it must stop to turn left. A little bit of flair in the design of this junction would allow a loaded truck to move from the bypass to the Cork road without losing momentum. The entrances and exits to the Nenagh bypass have also got the same design flaw,” Murtagh commented.

He believes these flaws could have been ironed out at the design stage. “Some consultation with our industry coupled with a bit of flair in the design may have been all that was needed,” he added.
Murtagh maintains that the Dublin Port Tunnel is a prime example of the planners getting it badly wrong. “The IRHA was fully supportive of this project. It it unfortunate that some trucks will not be able to use this tunnel because of restricted headroom. On the morning the tape is cut to open the tunnel, the public will be very annoyed to see trucks on the quays.”

Murtagh believes that it is not too late to resolve the problem given the political will. “One of the ironies of this is that the tunnel is almost one metre lower than the bridges on motorways. I would ask Minister Brennan to give careful consideration to the comments being made by our industry.’
He accepts it will take the lifetime of the National Development Plan to properly develop the roads network, but believes more could be done to get the best out of the infrastructure that is already in place.
“The roads network certainly has its shortcomings. However, good traffic management could enhance its performance,” he contends.

Roadwork’s - the scourge and bane of every haulier in the country - is a prime example. “Roadwork’s on a route should be organised to suit the traffic not the job or the contractor. On the day that Mungret School opened after the school holidays the contractor working on the main drainage scheme was working just opposite the school. A contra flow was put in operation and the result was chaos. Situations like this can be avoided with a little planning,” he explained.

The Limerick-based haulier believes that increased law enforcement is needed to keep the traffic moving. “In Limerick city there are four or five routes through the city and it is essential that they are kept clear. These routes are constantly blocked because of careless parking. Loading bays are being used for cars, forcing delivery vehicles to double park.”

Increased enforcement will foist changes on the road transport operator and the retailer alike, according to Murtagh. The road transport industry is ready to meet these challenges but he is not so sure about the retailer.
“Owen Keegan, Dublin City Council traffic supremo is making changes to delivery patterns in Dublin. In essence he wants to ban trucks from the city centre, allowing deliveries between 10.00am and 12 noon. This is meeting with fierce resistance from retailers.”

He added: “Owen Keegan did not dream up these plans. They are best European practice. The road haulage industry will rise to the challenge. The question is: Will the retailer?”
The Irish Road Haulage Association has welcomed the establishment of a dedicated traffic corps. Murtagh wants to see action, sooner rather than later. “I hope that Minister Brennan will continue to view this as a priority. The importance of law enforcement cannot be emphasised enough.”

In conclusion Murtagh told the conference that the IRHA was against the notion of road tolling and said that a mechanism - road tax - was already in place to pay for the development of the roads network.
“We are not naive enough to think that road tax in its present form will build all the roads that are needed, but we believe it is the mechanism that should be used. The debate about road tolling hasn’t really started yet. I think road tolling will be a big issue for politicians at the next Local and European elections.”

“Road tolling will be a huge expense for any haulage company and there is no guarantee that significant time or money will be achieved,” he concluded.