RTA: here to stay

The newly-formed Road Transport Association (RTA) hit the national headlines with its ‘go slow’ protest on the M50 on Tuesday May 8 2007. So what exactly is the RTA and what are its aims? Irish Trucker met up with Michael McMahon to find out…

Disappointed that their genuine concerns were not being addressed, irate members of the Road Transport Association took the bull by the proverbial horns in an effort to highlight their plight one Tuesday morning in early May. On the 8th of the month, a convoy of approximately 200 RTA trucks participated in a ‘go slow’ on both sides of the M50 between the M1 interchange and the Ballymount exit. Another group also blocked Dublin Port in protest against the city centre HGV ban and tolls.
The protest was originally to involve 600 vehicles but the Association agreed to downscale after talks with Gardai, 350 of whom were required to ensure an adequate flow of traffic on the motorway on the morning in question.
The drastic action was taken by the RTA amid claims that the Government was not listening. The RTA is demanding that tolls on the M50 be lifted as well as the implementation of a traffic management structure for continuous traffic flow and the appointment of a regulator for the haulage industry.

On February 19, Dublin City Council banned all trucks with five axles or more from travelling along Dublin’s quays, forcing them on to the Port Tunnel and M50. The RTA argues that the HGV strategy has led to major hold-ups on both northbound and southbound carriageways, delays which are hampering hauliers severely.
Due to the massive delays thereon, it is calling for the lifting of M50 tolls as hauliers are being penalised on the double – they must pay extra money each time they pass through the toll and they also face falling profits due to re-routing away from the city centre. (Hauliers have had to use the M50 to access Dublin Port since the introduction of the ban on five-axle lorries from the city centre.)
Accepting that a HGV strategy is required, the RTA says the Sean Moore Road should be reopened and the ban lifted until the M50 upgrade is completed. It is estimated that some hauliers active in the city are losing up to 40% of their income since they have been banned from driving along the Quays.

The RTA is widely seen as a breakaway body from the IRHA. Though the majority of its 200+ members are ex-IRHA, the new body is a standalone entity in its own right that exists to tackle a number of issues. Michael McMahon explains the origins of the RTA: “The Association was formed in mid-February and membership rapidly grew to over 200. We came into being because we felt we had poor representation from the IRHA. We had a groundswell of support from truckers all over the country to start a new Association.
“We are all hauliers and hard-working men who feel that our voices were not being heard.”
At the core of the unrest are the tolls on the M50, the delays on the M50, the implications of the HGV management strategy, the diversion of trucks away from the city centre and the lack of a transport industry regulator – all of which is impacting adversely on hauliers’ livelihoods.

Michael says the Association has had a huge increase in support since the May 8 protest, but how much can the RTA realistically achieve? “We are all hauliers and we want our voice to be heard. Something has to be done. Unfortunately, we feel that in the past the IRHA has tended to pull back when the final push needs to be made. We are purely and simply representing the hauliers, with no strings attached. We have no hidden agenda and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make things better for our members.”
The executive of the RTA meets every ten-twelve days, mostly at a midlands venue to ensure convenience for all its members. No prizes for guessing what the main topic of conversation has been at recent meetings…

“Since Sean Moore Road was closed, truckers have had at least two hours added on to their journeys and they are also having to pay extra tolls. We now have all these extra trucks being forced onto the M50 and that’s a major problem not just for us but for everybody who uses the motorway. You need to do three loads a day in the city in order to stay profitable but hauliers can now only manage two. The tolls are up; the journey times are up; and productivity and turnover are down.”
The Association made a lot of friends when it agreed to scale its protest down to avoid causing traffic chaos and interfering unduly with the lives of normal citizens. “We were not setting out to cause chaos and that’s why we agreed to tone it down. We just wanted to get our point across and we feel that we carried off our protest very honourably and professionally. We received a lot of public support from people who were glad we didn’t block the M50 off or inconvenience them.”

What was the reaction from those in the corridors of power? Any feedback or were they all too busy scheming for the forthcoming election? “I think those people have lost touch with the ordinary people of the country. Bertie Ahern and Martin Cullen knew what we were doing but nobody bothered to make contact with us. We’re hoping to secure a proper meeting with the Department of Transport very soon. We have strategies in place which we intend to implement and move forward.”

Long-term, is there room for two haulage/transport representative bodies in a country as small as Ireland? “It would be impossible for us to go back now. The IRHA has been there a long time and they are in the comfort zone. A lot of people are unhappy with the level of representation they provided. We are here for ALL hauliers. We are here to protect the industry and to look out for the family businesses that contribute so much to the Irish economy but do not get the protection they deserve.
“The transport industry in Ireland is in major crisis. Hauliers are cutting each other’s throats. Any man can go out and buy a truck and set up a business. It’s ridiculous. There’s no infrastructure, no service areas, no rest points. Laws are being forced down on us from Europe but we don’t have the same infrastructure as the rest of Europe. There has to be a forum for discussion. The industry has to have more input into the Department.”

Okay then, if the Minister waved his magic wand and granted the RTA three wishes, what would they go for? “There are plenty of things but, off the top of my head, I’d say: a dedicated HGV lane on the M50; proper traffic management structures so traffic can flow on the M50 every day; and the appointment of a regulator to the transport industry of Ireland. We’re not looking for the sun, the moon and the stars but our concerns have to be addressed and we’ll take it step by step until this happens.”