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HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS with the National Roads Authority Sean O’Neill dropped by TheJournal.ie’s newsroom yesterday afternoon for a live Q&A.
If you want to watch the whole thing, you can do so here: the session, as you might expect, took in everything from M50 tolling to (now mothballed) plans for Celtic Tiger-era road projects.
Reader Declan Cosgrave sent in a question about motorway lights on the M1… Essentially, are they being turned off to save a few quid?
“Spot on,” was O’Neill’s response.
“Are we trying to save a few quid? That’s absolutely correct.”
Watch:
The lights are being turned off to improve energy efficiency and to cut down on costs, O’Neill said.
“There’s just unnecessary lighting on road networks throughout Europe and in particular here in Ireland.”
So…
Yeah, that’s exactly what’s going on, it’s a cost saving mechanism.
Speaking to us afterwards, O’Neill explained that the lights in question were around junctions.
It’s something that’s happening across the network – and has been ongoing for around a year. He said proposals for every area were examined closely and that discussions took place with all relevant stakeholders before each decision was made.
It’s not a particularly new idea either. Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan (now the foreign affairs minister) suggested back in 2012 that lights could be switched off overnight as a cost and energy-saving measure.
At the time, the Road Safety Authority said in response that it wouldn’t have a problem with the issue, so long as risk assessments were carried out.
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A Wimbledon quiz without Martina N, Chris Everett, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe???
@Oh Mammy: You can not be serious!
@Oh Mammy: McEnroe was mentioned
@Oh Mammy: With respect I would switch Chris Everett with Andre Agassi.
@Willie Marty: So was Martina.
@Stephen Wallis: THE QUESTION!!! WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION???
Del Boy telling two “sorts” that Rodney was a pro tennis player. “Do you prefer AstroTurf or grass” one asks? “Don’t know” says Rodney, “I’ve never smoked AstroTurf”.
And Brit Fred Perry won 8 grand slam titles surpassing smashing the mentioned Andy Murray on 3.
@Pat Barry: with respect to fred perry he wasn’t competing with federer, nadal and djokovic.
@Brian Dunne: No but he’s the quintessential British player, not Andy Murray.
@Pat Barry: quintessential. Lol.
@John Moore: What’s so funny about quintessential?
Hollywood were flattering Billy Jean there
@Vincent Wallace: BJK was a sports icon not an actress or model.
have your say