Published: Wednesday, 24th February, 2010 6:00pm

Carbon tax could cost Westmeath residents more than Dubliners

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Westmeath people could end up paying carbon tax at a rate 11 times greater than Dublin residents, due to the lack of public transport options locally, a Westmeath Labour Councillor has warned this week.

Cllr. Denis Leonard, chairman of the County's Transport Special Policy Committee, said an ESRI study has found that residents in the commuter belt around Dublin could end up paying €275 per year in carbon taxes, compared to a levy of €25 per head in Dublin.

That's one of the six reasons he is listing in his call to have the Department of Transport make a review of transport links in Westmeath.

Cllr. Leonard said Transport 21 was "always a Dublin-centred and motorway-reliant" policy, which, "after two decades of massive investment would leave Westmeath with just two rail stations and very poor rural bus links".

Cllr. Leonard, in making the call, has argued that Killucan Station and the Mullingar to Athlone rail line are two of the very few costed plans with Irish Rail at the moment.

"If for example a large project line the Metro North or the Heuston underground were to be scrapped these smaller project would take a very high proportionate population per euro spent off the road and reduce our carbon spend," he said.

He added that assessment of the rural transport scheme shows how much can be achieved on even a minimal investment. Cllr. Leonard is also arguing that the businesses in Westmeath deserve a transport infrastructure that will support them, and states that if the National Spatial Strategy is to be a real framework, then Athlone should have access to Mullingar Hospital, Mullingar to Athlone IT, and that there should be connections by rail from both to Tullamore.

"The emphasis on spending on property and tolled motorways in the boom must be addressed as the cost of public transport projects is now a fraction of what they were three years ago. Every person on the dole is costing €20,000 instead of having meaningful employment on essential infrastructure projects like rail stations, schools, hospital and communications upgrading. We invested in housing while many other EU countries invested in transport, now they are wealthy in a way we were until the 1950's and may never be again," he told the Westmeath Examiner this week.

Cllr. Leonard, pointing out that the EU is still supporting transport infrastrucutre projects up until 2012, asked if Ireland was going to let the opportunity to fund these essential projects slip by, while banks and property speculators are bailed out.