Transport Problems (Jan 2013)
Lessons learnt from the transport provision on the island of Ireland – political observations
Abstract
The paper delineates the core issues surrounding political, socio-economic, and territorial implications on a number of transport issues on the island of Ireland by looking at the record of transport in the early 20th century, concentrating on the disintegration of the rail network, and its effect on local population, as this was the foremost method of transport during this period. An amalgamation of interviews and open-ended questionnaires directed towards politicians painted a vivid picture of the core principals influencing their parties’ policies in relation to transport on the island. Participant observation of an overt nature was incorporated to investigate the views of those who feel they have suffered as a result of the neglected border region, along with the other areas of the northwest, and the policies of their political representatives. The data also reinforced the notion that other arguments also portrayed that security reasons in the latter half of the century in the north contributed to the problem. The paper looks at the discourse of political stagnation to motivation over the last century and the political manifestations that have created this tidal shift. A preliminary questionnaire survey was conducted to explore a number of key issues such as (a) island’s troubled past and the land transport infrastructure, (b) reasons why the railway and road networks in the proximity of the border counties have become so stagnant, (c) perceived impacts of devolution and the peace process on transport on the island, and (f) possibilities of stronger cooperation and cohesion between the north and the south in relation to transport.
