MORE than 60 per cent of people questioned about the Dublin Light Rail Transit (LRT) project would not travel on an underground rail system in the city for personal, safety and pollution related reasons, according to a recent survey.
The Market Research Bureau of Ireland announced the findings yesterday as part of its Dublin Traffic Survey, undertaken on behalf of the LRT project.
Mr Ian McShane, deputy director of MRBI, said that the survey showed the LRT system was more popular than an underground rail system. "Almost a third of the people questioned stated that they would not travel on an underground rail system under any circumstances because they felt that it was unsafe and claustrophobic."
Mr McShane said that the findings demonstrated that most people had an underlying unease about using an underground rail system. He believed that this fear was probably based on their image and experiences of the London underground.
This attitude was reflected in the survey's findings. When asked what rail system they preferred, 64 per cent favoured an above ground light rail system, as against 26 per cent in favour of an underground system. Both systems were perceived as being likely to cause an equal amount of disruption to traffic during the construction phase.
About 500 people from 50 locations in Dublin were questioned in the survey, which also examined the public view on levels of pollution and traffic congestion in Dublin city centre.
Traffic congestion was viewed by 96 per cent of the respondents as a major problem facing people living in Dublin. When asked for suggestions on how to combat this, 76 per cent called for the upgrading of the public transport system.
The LRT project director, Mr Donal Mangan, described the findings as a further endorsement of the LRT project.