Madam, - At a time when most of the nation has woken up to the connection between drink-driving and road carnage, it is interesting to see how public "services" respond to the public's efforts to comply with the law.
On Christmas Eve, all Dublin Bus and Dart services stopped at 9pm. ("Ah ,sure our staff have to get their Christmas too.")
On Christmas Day, I phoned for a taxi at 7.30pm, and was assured that one would be with me by 11pm! On New Year's Eve, 48,000 people attended the Leinster-Ulster rugby match at Lansdowne Road, and Iarnród Éireann's response was to provide a skeletal Sunday service, which again, of course, finished at 9pm, along with the buses.
Who do we blame? Intransigent trades unions? Incompetent managements? Underfunding? I suppose we should be thankful that the ESB didn't turn the lights off at 9pm on Christmas Eve. - Yours, etc,
JOE QUIRKE, Mapas Avenue, Dalkey, Co Dublin.