Speaking in Bray the Green Party candidate Deirdre de Burca accused her electoral opponents of deliberately misrepresenting her Party’s policy in relation to the roads programme. 'They would have you believe that if the Greens get their feet under the Cabinet Table the road building programme will grind to a halt. Nothing could be further from the truth'.

Addressing concerns that further works on the N11 could be halted after completion of the Gorey bypass Ms de Burca reiterated her party’s commitment to ongoing works on the N11 and in particular to the upgrading of the remainder of the Wicklow stretch between the Beehive and the Arklow bypass. 'This is critical to the development of the South Wicklow area and the Green Party endorses its completion as soon as possible'.

The real problem she noted was the complete failure of the Government to address the public transport deficit facing the people of Wicklow and in particular the communities of south Wicklow away from the east coast corridor. ‘It is an absolute shame in this day and age that many of these communities are virtually starved of any public transport often relying on one bus per week to the nearest town'. She said that the Green Party policy directly addressed these deficits.

De Burca says the Green Party demands a fast , effective and regular bus service for rural communities and an immediate upgrade of the Dublin to Rosslare railway line to facilitate faster and more frequent services for commuters.' Public transport is the future but only if it was fast, efficient, regular and reliable. Until people have confidence in the public transport system to deliver on these criteria we will continue to have clogged roads and endless hours commuting. The Green Party is committed to a sensible, and I emphasise sensible, transition from a grudging dependence on the private motor car to a confident reliance on public transport.'

She said that to characterise this policy as end to the road building programme is nothing short of scaremongering. People were forced to rely on private transport because of the absence of a meaningful alternative. The Green Party was determined to provide an alternative.