LETTER: 'He said publicly what most of us have been saying to each other over many years'

I was interested to read the column in last week’s paper by the editor of The Nationalist, Darren Hassett, on his experience of driving through Tipp Town, writes Tipperary Town correspondent, Martin Quinn.

The heading of the column “Tipp Town is one of the worst places in all of Ireland to drive through” was surely emotive for many people and generated differing comments on Facebook.

As someone who has lived in Tipperary Town for 30 years I have to say that I agree with the thrust of what Darren had to say.

He said publicly what most of us have been saying to each other over many years.

Because someone reports on their experience doesn’t mean that they are being negative about the town.

I recall that the March4Tipp group were similarly criticised when they started out their campaign but yet over 5,000 people supported them when they organised a public march on issues affecting the town.

Sometimes you have to “call a spade a spade” in the hope that it will put pressure on the “powers that be” to urgently address the matter.

For 30 years I have seen the traffic increase in alarming numbers right outside my front door, day and night, and it is getting worse.

On the street where I live the pedestrian crossing at the Maxol Service Station allows people some opportunity to cross the road but even that is fraught with difficulties as not all vehicles stop when the light is red.

The traffic in the town is bumper to bumper practically all the time and I witness this on a daily basis. I also see the slip road at the Murgasty road roundabout (out of town to Barronstown) being used by a huge volume of traffic in order to avoid the town if heading to Limerick.

This road was never meant for this amount of traffic, and for vehicles travelling on it at such speed, and it is a real concern to pedestrians, cyclists and to drivers.

The editor may have used emotive language in his column last week but any of us that live or work in Tipp Town could not in all seriousness disagree with him.

I don’t hold the view that by factually relating his experience presents a very negative picture of our town.

“Don’t shoot the messenger” might be apt in that regard. In truth though the paper has an obligation to report on such issues and to do so in a factual way.

In my view The Nationalist gives excellent coverage on a regular basis to those that seek to promote the town.

In the issue of the previous week for example there was front page, editorial and two full pages given over to the BT Young Scientist winners, and rightly so.

The experience of the editor in driving through Tipp Town and his subsequent column, was not in my view an attempt to portray the town in a negative way, but rather a factual experience that so many of us can relate to.