Rubbish Rebels

11th Mar 2005

Rubbish Rebels

Finbarr Barry

Ever since the North Ring Road extended itself from Ballyvolane over to Parklands and the Mallow Road, Blackpool has been emptied of the thousands of cars that passed through it everyday. Not only being on the main route out of the city to Mallow and Limerick but also being the central point in the valley between the east and west sides of the Northside the ozone layer over Blackpool must have been at breaking point before the flyover was complete.

Truckers and travelers alike making long distance journeys from Cork would have to allow anything up to 30 minutes extra for the chaos in Blackpool on the way to their destination. Finally after years of foul and filthy fumes the air in Blackpool has been making steady progress in getting back to normal. Oxygen levels were just getting back to normal however when the latest crisis struck.

Should you find yourself in the vicinity of Blackpool of late you may be forgiven for thinking you have been either transported back a hundred years into our colonial past or passed through a portal to the grimy streets of Calcutta.

A stand off between residents refusing to pay service charges and City Council has had the result of turning one of the city'