Most immediately in terms of access to the airport. Speaking on the phone from Tallaght, Hayes posits the M50's impact on his constituency in no uncertain terms. It has definitely been an economic spur behind new jobs created in recent years. Since the M50, for instance, we've seen three new hotels built in Tallaght town centre. There are downsides to that in terms of traffic congestion and the number of arterial lorries and heavy goods vehicles going through the residential communities, but it has made a difference.
Work is closer to people.
And yes, you could argue that this, we know. Dublin woke up to the M50 almost immediately, so much so that by the time a second stretch had been added in 1996, intercepting the M1 at 90 degrees, it had become indispensable. Its growth was guaranteed. The latest extension, a 9km Southern Cross Route, will open this July. In cartographic terms, its logic is beautiful.