Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I suggest junction access and egress improvements should be a priority. We know about that. They need to be looked at. Mr. O'Neill is right; I think the last substantial work done on the road was in the 1990s. Much of it probably could be considered substandard in terms of some of the exits I use anyway. There is a very short run-off and run-in to them. I really think the junction improvements are important. There might also be some drainage issues out there, which are particularly important as well.

I would stress to Mr. O'Neill that the express bus service is a real priority and of real importance. To me, the N11 has sufficient capacity if we invest sufficiently in the public transport systems that run on it and the other one that runs parallel to it, which is the rail line. I really think the express bus investment and the rail line will lead to sufficient capacity on that road for those who choose to use the road or for those who do not feel they have sufficient access to public transport. I would stress to Mr. O'Neill that the express bus route needs to go back further than junction 8. It has been suggested that it only comes back to junction 8 at Kilmacanogue but it really has to go back further south past Newtownmountkennedy because that is where the congestion builds at the moment. Newtownmountkennedy is a town that has undergone significant growth. We really need to have proper reliable bus services there, not just in frequency but also in journey times. There is no point in people getting on a bus in the morning and hitting all that car congestion. We might have a bus with 60 or 70 people on it in the same position as a car with one person. I really think we need to prioritise the public transport element of it.

There seems to have been an increase in noise issues for residents in Kilmacanogue. The witnesses will be aware that a road safety improvement project on a parallel road at Kilmacanogue was recently completed and it is a good job. It seems to have created noise issues for residents in Kilmacanogue, however. I do not know if this is related to increased Rosslare Europort travel in heavy goods vehicles or the removal of the central median or the road surface but it seems to be significant. It is not just one or two residents; it seems to be many residents. Residents further back on the southbound lane at junction 6 are also complaining of increased noise levels. Can TII explain what the process is to retrospectively fit noise baffling or what are the noise mediation measures?