Mr. Gerry Murphy:

The Deputy's first point on pedestrian safety is valid. Bus companies make a great input in the movement of people throughout the city. They travel all routes all of the time and their drivers notice where the pinch points and danger spots are. We feed this information back to the contractors and the RPA. We ensure visibility for drivers, particularly where there are hoardings.

We have a big role to play in providing extra cycle lanes. Essentially, we fund all cycle lanes in the city and have a cycle plan. Cyclists need greater safety, particularly in the core city area. We have to develop this option, but nothing will come to fruition and reach construction before the Luas project has been completed. If we were to do such work, it would probably be at the extremities, not in the city centre core. We have yet to decide on the final plan along the quays.

There will be an increased frequency with the rapid bus transit system. The purpose of the investment in the Clongriffin area is to have a four to five minute bus frequency rate.

I will examine the question raised by the Deputy concerning the DART, including stoppage patterns at Clongriffin and users' needs there. I will correspond on the matter separately through the committee because I do not know enough about it.

It would be a good idea for members of the committee to take a trip through the Phoenix Park tunnel because it would assuage fears they might have. It would also show them what a great facility that direct link could provide. We will talk about arranging a visit for members of the committee.

The Deputy mentioned the heavy rail spur to the airport from Howth Junction. I referred to a comprehensive study of the north Fingal area, including Swords and the airport. It will include an examination of the heavy rail spur, as well as the old metro north corridor. It will also look at extending the Luas cross-city or any other light rail solution, as well as the role of the rapid bus transit system. We will, therefore, look at the gamut of possible projects, with nothing being ruled out at this stage. Because of the extent of the work involved, however, it will take up to January 2015 to complete.

The reasons for the accidents at Luas-bus interfaces are multifaceted. As regards the level of awareness of drivers at Luas signals, the Deputy will know about the launch of a new campaign to make drivers aware of the safety implications and the need not to break lights. The campaign was launched in conjunction with the Road Safety Authority. There have already been 100,000 hits on the YouTube video, which reflects a remarkable level of interest. It is not the only tool one should use, but we are all trying to find ways of getting the message across to take as much care as possible when travelling through the city.