John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses said in their presentation that alleviating urban congestion will increasingly focus on encouraging a modal shift to public transport, walking and so on. I am interested to hear their perspective on park and ride facilities, especially in urban settings. Many Dublin Deputies represent areas where, despite being in the city or suburbia, not everybody lives close to a bus stop. If people are living half a mile from a bus stop, they are not going to be enthusiastic about walking to it and it is not always practical to do so. At the same time, we punish people who attempt to park and ride, with double yellow lines, parking meters and so forth. I see it in my own constituency, in Rathfarnham, Templeogue and so on. While that was legitimate and justifiable, we put those people back on the roads, more than likely in their cars. I am not looking for funding but am wondering if it is part of TII's plans. Park and ride facilities could play a huge part in terms of encouraging those who do not live directly on a bus route to use buses.