Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is correct, absolutely and the Deputy should not doubt the commitment to cycling. It is taking a huge step forward, not just in this but in greenways and in other areas as well. The Deputy has seen the Stayin' Alive at 1.5 campaign and has been a great supporter of it. It is important that it is recognised that the Government is behind cycling infrastructure, safety for cyclists and other cycling measures which we are taking and are going to pursue. The greenways will not only attract tourists, they will also be useful in terms of reducing pollution and traffic congestion in towns and villages.

The Deputy has asked what we are doing now. The thrust of Government policy on congestion is long term; it has to be long term. The long-term aim is to get people out of their cars but we are not going to get people out of their cars overnight, just like that. We will do it using a multifaceted approach which includes increased investment in public transport, cycling and walking and in other areas. We need to do this, not just because of congestion but for many reasons, including health. Some of these projects are moving faster than others, of course. The Luas cross-city and green line extension means that the Luas will accommodate an extra 10 million journeys per annum. That is immediate and is happening now. It has been a massive success to such an extent that there has been overcrowding on the trams. That is something that should be acknowledged. Passenger numbers on the green line have increased by 28% and that is obviously taking a lot of people off the roads. The numbers are much larger than expected and we welcome that. The teething problems to which one of the speakers alluded are being resolved and the Luas will continue to keep those people off the roads. The BusConnects programme will be starting next year, which is a very exciting and modern form of public transport. It will be comfortable, efficient and fast and will be effective in taking people off the roads, as will the DART expansion and MetroLink. I am not going to be able to get people off the roads in the morning and I have never said that. However, we are attacking this problem in both the short and long term in a way which will resolve it over the medium term. That is the way it is going to be done but Deputies cannot ask me to say "tomorrow, this will happen". It will not happen. There are increasing numbers but it is going to happen in the long term. The plans are laid out very clearly as to how that is going to be done. It is going to be very effective and that is what the national development plan is all about.