Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are all aware of the outrageous congestion and accept that something has to be done. People live with it day in, day out. Bus lanes and narrow streets can add hours to the working day. Deputy Troy has asked many of the questions I was going to ask. However, I do not think one of them has been answered. How was the NTA able to identify and calculate the specific number of properties, given that it said in its statement that "more detailed information on the individual corridors will not be available until that later consultation stage"? When the announcement was made, people were frightened to think their properties might be among those to have parts of their gardens confiscated or their parking spaces taken. I hope the NTA's failure to identify these people and liaise with them does not turn out to be problematic for it from a public relations point of view. The least they deserve is to be given some information to put their minds at rest. The proposal is fine and glossy but it is fairly scant on the detail. That is something the NTA needs to look at between now and the public consultation. It should openly give people some information well in advance of the consultation process on where and how this scheme will affect their properties, what it will actually entail and what effect it have on them.

It has been suggested that these works will commence in 2021 and will be completed over a ten-year period. As we have often seen, for example in the case of the Luas project, projects that involve traffic management always tend to exceed the planned timeframes for them. This means that the plans for managing traffic congestion for the duration of such projects are very important. The officials from the NTA should provide a little more detail in that regard. I did not see much detail in the documentation. What will be the percentage increase in Dublin Bus services for the duration of this project and indeed when the project has been completed?

I would like to hear the NTA's opinion on the proposal to ban free travel pass holders from travelling at certain times. I sincerely hope it does not endorse this outrageous and ludicrous suggestion.

There needs to be a focus on park-and-ride facilities. Regardless of where one lives, one should be able to avail of such facilities when one is travelling to work. I know it is down to local authorities. Deputy Troy asked about the NTA's liaison with the various local authorities in this regard. One of the downfalls for every large town and city is the poor planning of the provision of park-and-ride facilities, particularly in commuter towns. There is not much detail in the document about this aspect or perhaps I just did not see it. I ask the NTA officials to provide some details on what is proposed in respect of park-and-ride facilities.