Mr. Ciarán Ferrie:

We mentioned in our opening statement there are upwards of 30 separate bodies responsible for transport in Dublin, and this is part of the problem. The responsibility is fragmented. It is very difficult to find out who is responsible for particular things. When we have such fragmentation, one group holds up another, perhaps not deliberately but because they have different priorities and plans. We are not getting the leadership we need from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on this. Perhaps Dublin needs a transport czar or someone who takes overall responsibility for this. Money is being spent in Dublin city on resurfacing roads and the roads are being repainted with the same substandard cycling infrastructure there was before the roads were resurfaced. This does not make any sense to me. If there was joined-up thinking between the National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council, this would not happen. We would get the benefits of improved cycling infrastructure when we are improving the surface of the road. For me, the key issues are the fragmented nature of the system, the lack of communication, the varying priorities of the various groups, and the lack of political leadership.