Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Carey referred to other user groups for consultation. With the advance in electric vehicles - I am talking about e-bikes and e-scooters - it widens the scope for a lot of active travel. It has also given improved access and mobility for people who may have mobility issues. A person can cycle further on an electric bike than on an ordinary bike.

Chairman, are there be other user groups that we might invite in? We also need to look at that aspect. We want to get this right and ensure that when the Bill becomes law it addresses everybody's concerns - the concerns we are hearing today, but also the active travel concerns and road space allocation concerns. Can we also consider that?

My final point relates to on enforcement. In my experience, gardaí are so stretched in respect of other matters that they do not have the scope to deal with enforcement on a daily basis. They can do a sweep of a street when they see it. After hours, when traffic wardens have gone home, people park all over the footpaths. At schools, people believe it acceptable to park any way they want when dropping their children off or picking them up. In a recent article in The Irish Times, churchgoers suggested they should be able to park in active travel spaces because they are going to mass on Sunday morning. All sorts of groups feel that they have a right to park where they wish.

To rely on gardaí for enforcement is too much of a stretch. Local authority engineers are also extremely stretched. It probably just depends on where people live. We need some common courtesy and decency from people to be aware of other vulnerable users and to use that shared space in a manner that does not impact other people. We can all get around if that shared space is used in a courteous manner.

I thank the witnesses for their assistance on this.