Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 3 February 2022

Public Accounts Committee

Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020

9:30 am

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We might come back to that point. I would argue there are gaps in the network which is a cause of concern for people who travel. In the same vein, there are issues around charging points for electric vehicles. These all feed into a common and recurring theme, which is that people need those service areas.

I have another question about rest stops and lay-bys, which came to me via a constituent. I ask our guests to review the safety of those lay-bys. That is a concern, particularly from a female perspective. The complaint made by my constituent was that she would not use lay-bys, even if she had to, because they are isolated and dark. There is no lighting, public toilet facilities or even something as practical as a tyre pump. Nothing is provided in those lay-bys and I ask our guests to review that as a matter of urgency. A landline telephone would also be useful. I am talking about the practical necessities for people who might be travelling on their own, who may be vulnerable and need those lay-bys. They are well placed but there is nothing in them. We need to examine that.

I note that fines and evasions of the M50 tolls are mentioned in the report. I thank our guest for that documentation. How many evasions or non-payments of tolls have there been for the M50, in particular, over the past three or four years? Do our guests have those figures to hand?

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