Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have three specific questions for the guests today. I commend them on the report. There is nothing in it a woman using public transport would not have experienced. I recommend that some of the committee members read Caroline Criado-Perez's book Invisible Womenbecause it is not just transport. It is the whole of society that is affected by the fact we do not have women at the decision-making table, they are not part of he consultation process and we do not collect the gender-aggregated data. Criado-Perez also refers to the phenomenon of trip chaining, which is in the report, and the importance of designing transport to facilitate women who, unfortunately, carry out most of the caring activities in society. With the census coming up, is it a missed opportunity that we have not tried to collect those data? As far as I know, the census asks how people get from work, school or childcare but it misses out all of those other trips that are taken, in particular by caregivers. We heard Ms Fox talking about the gender checklist. What, in the opinion of all the guests, are the biggest gaps in the data in making sure the services are fit for purpose?

I noticed, again probably without surprise, that fewer women compared with men favoured more security guards on transport. What they preferred instead was good infrastructure, proper public lighting, proper access to and from, and, if making connections, there are no delays, which means the importance of real-time travel information. It was a very interesting point and I am glad Ms Fox pushed back a bit from what Deputy Cathal Crowe was saying earlier about no alcohol on the train. It is about making the facility safe, not banning alcohol or not having police on it.

The third question is about cycling and infrastructure for cycling. I did an interview with the Business Post talking about my experience as someone who lives slightly further out and cycling to work, trying to do the right thing in terms of reducing carbon emissions. From where I am in Clondalkin, the most direct and probably safest route from a cycling perspective is the Grand Canal, but that is not safe from a female perspective and you are not going to cycle along the Grand Canal because there are gangs along it, and you are especially not going to do so if you work shifts or work unpredictable hours. Perhaps the guests would talk about that and the importance of that cycling infrastructure. The report stated that cycling is considered least safe by women and least child-friendly, and women are more likely to cycle for recreation rather than for commuting. While we are seeing many greenways being developed around the country, which are great in terms of a service and for tourism, we need to have commuting routes, not just in our cities but outside of our cities. Perhaps the guests might comment on that as well.