James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is interesting and the same could be said to Dublin Bus, the NTA and other State agencies that are involved in this work. The review will be a huge determining factor in the development of all new infrastructure so we can get away from the situations like the metro projects in Dublin. I mean the DART interconnector and other projects had many false starts that were never developed in the original time lengths that had been set out for construction. The review is an important process for any body that genuinely wants to make a positive impact on how quickly we can build climate-friendly infrastructure and put it in place. Given the situation that we are in today, speeding up the process is crucial. Therefore, we must get rid of some of the roadblocks that have impinged for decades on the development of new public transport infrastructure in this State.

I have a question for Dublin Bus on the development of arterial infrastructure, which is a point that I am focusing on throughout today's committee. How does Dublin Bus plan to take cars off the arterial routes and on to its services, once one goes beyond the M50? That is an important aspect and is so often missed.

Ms Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, mentioned at our previous session that the NTA will develop new park-and-ride facilities. Quite frankly, it is an easy opportunity to procure ground on a lot of the arterial routes so that those who do not have the luxury of living in places like Dublin and, indeed, in Cork, which is my own area and is not under the remit of Dublin Bus, will be able to leave their cars outside of the city centres and board public transport that will bring them into places of work and retail within Dublin, and particularly to sporting venues. We have a really good opportunity to utilise that. Has Dublin Bus anything to say on this matter?