Mr. Paddy Mahon:

We are on that journey with the active travel programme I mentioned earlier and the interaction between local authorities the NTA. Every city and county council has resources in place, and they are beginning to put together active travel programmes. This is a sign of our commitment. Some of the biggest challenges we will face over the coming months and years will be delivering on the ambition we have with regard to having more suitable town and city centres for pedestrians and people who want to come into our towns and cities and engage and gradually removing cars from those centres. This depends on the situation and the level of alternative access to our towns and cities. There is definitely a strategy to make our towns and cities much more attractive and safer for the people who want to come in and use them. We have begun this journey. Some parts of the country are ahead of others. Our engagement with the NTA and the Department of Transport has put in place resources to be followed by sustainable transport plans for all of our major towns and cities.

We need to look at our villages as well. We need to look at safe routes to school schemes and at how our children get to school. Most of the traffic generated in our towns, villages and cities around the country, and many of the headaches and issues around it, relate to how our children go to school. We need to look at that. That is not just a matter of changing the infrastructure. This is a matter of changing culture and changing people's minds. As I said earlier, we are beginning that journey. It is a significant one. We will need clear plans and a clear vision and buy-in from all our communities, businesses and enterprises, if we are to begin to demonstrate that taking away car parking spaces and replacing them with outdoor dining and outdoor public ground spaces is to be of benefit to their businesses and not a hindrance to doing business in towns and city centres.