Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would add the word "share" to the avoid, shift and improve approach. There will be a move towards shared mobility in a range of ways. This is a slightly pedantic point.

It Deputy Leddin were to table an amendment on Report Stage in the interim I would look have to look to the Office of the Attorney General to see whether there is any reason we could not accept an amendment whereby we change the title of the authority. We would have to be careful that we would not miss anything because the legislative block is unconsolidated. I am also conscious of time. I do not know how long such a trawl would take. I would certainly consider it if the Deputy were to table an amendment on Report Stage.

On the variable speed limits and the management of it, the primary reason is safety. Near the port tunnel we have a monitoring service on the M50 and other roads approaching the capital. I happened to be there last year when a car broke down on the outer lane, the fastest lane, as it were, and was stuck there. It was an incredibly dangerous situation to look at. You had passing traffic going at 100 km/h. Emergency workers, an ambulance, gardaí or a fire truck coming to that incident would have a real challenge with how to manage what is a real safety problem. Thus, the primary purpose here is for safety management of the road and potentially other roads, as I said, nominated by the Minister of the day. That could include part of a national road. We could do it section by section.

There are other potential benefits, such as alleviating traffic congestion problems. Often the road is not acting optimally when you have a certain speed limit. You may see you get greater capacity use out of it by regulating for speed but that is a matter for TII to decide on and we are giving it powers to make those judgment calls.

On the wider issue of avoiding, reducing, controlling, and management of emissions, there may well be cases, for example with issues of serious air pollution, and there are such issues. There is a real issue around the M50 and the surrounding suburbs. The emission of particulate matters, ozone, benzene and all sorts of chemicals is a very significant issue. If TII is looking, as I said, and it can be shown there is an optimal way of managing that, I do not believe this legislation would restrict it but the primary purpose is safety.