Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming to the committee. On 4 May, in reply to a question from Deputy Steven Matthews, Mr. Creegan stated that for the NTA to look at transport initiatives they must be within the transport plan. Arising from that I want to look at the transport provisions within the plan. Section 12 of the plan sets out all the really big ticket items such as the MetroLink to the airport and to Lucan-Poolbeg, and the second line to Bray. There is no provision in it for the south-west city. The most recent census figures for those areas show: the south-west inner city population is 49,000; the Rathmines and Terenure population is 42,000; the Crumlin and Kimmage population is 41,500; the Templeogue and Rathfarnham area population is 43,000; the Ballyboden and Firhouse area population is 42,700; and in Tallaght the population is nearly 68,000 people. There is a great anxiety, which has already been articulated by Deputy Lahart, that a metro to south-west gets put into this plan as an addendum. We can put forward what we would really love to be put in as a paragraph. Like Deputy Lahart, I implore this committee to exercise its power under section 12 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act to make recommendations to the Minister: that metro to south-west be included; that we have an overturning of the feasibility study, which was inadequate; that there is a proper and fully comprehensive feasibility study put in for the inclusion of metro to south-west; and that this be included in this plan.

On top of these figures, the city edge development is being talked about. That is planned to be in place in ten years, which will add another 75,000 to 85,000 people resident there. The NTA has already acknowledged that it may need two Luas lines for that area. Within that, there are planned disruptions in the construction of BusConnects, which is reasonable and required to deliver on that. There will also be Luas construction on the same streets that will have just been set up and disrupted over a number of years. There is also potentially other forward planning for the likes of a metro to south-west, or otherwise. It makes much more sense to have a comprehensive overview of all of these provisions for the south-west area of the city. I would strongly ask that we would engage in that and to include it so the NTA can consider a metro to south-west in some form or other, even if it is in forward planning. Otherwise, this is going to be kicked down the road. It does not make sense to move ahead with other provisions when there is a very comprehensive possible solution here that should be included.

Attendant to that, I ask that the NTA comment on and reply, hopefully positively, to my next question. In early June, subject to a motion from Councillor Anne Feeney in Dublin City Council, an invitation was issued to the NTA to come into the council to discuss the issue of the MetroLink Charlemont terminus and the significant impact it has for commuters in the area and future transport needs. That was unanimously approved by the councillors. I ask that the NTA would reply positively to that invitation.

I apologise that I missed the NTA's opening statements as I was at another meeting. The draft plan was published in November. We are here now and there have been thousands of submissions in the meantime. The NTA encouraged those submissions, for which I am very grateful. Can the NTA give us a summary of what has changed on foot of those submissions? What changes have been put in place because of those particular submissions? I would really appreciate that.

A Deputy referred to timelines. Within that, I note the original timeline for BusConnects was for six applications by the end of June.

There were only two. What is the timeline now for BusConnects? How can that be delivered so that we have a definitive future plan and idea?