Mr. Colin Ryan:

The Chairman has touched on the nub of the issue in urban development. I accept Deputy's Rabbitte's point that when one is outside an urban settlement, there are different parameters and considerations. At the root of the matter is the question of whether the issue is the promotion of permeability, which includes the linking of what might be seen as back-to-back housing estates or the linking of a housing estate to a town or village centre or something like that. It is a general observation that it poses great difficulties for the local authority and planners with regard to its promotion. It comes down to what I was trying to get at in my opening statement, which is the basic issue of linkage and infrastructure that allow people to move around the place more easily.

Senator Warfield pointed out that cyclists are vulnerable road users because they are forced onto larger roads where there is traffic. These smaller links are needed and usable. Other Departments have looked at small-scale interventions around that and there are serious ramifications. The committee might reflect on how that could be supported. From a planning point of view, it is supported. It has always been, and continues to be, supported. From a bluntly practical point of view and from a local democracy point of view, local councillors are faced with a difficult decision to make.