Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Kennedy. I did notice that in many cases where tables and chairs were put out there was no requirement for a section 254 licence, which would generally put management in place, or else the process was speeded up. I cannot remember. We did see a lot of creep in respect of tables and chairs. I am not sure how often that was done by the establishment or by customers sitting there and moving them to chase the last of the evening sunshine, but it is something we really have to manage. With Covid, we have had an opportunity to experiment with creating outdoor spaces. It was experimental and mistakes were made, but we can improve that incrementally over time and, taking into consideration what Mr. Fulham said, take into account that there must be full consultation with user groups and everybody who needs to use that shared outside space.

I wish to raise the clutter in general on footpaths on bin day when the bin gets dumped right onto the footpath. I see it on most bin days in my area and it drives me bananas. I have written to both waste collection companies in my area. It would take one second longer to put back bins either against the wall or on the roadway and to leave the footpath clear. Why is the footpath always the place that takes the hit in all of this? Car drivers feel they need to leave the roadway clear, so they put two tyres up on the path and take the scarce bit of space there is. Ms Kennedy referred to 2 m, but often it is not 2 m, it is less than that, yet a car parked on the footpath can take half of that away. We have utility boxes and a whole clatter of stuff on pavements that comes from restaurants, cafes, newsagents and shops. There is all manner of stuff and very little of it is licensed. I walked the main shopping street in my town a couple of years ago and I counted an amount of signage and clutter. Everything possible was pushed outside to advertise businesses. I do not mind businesses advertising their wares but they need to do it considerately. I counted approximately 150 pieces of street clutter. When I searched for section 254 licence applications, I could not find an application for any of them. I have tried to chase up on this. It is done under the planning regulations, but it is often granted by a roads section. It is often the case that matters fall between two stools in local authorities. That is something we definitely need to address.

Ms Tinsley referred to speed limits. She suggested a 12 km/h speed limit and a 6 km/h speed limit. Could she please clarify the position? We graduate speed limits for motorised vehicles depending on the size of the carriageway or if it is in an urban centre it might be 30 km/h. Also, if it is a residential area it might be 30 km/h. If it is slightly wider or a regional road there are different speed limits. Is Ms Tinsley suggesting graduated speed limits for the use of scooters, depending on the type of road space or street space that we are in? Senator Boylan referred to European standards. Is Ms Tinsley aware whether there is a speed limit throughout Europe?