Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I am glad of the opportunity to say a few words on this important subject. The huge increase in the number of cars in the past ten or twelve years is a sign of our reliance on the car. Not so many years ago people spoke of a house as being essential to their needs. In recent years the car has also become an essential part of our lives. A few years ago there was one car to every house, but now there are up to four. We see this stark reality as we travel around the country. There are now more people working in each household, which is for the good of families, the community and society in general. Nowadays both partners often work. The number of people commuting long distances to work has also increased, leading to an increase in the number of cars on our roads.

The most startling figure that was revealed of late is that €4 billion is spent annually by motorists on taxation. Any increase is hard to take but the recent increase in tax is more difficult again. Road users are getting worse value for money than ever before.

I accept that roads have improved in some areas. However, with the amount of tax paid, are people getting value for this extra money? Are local authorities giving value for money and accounting for the money they spend? Many roads need upgrading, especially tertiary roads. Only a fraction of the money needed is available to community and local improvement schemes. We need to get better value for money from local authorities. If this was sought, local improvement schemes, which have upgraded roads in certain areas, could go further.

Many simple measures, such as hedge cutting, could to be implemented which would make driving a great deal safer. Four or five years ago most country roads were cut late in September or October on an annual basis. It made the countryside look a lot better but the practice has ceased in most local authority areas. Deputy Murphy referred to it ceasing in Cork last year. In my own county it ceased three years ago. The same is true of hedge cutting in county council areas right across the country. This is a simple way of making our roads safer. With all this money going into local authorities, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should insist that hedges be cut. More co-operation is required with landowners. It is not simply a case of landowners tidying their hedges.

With the amount of money available it is possible to make rural roads, in particular, a great deal safer. Signage is deplorable in certain rural areas. Feeble efforts are made by some local authorities to paint and redecorate their signage. From travelling to Europe we have enough experience of how signage is dealt with in other European countries. There is no excuse for us not improving our signage.

Road accidents were referred to earlier in the debate. It is true that roads appear to have become more dangerous. The introduction of penalty points brought about a decrease in road accidents but over the weekend we saw that the figures are slowly creeping up again. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government needs to have a more hands-on approach to ensure that our roads are safer.

Other simple measures can be taken in regard to lorries. Like many other people in Leinster House, I travel to and from my constituency. Many trucks travel the same roads. In wet conditions trucks spray water from their sides because they do not have any flaps. Legislation should be introduced to ensure that all trucks are covered on their sides with rubber, particularly over the wheels, as they are in other countries. This is a simple measure which would make driving a lot safer for the motorist.

By neglecting rail, we have lost out on an opportunity in regard to transport. We are over-reliant on road transport as a means of transporting goods to ports and other destinations. We should concentrate more on our rail network to improve the safety of the motorist. In the long term this would make driving a great deal easier. We need to examine the impact of heavy goods vehicles on our road.We need to look at this as it is having a devastating impact on the structure of roads.

For far too long we have been much too slow about improving traffic calming measures in villages throughout the country. I was in a school in the village of Rosegreen last week. The headmaster pointed out trucks travelling past the school at 30 mph and 35 mph. With a little skid, those trucks could land in the grounds of the school or even the classroom. We are told that the local authority does not have money available for traffic calming measures there.

We are constantly increasing taxes in the State and that is the purpose of this Bill. If we are doing so, we should be providing more in return. This is why the public is against the increases in taxation. If the public could see improvements in hedge cutting, road signage and traffic calming measures, they could more readily accept it.

I know the House will pass the Bill. It will mean that more finance is made available and I hope that it is seen to give value. Motorists are fed up paying more money and not getting value for it. The public wants value and richly deserve a better return on their taxes.

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