Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I am aware of the survey which IBEC carried out in May 2004 on traffic and congestion. Plans to tackle congestion in Dublin are being dealt with under two strands, the first being increasing the supply of public transport, strategic road construction and traffic management, and the second reducing the growth in travel through complementary land use and other policies designed to encourage a transfer of journeys, especially at peak periods, from private car to sustainable modes of transport, such as public transport, cycling and walking.

Significant progress has been made in recent years under those two strands. Major increases in the capacity of the public transport system are being achieved. With the coming introduction of new DART cars, the fleet will have doubled since 2000. Some 80 new diesel rail cars were introduced earlier this year on suburban commuter services, and a further 36 are to be delivered next year. The capacity of Dublin Bus has been extended, with an increase of over 25% in capacity at peak times. Bus Éireann has increased its services by around 40% from commuter towns such as Drogheda, Navan and Naas to the city centre.

To facilitate buses, my Department is funding a major programme to expand the quality bus corridor network and improve traffic management in the greater Dublin area, or GDA. The Luas is now in operation on the Sandyford, or green, line and on the Tallaght, or red, line. Major road improvements are also under way in the GDA. In addition, the Dublin Transportation Office works closely with the planning authorities to influence land use policies in the GDA to favour more sustainable forms of transport at the planning stage. That is being achieved through integrated land use and transportation plans at local level and commenting on major planning applications and appeals which are of strategic transport importance.

There is expected to be a sustained increase in the population of the GDA over the coming years and increasing levels of car ownership. Good progress has been made to date in countering the growth in car ownership in that public transport, walking and cycling have increased their share of all journeys in the city centre.

I am confident that measures such as those that I have mentioned, together with the opening of the port tunnel and the completion of the south-eastern motorway section of the M50 in 2005, will go a long way towards addressing Dublin's congestion problems.

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