Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am filling in for my colleague, Deputy Eamon Ryan. When I was sitting in my office earlier today, trying to come to grips with Transport 21, I asked the people who were with me what exactly is in the plan. One of the Green Party's researchers, Ms Sue Duke, said that there is nothing in it. That sums it up, in essence. There is nothing in Transport 21 — it is a case of smoke and mirrors.

When I recall the transport debates which took place in Dublin ten, 15 and 20 years ago, I remember that substantial plans, with timetables and costings, were proposed at that time. There was clarity rather than the puff of smoke that the Minister, Deputy Cullen, seems to leave around him every time he makes an announcement. The Government will be remembered for its guff and fluff — statements which mean nothing and promises which have not been delivered on — rather than for its completion of infrastructural projects.

The Navan rail link, for example, was promised on the eve of the election in 1997 and again in 2002, but it has not been delivered. It was promised again during the by-election campaign in County Meath a couple of years ago. When I stood on the rail bed of the Navan line last Saturday, I noticed that grass was growing up through the tracks. The railway station in the heart of Navan is boarded up. The Minister for Transport believes all our problems will be solved if we develop motorways left, right and centre. He is proposing to build motorways to the north, south, east and west of us, including in the Tara-Skryne valley. At least two thirds, if not four fifths, of the transport capital funds are being invested in roads. Rather than providing for sustainability, the Minister is deceiving himself about what will benefit Ireland.

The Taoiseach has recently discovered an interest in the works of Mr. Robert Putnam, particularly Bowling Alone, but he does not understand the point that Mr. Putnam makes. The manner in which Fianna Fáil is building this country is leading to social isolation and the breakdown of families. It is forcing people to commute to and from their places of work for up to four hours a day. The Government, which should be building communities in which people are closer together, is helping to create the problems I have mentioned. People should be within walking distance of churches, shops and pubs, but instead they are being shoved into their cars morning, noon and night. That is the essence of what Fianna Fáil is doing wrong in its transport policy. One can set aside the lack of costings and clear economic analysis of its plans because the real problem is that Fianna Fáil believes that our traffic problems will be solved by the construction of more roads.

I implore the Government to rediscover the dusty old volumes produced by the Dublin transportation initiative over ten years ago. I was privileged to sit on one of the initiative's committees. Even now, the Government is not delivering on what was proposed back then. It is unable to join the two Luas lines in the centre of Dublin. It cannot do any more than talk about the great things it will do if it is given the time to do them. The Government has been in office for the best part of the last generation, but it has yet to sort out the traffic problems in Dublin. I ask the Government to re-examine its public transport strategy. It should consider buying sufficient buses to fill the empty bus lanes in Dublin so that people can enjoy a reliable and efficient public transport service.

The Government should reflect on the success of the Luas, which has carried an untold number of people safely, cleanly and efficiently to date. It should try to repeat that success elsewhere in Dublin and in other towns around Ireland. I saw a paraplegic man on the Luas the other day. He was operating his wheelchair with a stick in his mouth. He is able to get on the Luas, go where he wants and come back again. The development of the Luas has given that man some freedom. We need more services like the Luas, which has been a huge boost not only for people with disabilities, but also for parents who are trying to bring their children to and from the city centre and for older people who find it hard to get on and off buses. We need more systems now like the Luas, such as the proposed metro system.

Every time there is a damned announcement of a new plan like Transport 21, Platform for Change or whatever is the flavour of the month, I am reminded of the need for the Government to get off its high horse and do the work that is needed. Rather than pontificating about what needs to be done, it should deliver the services that are needed. I ask Ministers to read about what is going on abroad. It makes much more sense to invest in public transport than in roads, particularly in urban areas. The thinking in this regard has moved on since the era of Seán Lemass. The current debate is about the type of public transport in our cities, rather than about the construction of new roads to solve the problem.

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