Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I am, but not as long as some people have been. Traffic management relates to the role of the Garda, the number of gardaí on the streets and the demands made on them in all areas. The Minister will be aware of the drain on Garda crime fighting resources caused by traffic management.

I am raising this issue in the context of what was seen in Bray last week, our first experience of total gridlock. It has been forecast some time and we may have thought we had experienced gridlock until we saw what occurred last Wednesday and realised it is something that takes hours to undo. This kind of incident will occur with increasing frequency in coming years. Huge investment is being made in public transport, which will make a significant difference, but the payback for such investment is seven to ten years away. Meanwhile traffic volumes will grow if the economy continues to grow, which I hope it does.

Not only will traffic grow but the big dig on the M50 will cause huge disruption as it has just commenced and will continue for at least five years. Metros are being announced by the day along with various Luas lines. When all of these projects are under way, or when even one of them is under way, phenomenal disruption will be caused and it will be essential that the very best quality and volume of traffic management is available to us.

Last week's incident was caused by a broken pipe but even smaller factors, such as a broken traffic light, a puncture or a traffic cone that falls into a traffic lane, can cause chaos. There can be a ripple effect across the city bringing an entire section to a halt. It takes hours to undo this. This problem will persist. To cut a long story short, an Operation Freeflow type regime is necessary throughout the year. Perhaps this is too much to ask of the Garda Síochána because it has much more important work to do. Nevertheless, a mobile, rapid reaction force on constant patrol is needed to regulate and control traffic while the "big dig", as it is known, takes place.

The Minister indicated the traffic corps has approximately 700 gardaí but only one fifth of this number are on duty at any time. In addition, there are only 48 mobile gardaí on motorbikes. I do not know how many of the 160 recent recruits are on duty in Dublin at any one time. It will become increasingly clear that even this investment will be insufficient as the big dig progresses.

I ask the Minister to examine a number of ideas. While I do not propose to be prescriptive, I will outline some ideas in the hope of generating discussion on how we will manage traffic in years ahead. Is it possible to provide support for the traffic corps which would enable it to provide high visibility patrols on motorways and key junctions and, crucially, in the vicinity of major works? In this context, will the Minister consider establishing an elite corps within the Garda Reserve that would receive special training in traffic management which would allow its members to become involved in regulating and directing traffic? I am conscious that not everyone has the specific skills required to manage traffic and that errors can cause monumental problems.

Will the Minister consider allowing security officers to undertake certain traffic regulation functions? As he will be aware, security staff are being licensed and must receive special training in a range of FETAC validated modules. Could this training include a module on traffic management? I do not suggest that security staff be allowed to direct traffic willy-nilly. Could those who are employed by shopping centres, hospitals, industrial estates and other private facilities to manage car parks and direct traffic on site be allowed to direct traffic on public roads in the vicinity of their workplace? Many of those who have been tempted to do so, having seen traffic from their facility causing a problem on a public road, have been warned by traffic management gardaí that they will be charged with causing an obstruction if they direct traffic on a public highway. It is regrettable the private sector is not allowed to solve this problem.

I live near Dundrum town centre, which is constantly on the knife edge of chaos. This is particularly the case as Christmas approaches. Given that the centre employs highly qualified staff to manage its 3,500 car park spaces and five entrances, why are five gardaí being deployed to the centre to manage traffic under Operation Freeflow when they may be required elsewhere? The shopping centre is prepared to pay for its staff to do this job under the direction of gardaí. The Garda needs all the help it can get because crime is increasing and gardaí are required on the streets to detect crime, control the drugs problem, deal with crime gangs and carry out the many other functions for which they receive specific and expensive training, much of which is not necessary for the performance of traffic duties. The Garda Síochána will require assistance to continue its vital work. As the Minister will be aware, traffic management places a significant drain on Garda resources.

In recent years, I have sounded like a broken record in predicting traffic mayhem in Dublin because we have been on the cusp of mayhem for many years. No one living in the commuter belt would accuse me of exaggerating the problem because while traffic in the city centre is managed relatively well, those living on either side of the M50 are experiencing hell. The city will also experience hell when the dig for the metro commences and the Garda will require significant assistance to manage the problem.

To give an example, in the first month of the works on the M50——

See this speech in context