Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)

I thank my colleague, Deputy Olivia Mitchell, for sharing her time and I support this motion. No one wishes to be negative regarding the country's growth and everyone is proud of the new roads and dual carriageways that have been opened. I was on such a road in County Westmeath last week and it was great to see it.

Given the introduction of Operation Freeflow for the Christmas period, I did not anticipate the number of telephone calls I have received from my constituents. This was also the case for Government Members as everyone received calls regarding commuters who were caught in traffic for three or four hours for the past two weeks, when the problems were meant to have eased.

Members recently had a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, on road safety. I recall making the point that there is no co-operation whatsoever between the different bodies in Dublin or in the country. I visited the Minister of State's native County Donegal two weeks ago with Senator McHugh and the position there does not differ from that in County Meath or in Dublin. While the problem may be on a smaller scale, there are times of the day when one experiences massive chaos outside schools or whatever. In counties Donegal and Meath, as well as in Dublin, one experiences chaos outside schools and when entering or leaving towns.

Someone must take the bull by the horns and admit that while Ireland is a great country and while roads are being built, it is not working. Until a collective decision is taken by all the bodies involved in transport, there is no point in blaming the present Government and then facing the same issues when Fine Gael is in Government.

Last week, I met hauliers' representatives who informed me they are about to go out of business because of the gridlock in Ireland, as well as the foreign hauliers who come and put them out of business. This will be the case until Dublin becomes a city like others, in which one begins to create jobs outside the major urban centres. Not everyone should be obliged to go through the same gap every day like sheep. This point annoys me when travelling to the Dáil on a daily basis. In the morning, two free traffic lanes come out of the city without anyone on them. Moreover, everyone sits in one lane, while an empty traffic lane lies to one's left. It would be a simple matter to notify commuters better that one can travel on some bus lanes at certain times; they should be opened to traffic more frequently.

As for the M50 and tolls, the day has come when the barriers must be lifted. If the authorities wish to continue collecting their money, people who do not throw in their toll money can be fined. However, the barriers should be lifted and this has proved possible in other countries. The registration numbers of those who try to break the barrier can be picked up, they can be fined and traffic can flow freely.

My colleague's comments that jobs are suffering were true and thousands of hours are lost due to traffic chaos. This happens not only in Dublin, but in every town in Ireland. For example, the town of Navan is a nightmare. Those in business suffer as people refuse to enter such towns because they are unable to leave them. With regard to co-operation between the different bodies, I believe the Minister of State commented that people find it hard to agree. Someone strong must make the decision as to what must be done in respect of transport. Everyone must pull their weight and individuals must consider what is best for the people, rather than for their particular organisation because people are at breaking point.

Members of all parties will agree that the telephone calls last week were raw and abusive, and rightly so. People were stuck in traffic for three and a half hours on the M50. They could not get off the motorway and were unable to get to work, simply due to an incident involving a single car. Having met representatives of the National Roads Authority, NRA, I am confident we have the money and people to increase the number of possible projects. The NRA has stated it has the capacity to carry out more projects if it received funding. Members must anticipate the position in 2020 and must accept there will be an additional 1.5 million people. As Irish people love to have their own cars and do not wish to be confined to buses, there will be an additional 600,000 or 700,000 cars.

We must have the will and foresight to spend the money and broaden our infrastructure as otherwise this issue will destroy the country. I recognise the top-class work that has been done. As I noted last week, the Tyrrellspass project was one year ahead of schedule and everyone there, regardless of their party affiliations, was proud of it. Hopefully, Fine Gael will be in power next year as someone must state that while the money spent heretofore has been spent well, the manner in which we conduct our business is not good enough.

Every bus lane must be full in the morning. People have asked me why there are not three inbound lanes and one outbound in the morning. This could be changed in the evening to have three outbound lanes and one inbound lane. At present, commuters are like sheep who all go through the same gap in the morning and evening. It can take two and half to three hours to return home in the evening. I live 40 miles away and can leave my house at 7.45 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. It then takes until 10.30 a.m. to get to Leinster House. However, I could leave my house one hour later and would still arrive by 10.30 a.m. Something is wrong in this regard.

I wish to raise an issue pertaining to transport safety that concerns Leinster House and someone should pick up on it. Leaving Leinster House from the back gate to try to get out on to the road is a serious problem. One has no vision, cyclists pass by and there will be an accident. While I do not know who will pick up this issue, it is serious. Perhaps the Minister of State will ask someone to examine this matter, which has been raised by many people.

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