Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I thank all Members who participated in this debate. It is an important issue and it is clear from the emotive nature of the contributions by Members on all sides of the House that transport is a burning issue across the greater Dublin area. It is the one issue that affects more people than any other because traffic congestion and inadequate transport services affect the lives of most people living in the greater Dublin area on a daily basis. Whether it is getting to and from work, going shopping or visiting family, travelling from A to B is becoming an increasingly difficult task.

The complete absence of any co-ordinated Government strategy on land use and transport has resulted in housing development being entirely developer-led. More and more families have been forced out to the towns and villages of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and further afield in order to find affordable housing. However, in many cases they discover there are no transport or inadequate transport services available. Therefore, more people are being forced to commute by car over longer distances on increasingly gridlocked roads.

People are paying dearly for the Government's failure in transport. They are paying through their pockets with ever escalating commuting costs. More importantly, because of the Government's failure, people are paying high personal costs in terms of longer working days, lost family time, lost leisure time, higher stress levels and undoubtedly a poorer quality of life. The business community estimates that congestion is costing the economy some €2 billion annually and business interests have said that it is getting to the point where it is impossible to do business properly within the Dublin area.

In recent weeks we witnessed the catastrophic consequences of relatively minor traffic incidents, namely, the roadworks on the N11 referred to by Deputy McManus, and a single overturned car on the M50. Each of these incidents brought traffic across Dublin to a standstill. This kind of disruption is going to become increasingly common unless action is taken in the short-term.

The response of the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues has been to announce the grand plan, Transport 21. The vast bulk of the €34 billion allocated is being spent on road projects, even though we know roads are not the solution to transport in the greater Dublin area. The balance of the money is predominantly for rail projects. We do not argue with the Minister on the latter as there is a need for all those projects. However, we are long past time for starting an underground metro system that has been talked about for 20 or 30 years. It is time work started on such projects.

We support the extension of Luas. We support the additional rail capacity that is planned. We recognise that those decisions have finally been taken. They should have been taken eight or nine years ago. However, we recognise, just as the Minister should, that in terms of bringing relief across the greater Dublin area we will not see return on those decisions for many years, even if they are brought to fruition. The Minister will forgive us for being sceptical. One need only look at what happened to Platform for Change. This was another grand plan and great promises were made, but it was not delivered.

Even if the Transport 21 proposals are delivered on time, we will not see any relief for the next five to ten years. We will continue to have an emergency for five, six or seven years unless action is taken. The difficulty arises from the fact that the Minister does not seem to appreciate the need for immediate emergency action. What is happening on a daily basis in the greater Dublin area cannot be allowed to continue and the Minister must do something about it.

In proposing the motion before the House, the Labour Party outlines very clear steps that could be taken to bring forward immediate bus-based solutions. It can be done. The Labour Party has produced a plan and calls on the Minister to take it on board. It is a plan for more buses, faster buses and cheaper fares. That is the only sustainable solution to Dublin's gridlock problems for the next five, seven or eight years.

I urge the Minister to take action and I commend the motion to the House.

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