Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

Tá mé lán sásta labhairt ar an ábhar seo. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this report on Transport 21. Never before in the history of this State have we had such an ambitious programme for transportation. Spending €34 billion over a ten year period is significant and it will revolutionise transportation modes for every citizen in this country. Most reasonable people acknowledge the significant progress that we have made in road construction. When travelling around the country, it is a pleasure to use bypasses instead of getting stuck in different towns and villages. In my own constituency, the M1 motorway, the N2 and the port tunnel, which I use coming into town from Swords everyday, are marvellous roads. I would personally love to see greater car usage of the port tunnel and I will suggest to the Minister that the charge be reduced to allow a greater use. It will stop congestion in other areas and will significantly reduce CO2.

I had the pleasure two weeks ago of attending the SDLP conference in Armagh. It was great to listen to people up there telling us that the M1 motorway was a fantastic road. When I drove north of the Border I was on a single carriageway. Everybody should recognise these improvements.

For those on the other side of the House who are not good at maths, I will try to break down the €34 billion into simple language.

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