Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important debate. The Minister for Transport made a very poor statement and I would give it a D or maybe an E if I was marking his report. Undoubtedly, the public will give him a no-grade when he goes to the polls. Transport is a key part of our society in terms of how we live and work. A measure of its importance is how well the spatial strategy works. The big picture should be proper reform of how we control growth and improve underdeveloped areas but the Minister's statement did not address these issues.

He spoke at some length on road deaths and I welcome the additional funds for the Road Safety Authority, the independence and commitment of which I acknowledge. However, European statistics on road deaths reveal that the reduction in deaths in Ireland since 2000 has been 10%, whereas countries such as France, Luxembourg and Portugal have decreased road deaths by in excess of 40%. Further progress has been made in Ireland over the past several years but we are not reducing the death rate sufficiently compared to elsewhere. Since 2000, the number of additional cars in Ireland has increased by approximately 99% but the corresponding increase in Portugal is in the region of 168%. Portugal has progressed further than us in terms of saving lives.

The Minister has failed to reduce the alcohol limit for drivers. The initial proposal by the Road Safety Authority was a reduction to 50 mg per 100 ml blood alcohol but that no longer appears in the road safety strategy and will not be the Government's target until after the next local election. The Government is procrastinating on introducing the necessary changes. Public opinion is more advanced than the Government on this issue and this House would support an immediate reduction to 50 mg.

Many of us like to park outside Leinster House and we cannot all be like the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Sargent, in terms of bringing our bicycles on the train, . However, we should travel here by public transport and, in order to provide a good example, we could set a target date, such as 2009, beyond which we no longer park outside Leinster House. We must travel to work by public transport if at all possible. I challenge the Green Party Ministers to set such a target.

The issue of park and ride is relevant to the capacity of Dublin to take increasing volumes of traffic. The city cannot accept the current unacceptable volumes of traffic for much longer. When I visited San Francisco some years ago, I investigated that city's traffic planning and its public transport system, which is more developed than ours. Planning permission is not given in cases where parking is provided and the policies of the city authorities are public transport orientated. At some point, Ireland must adopt a similar approach.

The planning and spatial strategies in our cities are wrong, with fewer people now choosing to live in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and other towns and cities and an increasing number moving to the outskirts of urban centres. A fundamental reassessment of public transport options in our cities and towns is required. Access to the main street of my home town of Drogheda is now restricted to pedestrian traffic and public transport vehicles only. This is a major change for residents of the town.

We must take a lead by making radical changes in our lifestyles, consumption of scarce resources and carbon footprints. No such changes are evident in the budget. While the Fine Gael Party welcomes the steps taken by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, in the area of vehicle registration taxation, the 9% increase in road tax for smaller cars does not encourage the use of less polluting transport. While the increase in road tax is greater for larger cars, the changes do not discriminate sufficiently in favour of smaller vehicles.

The Government lacks credibility. Its spatial strategy has failed, it has still not reduced the legal alcohol limit for drivers and it has failed to tackle the problem whereby 100,000 people from outside the State who have committed road traffic offences cannot be given penalty points. Those who regularly use the M1 constantly see drivers from the North travelling at incredible speeds with impunity.

A recent report showed that the number of people travelling by bus has declined in recent years. Bus travel must be made more attractive by increasing the number of quality bus corridors. We need many more public transport initiatives. Despite having Green Party Ministers at the Cabinet table, €55 million allocated for public transport initiatives one year ago has been returned to the Exchequer. The Government has failed to meet its own targets. A sum of €55 million would cover the cost of providing 196 new buses.

It sounds fantastic when the Minister informs us in his Budget Statement that he has allocated millions of euro in additional funding to various Departments. However, Ministers are failing to deliver on promises because some of these allocations are not fully spent. A good Government would not allow €55 million allocated for public transport initiatives to be returned to the Exchequer.

Part of the problem with public transport in the capital is that Dublin Bus has a virtual monopoly. While some private operators offer services, we need more new routes opened up to competition to allow residents of the new urban areas growing on the outskirts of Dublin to get in and out of the city. Greater competition is needed on transport routes, particularly new routes. Competition will foster greater efficiency in Dublin Bus and encourage private operators to enter the market. In addition, consumers will have better choice and more transport options. Giving buses priority at traffic intersections is a key factor in encouraging people to use buses and improving their efficiency.

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