Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I should not respond to such comments. I accept the chastisement. We all accept that there has been woeful sub-optimisation in physical and transport planning. The proposal to establish a Dublin transport authority to take the lead role in bringing the two sides of planning together represents a major step forward.

I am pleased that the authority will have the power to regulate transport fares and ensure that integrated ticketing, fares and information systems are delivered. Over a decade has passed since I spoke at an Oireachtas committee meeting about the need for integrated ticketing. I cannot understand why we do not have integrated ticketing. This is a good example of a turf war. There is no logic to the current situation. We have been far too tolerant of misbehaviour and sub-optimal management in the CIE group on this issue. It is amazing that one can go to Paris, buy a carnet of ten tickets and use them at any stage. The Parisian authorities look at it in a progressive way. They are happy to get one's cash upfront. One can use one's carnet at any stage in the future. It completely eludes me why a public transport agency like the CIE group has been unable to introduce a similar system over the years. I hope the authority will make progress with this issue quickly. I accept the point that this system needs to apply to the Luas network and the private operators as well the CIE group. It has to be introduced. If we are to get people to leave their cars at home, particularly when they are taking short journeys, we have to give them a chance to use the maximum number of public transport facilities. The best way to do that is to have a simple integrated ticketing system.

One of the responsibilities of the Dublin transport authority will be strategic traffic management planning, which is sub-optimal at present. I have to drive through the territories of three local authorities to get to this House. It is bizarre that different rules apply to bus lanes, to take a simple example, in the three areas. I do not understand why the bus lanes in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council area are closed to cars 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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