Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

Tá áthas orm labhairt i bhfabhar an Bhille seo. Measaim gur Bille an-tábhachtach é. Is as oirthear Contae na Mí mé. Tá a lán fadhbanna againn ansin, atá luaite cheana. Tá fadhbanna againn maidir le hiompair poiblí, mar shampla. Tá a lán rudaí ag tarlú sa Dáilcheantar. Ritheann traein ó Dhroichead Átha go Baile Átha Cliath. Stopann an traein ag Port na hInse agus Baile Mhic Gormáin. Tá traein againn ach ní freastalaíonn sé ar go leor daoine, measaim.

Bhí spéis agam sa mhéid a dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh nuair a bhí sé ag gearán faoin bpríobháidiú. Tá seirbhís bus príobháideach againn in oirthear na Mí. Tá an tseirbhís an-mhaith agus tá a lán daoine ag úsáid na seirbhíse. Tá sé níos saoire ná an tseirbhís phoiblí atá againn. Tá i bhfad níos mó seirbhísí ann do daoine. Is féidir le daoine an bus a fháil ar an uair gach uair agus ar an leathuair sna hamanna gnóthacha.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an cinneadh a rinneadh Contae na Mí a bheith páirteach sa Dublin transport authority. Measaim go bhfuil sé an-tábhachtach agus loighciúil. Measaim gur féidir argóint a dhéanamh Droichead Átha a chur san áireamh mar chuid den Dublin transport authority, nó údarás iompair Átha Cliath, ach tá argóintí in aghaidh sin freisin. Tá Droichead Átha mar chuid den Border region agus tá a lán buntáistí ag baint le sin freisin. Caithfimid é sin a chur in iúl anseo. Tá forálacha sa Bhille a riaraíonn gur féidir le seirbhísí áirithe a stopann nó a thosnaíonn taobh amuigh den cheantar seo bheith páirteach sa greater Dublin transport area.

I welcome this necessary Bill. While my constituency has some fantastic public transport and some fantastic privately-operated public transport, it does not work together. At present, the licensing system is extremely ad hoc and does not provide an integrated transport system in any shape or form. For instance, buses are obliged to start at particular locations simply to be at some remove from a Bus Éireann service. The inability to provide bus stops is making life difficult for large numbers of people who wish to use particular services.

I welcome the inclusion of County Meath within this authority's area of responsibility. County Meath has the rail line from Drogheda, much of which lies within County Meath and is in my constituency. Moreover, the rail line from Navan and Dunboyne is well on the way. While bus services exist, as noted earlier they are not integrated, no system of bus stops is in place and ticketing is not integrated. Some of the private companies that operate in my constituency are forward-thinking in respect of integrated ticketing and want it to work. While they have been working with the Department, it will not happen in the short term.

Nevertheless, it constitutes a highly important part of this Bill. For instance, although I can get a bus from where I live to Laytown train station, it is not possible to buy a ticket to Dublin. One first must buy a ticket to Laytown and subsequently purchase a ticket from Laytown to Dublin. However, I use the train on a regular basis, including today. In general, a good service is provided by both train and bus service operators and I am happy to use them. It is a great way to meet my constituents, a large percentage of whom use public transport. In the east Meath towns of Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington and Stamullen, as many as 75% of those who live there commute to work in Dublin on a daily basis. This is a massive figure and issues pertaining to public transport are extremely important in my constituency and always have been extremely important to me. I used the services for years when I worked in Dublin. However, as a Deputy for the constituency, it is important that I continue to use them to see at first hand both the benefits of the services and the difficulties caused to people when the services do not work as well as they might or when service provision has been insufficient for the existing demand.

An issue that Iarnród Éireann continually tells me it cannot deal with or can only be dealt with over a long time concerns the price of tickets and the fares scheme. Opposition Members have mentioned it is a great deal more expensive to travel to Dublin from Drogheda, Laytown or Gormanston than it is from Balbriggan and other stations that are closer to the city centre. It is an expensive business. According to the train ticket I used today, it costs €16.40 for a return ticket from Drogheda to Dublin. Were one to travel from Balbriggan to Dublin, the price would be approximately €6 or €7, or possibly less. This is a particular bugbear of mine that I have impressed on Ministers and on Iarnród Éireann. I will continue to so do because I am unhappy with some of the answers I have received on the issue, particularly from Iarnród Éireann. Its argument is that there is a better service from Drogheda, namely, the Enterprise express service. While that is true in respect of Drogheda, as the service does not operate in either Laytown or Gormanston, this argument does not stand up. As in other countries, there might be an argument to charge a higher price for the Enterprise service, were prices to be reduced substantially on the other services.

This issue must be dealt with and can be dealt with under this Bill. The authority can develop a fare scheme for public transport in the greater Dublin area. This would include services to Drogheda, which can be made part of the greater Dublin area for those services. The town itself could be incorporated into the area, if the Minister so decided. The services certainly will be part of it and will be under the authority's control as it would be completely illogical otherwise. This matter must be dealt with because it affects people's daily lives and adds a huge cost to them. If one performs the mathematics, it probably is cheaper to drive to Dublin if one can and if one has access to parking facilities, than it is to take the train from stations in my constituency such as Drogheda, Laytown or Gormanston.

While people consider Gormanston to be a very small place, it is the main train station for what is now the large town of Stamullen. A particular bugbear in Stamullen is that although a fantastic new car parking facility was provided in Gormanston, Iarnród Éireann decided to charge for it. I have no difficulty with this as the charge is quite reasonable. However, the cost of a ticket to travel from Gormanston to Dublin is much higher than an equivalent ticket to travel from Balbriggan, which is only two or three miles away. Consequently, there could be a difference of €10 on a day return ticket. I do not have the figures to hand for monthly or weekly tickets. However, this constitutes a real disincentive to use the services and the fantastic new car park in Gormanston. I noted this morning, as I passed by Gormanston on the train, that its car park was half empty. A large number of my constituents from Stamullen take the train from Balbriggan and I saw many of them getting on the train there. If the authority has such a power, it should use it for the benefit of people and for a more logical fare structure. This step is necessary.

I refer to the issue of bus stops and access to railway stations in east Meath. For the last two years, a private company has been providing a service that was not provided previously by Bus Éireann. It is a fantastic service, which runs every hour on the hour into Dublin from where I live and all around Donacarney, Bettystown, Laytown and Julianstown. However, no bus stops exist and I receive regular calls to both my constituency and Dáil offices about buses stopping outside people's houses. While the buses are licensed and are entitled to stop, the lack of infrastructure for them to pull in or to allow bus stops to be erected with information pertaining to timetables etc. constitutes a disadvantage and causes problems. I look forward to the authority taking action in this regard when this Bill is passed by this House. As it already has been passed by the Seanad, hopefully it will be passed rapidly by this House. Thereafter, the authority can get going and the Dublin Transportation Office can be merged into the authority, as is provided for in the Bill.

I wish to raise an issue in respect of planning and development because east Meath often is held up as a bad example. However, it is not as bad as the media and Members opposite would have one believe. A great community exists in east Meath. There are difficulties that we wish to overcome, including those I mentioned relating to schools. A provision in section 86 of the Bill states that each planning authority within the greater Dublin area, GDA, including Meath County Council in my constituency, shall ensure that its local area plans are consistent with the transport strategy of the Dublin transport authority, DTA. If the Minister were so minded, I would be keen to see this provision strengthened.

A local area plan that is not consistent with the transport strategy of the DTA should not exist because the consequences of not complying with transport strategies that are for the good of the public may last a long time and may cost the Government and local authorities a great deal to rectify later. This is a great and welcome provision but I hope it is sufficiently strong. Local authorities, councillors and colleagues enact local area plans and development plans. Why are development plans not mentioned here? Perhaps they are mentioned in another section. I presume this matter is covered. When local area plans are enacted they should take account of transport issues, rather than go for the easy option. If public transport is not available in a particular place, councillors should think very carefully about zoning land for various purposes. Local area plans should include incentives. For example, a council could decide to zone land for residential purposes subject to land being set aside for the DTA for a train station, bus interchange etc. There are imaginative proposals councillors can make to ensure that they are consistent with transport strategy and that they play their parts in maximising the potential of an area.

Integrated ticketing is a big issue, and the public wants, expects and looks forward to that. It would be fantastic if one could buy a single ticket to take the bus from Grangerath, where I live, to Dublin, then take a train and perhaps get the Luas to Dundrum or Sandyford. That is necessary and should be one of the first priorities of the DTA.

There are some interesting provisions in the legislation relating to authorities implementing traffic management plans. Under the legislation, authorities in the GDA are required to prepare and adopt a strategic management plan for traffic every six years. The aim is to ensure the best movement of persons, goods, services and vehicles. This is good and in the Bill the DTA is given certain powers relating to local authorities. It may direct local authorities and road authorities to acquire land, prepare designs for specified works, undertake specified works, undertake traffic management schemes and apply the proceeds of parking or traffic management revenues for specified traffic management or transport related purposes. This is a good thing because often local authorities apply parking charges, which is good, but the money goes into the general fund. The Bill aims to see such funds used for public transport or traffic management purposes. Perhaps we will approach the DTA to issue directions if we want road authorities to deal with traffic. Sometimes it is difficult to get local authorities and road authorities to do things that we see as logical, cost-effective and inexpensive.

I have a copy of the Bill as passed in the Seanad on Committee Stage but I understand the Seanad has since removed the provision barring councillors and members of local authorities from being members of the Dublin transport authority. This is a welcome step and I am sure Senators will be delighted and will let their electorate know of this development. Local councillors and public representatives generally are at the coalface regarding public transport and the zoning of land so their involvement is welcome. I hope that when appointments are made to the authority, councillors are considered, especially those who displayed a particular interest in these issues.

The councils involved include Dublin City Council and those for Fingal, Dún Laghaoire-Rathdown, South County Dublin, Meath and Wicklow so a large area is covered. The DTA will have overall responsibility for all surface transport and will have a hugely significant role. There will be a shake-up when this body comes into being.

I have been involved with a few other Deputies on this issue, including a number from my party. The Dublin Transportation Office has conducted high level studies relating to a 20-year period and I understand from the legislation that the Dublin transport authority will have to create a strategic transport plan covering a 12-year to 20-year period, which is to be welcomed. The DTO has consulted TDs on this and trying to see how the city and region will develop over that period is very interesting. It is a difficult task because in my constituency land was zoned when it might have been better if it had not been. Nobody expected the amount of building that has happened and it would have been difficult to plan for. Some of the problems we have were preventable but nobody could have foreseen the huge growth that has taken place. Putting in place a transport plan that covers such a long period is a difficult task for the authority but it is necessary; we must not look back and regret planning for the future.

The authority will allocate capital and current funding for public transport and traffic management. It is good that this is being done in a holistic way that deals with all the facets of public transport in the Dublin region.

I pay tribute to the providers of public and private transport in my constituency. Bus Éireann and its staff provide a fantastic service and its staff are always helpful. Irish Rail provides a good service within the infrastructural constraints it faces and its staff are very helpful. The infrastructure has improved significantly over the years. Private operators in my area also provide a very good service and people are happy to use them. Flexibus, part of the Meath accessible transport project, provides a fantastic service in areas which other operators cannot go into. It operates services from small villages such as Stamullen, Bellewstown, Rathfeigh and Ardcath. It also operates services to the hospital and various clinics. At my request Flexibus began a service between the village of Stamullen and Gormanstown train station, which is reasonably well used, though it could be better used. This is something constituents requested during the election campaign and I was delighted that Flexibus went ahead with the service because it showed a knowledge of the newer areas of my constituency. Deputy Michael Kennedy referred to the Nipper services between housing estates and train stations and they are important. Flexibus has provided such a service in one part of my constituency and hopefully the authority will develop this idea when the legislation is enacted. We want superior transport and more of it to make the area better.

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