Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this legislation which will ultimately introduce the Dublin transport authority. Anyone who wants to check the record will find that it is rather unusual for me to support the establishment of an agency. I have in the past voiced my dissatisfaction, here and in other fora, with the notion of the Government transferring responsibility from Departments to agencies, but this is an exception. In this case it is right to establish a transport authority to deal with difficulties that have been identified for some time. Others have stated that it is regrettable that this legislation did not come through more quickly, but lessons have been learned in the intervening years and now is the right time to move ahead and deal with the issue. That is about to happen and I welcome it.

I lived in Dublin for a number of years and I could see the difficulties encountered in traffic management with the emergence of serious congestion, with the journey of five miles from the outskirts of the city to the city centre at peak times taking one and a half to two hours. It was clear something was wrong. The difficulties have been exacerbated as a result of the growth in the economy. We are thankful for that growth, but it has created pressures on our infrastructure.

It has been the experience in other countries, whether in cities or on interurban routes, that regardless of how much extra infrastructure is put in place, it eventually becomes clogged because the growth in population and the use of cars always increases to fill the space available. We need to be more creative in our use of the existing infrastructure. The previous speaker will not be happy to hear my view on this, that we need to encourage people to use our important infrastructure and assets around the clock if possible. I believe in congestion charges and in encouraging people to utilise basic infrastructure at times when it is available. That is something with which the DTA must grapple, although perhaps not immediately. If the growth projections for this city in the next ten to 15 years are right, that is something that might emerge. I am interested to note that the legislation contains a requirement for the DTA to have a medium and a long-term strategy in terms of transport planning. That will be helpful.

There have been difficulties in the city over the years which are probably not as prevalent now as in the past. The roll-out of broadband technologies required road openings and there was a lack of co-ordination between the various agencies involved in putting down fibre-optic lines. A section of road would be opened one week, replaced and re-tarred, and the next week the other side of the road would be opened by some other corporate organisation to put down its fibre-optic link. This clearly demonstrated the need for a joined-up approach, for seamless integration across the city, given the various local authorities, agencies and stakeholders which require access to the roadways for the provision of services underneath the roads or the provision of transport services. A co-ordinated approach is necessary. Somebody needs to take responsibility. It is not possible for local authorities and transport agencies to do that. This legislation is, therefore, welcome. The Bill is comprehensive and seeks to identify potential problems and to address them through the creation of the board and the advisory board.

The way we use cars currently is not sustainable in the long term. In that respect I disagree strongly with the previous speaker. It is not a case of the motorist versus the cyclist. We are all citizens, we are all consumers and we must all get to work. We must all go about our business, whether it taking children to school, travelling to work or travelling for leisure. We need to come together as a community to address the problems. There are people who must use their cars. Clearly there are also people who would not use their cars if there was an alternative. For that reason the remit of the DTA in developing and promoting public transport in the city is vitally important. It is a remit it will carry out adequately, in conjunction with the current providers of the services in question. It is not feasible to continue to utilise cars in the way we currently do, given the expected growth in the population of the city in the next 15 to 20 years. We need to begin planning for that. That is not to suggest we should ban cars from the city immediately. However, we need to consider introducing certain restrictions.

Given the cost of fuel, the impact of the car on the environment and the growth in population, it is important to formulate a strategy now. I am hopeful that the DTA will not ban the use of cars entirely but will restrict their use in a way that encourages people to use public transport services. However, those services must be provided. It is incumbent on the DTA to ensure there is an adequate number of buses to assist people in making that modal shift away from the car in the context of their daily commute. Clearly there will be people for whom this will not work, but it does not have to be a case of destroying the motorist altogether. Most people will still have a requirement for a car at other times of the day. It is the peak periods on which we need movement.

A strategic report is required. There is a need for long-term planning and there is also a need for short-term intervention. If the DTA is to have any credibility in the long term it must be seen to have some early wins. It must involve itself early on and be seen to address the crisis points. In that regard traffic management plans are probably the first area in terms of the utilisation of the existing infrastructure and of ensuring a targeted approach to increasing the level of public transport through providing a greater number of buses. Integration is the key to the future success of the DTA. Traffic management plans must be customer focused and not agency or organisation focused. The biggest challenge for the DTA is to move away from the silo approach, or what consultants refer to as the vertical approach, and towards an effectively horizontal approach so that as one moves from one area to another there is seamless integration of the various organisations, local authorities etc.

It will be difficult to get the agencies to work in a more collaborative way, but that is necessary if the authority is to be successful. The focus must be on the consumers' experience rather than on just how the agency does its business. We need to make public transport much more user friendly and integrated ticketing will help in that regard. More joined-up thinking is necessary in terms of connections between the rail initiatives in Dublin and the provision of feeder buses and link buses. It is necessary also to look at the orbital routes that have been suggested. Few of those exist in the city, as everything seems to be based on a hub and spoke effect. The DTA will have to consider the needs of the consumer rather than the needs of the locations of bus garages. We have to move away from that approach and become much more consumer focused.

There is a need for more buses in Dublin. Deputy Connaughton was the Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transport of which I was a member and various agencies and organisations came before it. The committee had some good debates on the bus service in Dublin. It is important to find the methodology to increase the number of buses. We must also examine how buses get around the city. We have been good at planning quality bus corridors, which come from the outskirts of the city — or in some cases the outlying counties — and make their way to the city centre. However, in the final mile and a half or two miles they get completely blocked up. We encourage people to travel by bus from Naas, Bray or wherever and then it takes an hour and a half to get from, for example, Donnybrook to the city centre. Clearly, people are not happy with that experience and it can make them decide to drive the next time they travel. The DTA needs to finds a methodology that unblocks the city centre to allow buses to move more freely to ensure a better user experience.

Traffic management in the city is critical to the success of the extra use of public transport. We must be prepared to take tough decisions to get that right. For that reason, I believe it will be necessary to consider congestion charges, which have been successfully implemented in other countries. In addition, certain sections of the city may have to become car-free zones. While that may be a difficult task initially, it will promote the usage of public transport. In conjunction with that, we have to be assured that the capacity is available on the public transport network so that when people are asked to take the ultimate step, they can be accommodated.

The fundamental aspect of the Bill is the promotion of the principle of co-operation and collaboration between the various organs of State. That is helpful because we have to move away from the old-fashioned demarcation lines that existed in those companies and agencies and move towards a more horizontal structure. The recently published OECD report, Ireland: Towards an Integrated Public Service, refers to that and to the notion of networked approaches to working. That is a good example, as the DTA will have to provide a networked approach to finding a solution to transport problems in Dublin. I wish it well in that regard.

It is relatively easy for us to talk in this House about building the networks, making the connections between the agencies, breaking down the barriers that exist and getting rid of demarcation lines. That in itself will be difficult, and it is clear that the management of change, especially in any State agency, will be difficult. There are vested interests in all of those organisations who will resist change. No doubt they will not find it easy to move into a more collaborative environment. Nevertheless, we have to move in that direction. I hope the various stakeholders and interests in those organisations — be they union or management — are prepared to take that leap for the greater good, and in the interests of the delivery of a public transport service in Dublin city that is focused on customers rather than just being about the agency continuing to deliver the service it believes is relevant. That is where some of the difficulties may lie. The authority has the powers to carry out the necessary change.

I welcome the mandate and the remit of the authority. The area defined as the greater Dublin area has been extended. That is welcome, given the potential for population increase in the long term in those areas. One needs to begin the process of improving public transport in the outlying areas from which people commute. Local authorities and other bodies will not come together of their own volition in spite of the regional authority structure. The kind of collaboration and co-operation that takes place between local authorities is not in line with the expectation that came with the establishment of regional authorities. I am happy the authority will have a strong mandate to be able to deliver the outcomes that are required.

I welcome also the fact that the DTA will have the power to take over projects itself if it deems it necessary. In some cases there may be resistance or a level of inertia in moving forward and it is important that the authority will have the power to take over and drive those projects. The fact that the authority will be able to give mandatory directions to implementing agencies is also important because an authority without the powers vested in it to make things happen would ultimately become just another toothless organisation.

I welcome especially the aspect of the Bill that deals with the transportation strategy and the land use and planning process. We have to achieve consistency between land use and transport policy. Deputy Connaughton and I are aware of that in terms of the western rail corridor and the difficulties encountered in that regard to re-open the line and to convince people of the long-term future and viability of the project. Much was made of the fact that local authorities had not zoned, or in some cases had zoned in a way that was not helpful, the lands close to the rail line, especially where stations needed to be built. It would have been better for the viability of the rail line if there were higher density residential locations in and around the villages where it was proposed to locate train stations. That is critically important because there is little point having low density areas in proximity to rail lines because then one does not get the advantage or the usage of it. The DTA will have to ensure that local authorities are mindful of that in their local and county development plans and that they will also have to take into account the regional planning guidelines to ensure there is joined-up thinking. It is important for the implementation of the policy that this is set out in the Bill.

We must look also at how the DTA model can be used in other areas around the country. It is too early to suggest how it might be rolled out, but perhaps when the legislation is reviewed at a later stage it might be possible to have regional transport authorities based on what is proposed in the greater Dublin area. That would be helpful, for example, at the confluence of counties Clare and Limerick and Limerick city. There is an ongoing demand from Limerick city to seek a boundary extension into County Clare, something which I obviously reject and have rejected at every opportunity. If Limerick city moved away from the notion of having to claim territory in Clare and moved into an environment where we had a more horizontal approach to service delivery rather than just moving the demarcation lines it would be more helpful. Perhaps the model used here might be used for other non-transport service delivery, including regional housing agencies where there can be difficulties in agreeing policies where cities and counties meet. Perhaps lessons can be learnt from that.

I welcome the amendment accepted in the Seanad to allow local authority members to sit on the board of the authority. The restriction on elected representatives sitting on boards has appeared in a number of Bills in recent years, which is regrettable. Being a member of a local authority should not preclude somebody serving in such a capacity based on his or her knowledge and experience which might be relevant to this matter. I believe the knowledge and experience of a local authority member on this kind of agency would be more than helpful.

In supporting the Bill and wishing it a speedy passage through the Dáil I believe in the development of a single brand for public transport in the city is helpful and useful, and will ultimately drive towards a seamless integration that is customer-focused and there to serve the citizen rather than the agency promoting it.

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