Dáil debates

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed

 

3:00 pm

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

——particularly to support commuters, and increased priority is being given to buses in Dublin and other cities. The critical strategic priorities in Transport 21, such as metro north and the DART interconnector, will go ahead.

The commuting experience will be significantly improved through: the removal of pinch points on quality bus corridors and other bus routes, integrated ticketing using smart card technology and real-time passenger information at bus stops and on mobile phones. Most people who stand at a bus stop experience the frustration of not knowing when the bus will come. Having this information available by mobile phone will make a difference to the attractiveness of public transport.

However, capital investment on its own is not enough. The Government must also encourage significant behavioural change by providing a clear vision of a more sustainable transport future backed up by strong policies. That vision and those policies will be set out in the sustainable travel and transport action plan, which will be published shortly by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, who earlier this morning made announcements about this.

In association with that plan, the Minister will also be developing national cycling and walking strategies to encourage emission-free modes of travel. The plan will set out to create a culture of walking and cycling, in particular, by ensuring that streets in urban areas are managed and designed so that we have safe and pleasant environments for pedestrians and cyclists. Today I can confirm that the Minister and I will be providing a special cycling package for Dublin to the tune of €5 million to include funding for work on the city centre portion of the proposed Sutton to Sandycove cycle route. The Minister for Transport and I will also be providing funding to upgrade and maintain existing cycle routes in Dublin.

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