Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I agree. Many of the Deputy's suggestions will be included in the framework. A number of old railway lines are being actively considered. The Ministers for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs have been active in that regard.

To some extent, the difficulty in terms of left-turning lorries has been addressed in the past 12 months. We passed regulations that require an extra mirror to provide more visibility, which should help to reduce the accident rate. However, the Deputy is correct. If we want to change attitudes and everything else, we must prioritise bicycles and pedestrians instead of cars. This will be a central theme of the document to be published in a few weeks' time.

Interestingly, the Deputy mentioned old national primary roads. We have a significant opportunity to capture some of them for use as good cycling routes. We should narrow them down to one lane of traffic in both directions while using the remainder for cycling lanes.

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