Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I am already on record in both Houses on a number of occasions with regard to whole idea of mandatory alcohol testing. Anything that promotes better safety and the saving of lives must be welcomed.

In the short time available to me, I wish to focus on a few areas which are different to those on which I normally contribute. We have good inter-urban connectivity and infrastructure, in particular the motorways. Many hauliers would refer to our motorways as the safest in Europe, and we have statistics to back that up. Given this, we should reconsider the 80 km/h limit for trucks. We should consider the possibility of at least having a conversation with the representatives of the industry, given what is happening at European level where some countries have limits of 100 km/h. Road safety should not just be seen as a restriction. If we have a record of making good progress in some areas, we should reward good practice. This issue needs to be considered.

In the context of inter-urban connectivity between the major centres, my key concern is the linkage between Dublin and Derry city and on to the north west. We need only look at traffic congestion and the consequent road rage in the primitive corridor that runs through the north west. I am delighted the Government has a continued commitment to working on that stretch of road, and the particular commitment of the Taoiseach and the Minister are welcome because there are serious road safety issues.

Deputy Eoghan Murphy referred to sharing space. Sometimes on my way home to Donegal through the North, not alone am I met by traffic congestion but the road space must be shared with agricultural vehicles. I suggest to the Minister that if there are fears among the farming community in the North, and I accept this would be a prerogative of the North, we should facilitate the farming community with regard to tunnels and so on where farms could potentially be broken up, and try to find a manageable way to deal with the issue.

With regard to tachograph legislation, we must ensure a degree of consistency and common sense with all legislation and regulations. Tachograph regulation is necessary and the RSA is enforcing regulations on a daily basis. We need to be aware of the increase in the number of non-compliant hauliers. I am not talking about unwashed diesel but about unlicensed, non-compliant hauliers who are exempt from these inspections, which is a safety concern.

With regard to the sea bridge from the Continent, the Minister will be aware there is an issue of interrupted breaks where the time period extends from nine hours to 11.5 hours. For example, if one is coming from London through Holyhead to Dublin with a delivery in Santry, the interrupted break means the driver will have to wait 11.5 hours before even driving to the service station in Lusk. The Minister should have his officials examine this specific issue as it is an anomaly in the system.

Since the introduction of speed cameras, drivers are becoming more aware and more conscious of their own driver behaviour patterns. They are slowing down and fewer people are dying on the roads. The argument against speed cameras is a difficult one. However, perception is sometimes reality and the perception remains for a large proportion of the community that the introduction of speed cameras has a revenue raising aspect in some instances. We must ensure this perception is not the reality governing where cameras are located, for example, outside 30 km/h zones or in areas which are not accident black spots. If possible, although he does not need to employ a consultancy company, the Minister should undertake an internal review of the location of cameras to find whether these are consistent with where they were originally supposed to have been located.

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