Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Road transport is an important part of the communications system. The proposal to merge the NRA and RPA is a good idea. I hope it will bring about an integrated thinking. In order to ensure that the best possible, most efficient and cost-effective service is delivered to the public, it is essential that people are thinking in the same direction - like travelling in the same direction, the thinking has to be in the same direction - and, hopefully, at the same time.

While I agree with commentators who state regularly that we need industrial development throughout the country spreading the economic progress, in order to do so we need the basic transport infrastructure, whether it be road and-or rail, but they need also to be complementary to each other. There are countless instances where that can take place in the future, particularly under the aegis of this new proposal. I refer to the road transport needs in particular of the mid-west and the north west. Cognisance should be taken of their requirements in this industrial era with a view to ensuring that people are in a position to get to and from employment over relatively longer distances than normal because of the difficulty of spreading industry evenly throughout the regions. I hope that can be done.

The particular issue I want to raise in this context is the need to regularly upgrade our thinking in terms of the capacity of existing roads to deal with current traffic volumes. The M50 is a case in point. Like most Members of the House, I regularly use the M50 and it strikes me that the road is full to capacity. Quite a number of minor traffic accidents occur because the traffic is so tightly packed on that motorway at peak times. In fact, there have been some more serious accidents also. The Minister of State will recall that I have tabled questions about this matter previously. Particular attention should be drawn to the fact that some roads have reached their maximum capacity, given the increasing traffic volumes. How can we deal with this problem in advance? We seem to have difficulties in anticipating future requirements and only seem capable of a panicky response. Can some thinking be generated in that area to find out if there are alternatives, including investing in increased road capacity? These matters should be considered urgently.

My colleague, Deputy Stanton, said that local authorities were more accessible than national bodies, which they are. Recent road planning appears determined to prevent vehicles from entering towns and villages. Shoppers and business people are thus forced to go to major retail centres run by multinational chain stores. That takes business away from towns and villages, and people complain about the lack of footfall brought about by making it so difficult for people to trade locally. I ask the Minister of State to encourage those who are planning road improvements to bear in mind the business requirements of such areas. One should not always channel traffic away from town centres because it has a negative economic impact.

A co-ordinated and integrated approach is required in planning for road and rail services, as well as maritime and air transport. It is not beyond the realm of possibility, nor is it rocket science, so we should be able to do that. Other countries did so many years ago. In light of the proposed merger, an opportunity should be seized to have a fully integrated transport system incorporating road, rail, air and sea travel in one fell swoop.

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