Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Various Members have referred to their own constituencies to give examples in the context of the speeding issue and I would like to concentrate on the Minister's constituency rather than my own because we both know it well. According to the Minister's public relations and the media, he occasionally takes the 44 bus home to Enniskerry. Let us take an imaginary journey on that route through Dublin Bay South to the border at the Dodder River. I refer to the estates on both sides as we progress. Whitebeam Road, a residential estate, is on the left. Most people drive through it at 20 mph because there are ramps throughout, which slow motorists down to that speed. St. Columbanus Road is on the right and it has tank traps for ramps. They probably reduce speeds to 20 km/h. At this stage, after Farrenboley estate, one is almost in the country. I grew up in Frankfort Park and everyone played on the street. The street was dominated by children and not by cars in the 1960s and 1970s. I know exactly how these streets worked before the car became dominant and how they could work again. I ask the Minister to think of Highfield, Sweetmount and the streets around them. No one will suggest that Barton Road East should have a 20 km/h speed limit. Should it be 30 km/h or 50 km/h?

Does the Minister agree that the Ludford and Ailesbury estates, and every estate one passes between here and Enniskerry, are suited to being 20 km/h home zones? Does he think that is an appropriate speed for everyone of the estates I have mentioned? Can the Minister nod if I am right?

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