Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the outset I will start by thanking the contributors to the motion. I particularly thank the rural Deputies who spoke. This is not an either-or situation, as many of them pointed out. It is both rural and urban. As the Minister, Deputy Ross, said earlier, there is no magic bullet for congestion but there is a drive and a determination in Government to respond to the issue. While there are differences of opinion across the House, what we have in common is a commitment to a quality public transport system for the greater Dublin region and a willingness to respond to the challenges posed by increasing congestion.

Transport is an area that impacts on all our lives. Therefore it is important to build consensus regarding how we approach the difficulty. The first step in building consensus is to have a shared understanding politically of what the priorities and objectives should be in terms of tackling congestion in Dublin. Today's discussion has been informative in this regard.

From our perspective, there are a few key issues at the heart of this debate . We cannot discuss transport in Dublin without referring to the availability of funding. While there is common ground, we must bring an element of political realism to the debate regarding the resources available from the Exchequer and how the public transport can be financed. We must accept that the Exchequer does not have limitless resources to fund transport projects or indeed any other infrastructure projects. That does not mean that we jump into public private partnership, PPP, arrangements without understanding the true implications for future capital budgets. It means the projects and programmes we select must be the right ones at the right time. PPPs may have a role in delivering additional transport infrastructure, but we have to be strategic about using them to ensure we properly understand their future implications.

In the interests of moving towards a common consensus today, the House should acknowledge that significant investment has already been made in public transport in the greater Dublin region and that the range and quality of the public transport services has undoubtedly benefited from this investment. Funding continues to be allocated to the National Transport Authority, NTA, to promote public transport use and to improve customer experiences through the use of smart technology. Successful initiatives that have been introduced include the Leap card, real time passenger information and journey planning apps. As regards infrastructure, the Minister, Deputy Ross, noted earlier the Luas cross city and the Phoenix Park tunnel are two important projects which will add capacity to the transport system in the greater Dublin region.

A total of €3.6 billion has been allocated in the capital plan for public transport projects. This will enable a number of Dublin-based projects to be completed or to proceed, including Luas cross city and metro north. There is €800 million allocated in the capital plan for bus measures. These include fleet replacement and enlargement programmes for Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, bus network infrastructure development and bus rapid transit programmes in the greater Dublin area. Projects funded under the capital plan will fund additional capacity to help meet existing and future commuter needs.

I fully accept that projects funded under the capital plan will not solve the congestion problem facing Dublin in isolation. However, combined with quick win projects already funded such as the Phoenix Park tunnel, additional bus fleet and infrastructure and small-scale interventions on the M50, we can at least acknowledge that they will go some way in meeting the existing and future levels of transport demand in the region. The delivery of these projects on the ground helps to create momentum and allows the travelling public to see the benefits of the correct types of investment and the correct approach. I echo what the Minister, Deputy Ross, said earlier regarding the need for a step change in the public transport system across the greater Dublin region to tackle congestion and increasing levels of demand. This requires a corresponding change in funding.

Another issue at the heart of the debate is the long-term strategy and vision for public transport in the Dublin region. I mentioned at the start of my speech that to build consensus, we should have a shared understanding of the priorities and objectives for transport in Dublin. I assure the House that there is a long-term vision for transport in the Dublin region. The NTA's transport strategy, which was adopted last year, sets out a clear vision and a statutory basis for transport planning in the region. Given the planning and design requirements as well as the very significant capital investment requirements, it will not be possible to deliver many of the large-scale projects set out in the transport strategy in the short to medium term, notwithstanding the long-term merits of these projects. We must be realistic, therefore, about how we can effectively tackle congestion in the near term.

We must look to the bus network in the short to medium term to deliver the step change in the performance required of our public transport system to cater for growing demand. The bus-centred initiative to be launched by the NTA at the end of this month will seek to transform the bus system in the Dublin region within the overall framework of the long-term transport strategy for the region. The initiative will capitalise on the role of the bus as the cornerstone of the public transport system in the Dublin region. A shared understanding of what is proposed is as important for the public as it is for this House. Like the Minister, I will be urging members of the public to get involved in the consultation process for the proposed transformation of the bus system in Dublin. Fundamentally, the initiative will result in a revamped bus system that will deliver faster journeys, with more certainty of arrival times; deliver a high quality of service which is punctual and reliable; provide an attractive alternative to many existing car users; provide passengers with more journey options; and allow for the transition to use of low emission vehicles.

This is the vision for Dublin that we should be working towards for the short to medium term. The NTA's transport strategy sets out the priorities and objectives for the long term, but an incremental approach is needed to reach our long-term objectives. A transformative programme of investment in the bus system in Dublin provides the best chance to tackle growing congestion now before it significantly impacts on the future economic recovery of the area.

I thank the Deputies in the House for raising this important issue and contributing to our shared understanding of the issues around the Dublin region. It has been a worthwhile debate that has brought a number of important issues to the fore, particularly in relation to the cost of congestion, growing evidence of increasing levels of congestion, funding availability, projects that have already been planned and those that are under way, and the imminent launch of the NTA's bus transformation initiative. I will be following and supporting the roll-out of the bus transformation initiative with interest. There is potential to adopt a similar approach in other cities, especially the regional centres referred to earlier where the growth in travel demand is becoming an increasing problem. We must start in Dublin where the need to address congestion is most acute. The counter-motion is a fair statement of Government's position. We have established a way forward to respond to the congestion issue. It is now time to get on with the task in hand.

Before I commend the counter-motion to the House I would like to say that many of the problems we are facing in terms of congestion are direct results of the economic recovery in the State, which is leading to problems. As commuters, I and other Deputies coming from rural constituencies have experienced these problems. None of us is saying the issues in Dublin do not need to be addressed. What I am saying is along the lines of what Deputies McGrath and Healy-Rae have said, that this is not an either-or situation. We have to take a whole-island approach to this. While Dublin is the capital city, it is no less or more important than any of the other centres throughout the country.

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