Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to address this important issue in the House. I certainly do not give the impression that Dublin is the only place in which there is a chronic traffic problem and public transport need. That is not the case. I acknowledge and recognise the needs of Cork which should be addressed. They need to be and will be addressed, funds permitting. My top priority in the next few years is to increase rapidly investment in public transport in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway and other areas, while also increasing public transport services. Budget 2018 provided for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment in public transport, with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion to 2021. It will enable us to enhance the capacity and quality of the public transport network across the cities to ensure that, as far as possible and practical, increased transport demand will be met by greener public transport.

The need for investment in public transport infrastructure and services in Cork city and the manner in which they will be provided in the coming years is being examined as part of a transport strategy being prepared for the Cork metropolitan area. The transport strategy will address all transport modes and its objective will be to provide a long-term strategic planning framework for the integrated development of transport infrastructure and services in the Cork metropolitan area in the next two decades or so. It will be used to inform transport investment levels and investment prioritisation in both the longer and shorter terms. It will be able to inform sustainable integrated land use and transport policy formulation at the strategic CMA level and the local level. The strategy which commenced in mid-2017 is being prepared for the National Transport Authority, in conjunction with Cork City Council and Cork County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. It is expected that a draft transport strategy will be published for public consultation by the end of February. It will include a range of proposed transport interventions across all modes of transport, with complementary measures, including transport demand management, intelligent transport systems and park and ride facilities. The strategy will be finalised in the light of the feedback received.

It is important to note that between 2014 and 2017 over €20 million was allocated to Cork City Council and Cork County Council under the regional cities programme which is managed on behalf of my Department by the NTA. Further funding of €130 million was provided in budget 2018 for the next four years for a sustainable urban transport programme, also to be managed by the NTA, which will build on investment to date to deliver improvements in public and sustainable transport infrastructure in the greater Dublin area and the regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. It includes traffic management, bus priority and other smarter travel projects. It will provide additional sustainable travel options to complement increased capacity and faster higher quality public transport services in the main cities. Funding is also provided for the NTA for accessibility programmes to improve access to public transport in the regional cities. In the case of the Cork City Council area, the investment has been focused on the implementation of the city centre movement strategy and several radially based strategic transport corridors, linking the city centre with the city's suburbs and county environs. In the case of the Cork metropolitan area, the sustainable urban transport programme will continue to be focused on the Douglas area, based on the recommendations of the Douglas land use and transportation study, DLUTS. The principal objectives of the study are to reduce congestion, improve local connectivity by sustainable transport modes and the performance of the many bus services operating through the area, complementing the transport investment made in the city centre and strategic corridors.

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