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

Absolutely. Last Friday saw the launch of the Government’s Project Ireland 2040, which included investment priorities for public transport over the next ten years under the national development plan. Project Ireland 2040 reinforces the Government’s commitment to tackling congestion in Dublin and all our cities, and to improving public transport services for all.

There has been criticism in the House of the Luas cross city project and the traffic issues around the College Green area. The Minister, Deputy Ross, outlined the range of measures that have been put in place to accommodate the operation of the new Luas line. The 2015 Dublin city transport study sets out measures for Dublin’s city centre to ensure the efficient functioning of transport in the city centre. The National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council are working closely with Dublin Bus, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and other key stakeholders to implement measures progressively to keep the city centre moving.

As the Minister stated, the decision on the College Green plaza proposals, inclusive of the associated traffic arrangements, is the subject of an independent process and we must await the outcome of the process. However, in the interim, the NTA, in collaboration with Dublin Bus, Dublin City Council and other key stakeholders, has proceeded to reduce bus vehicle volumes passing through the area, which allow the junctions and signals to function more effectively. Further changes have been announced today, and all of the parties continue to keep the situation under review. Changes were needed throughout the city centre to accommodate the operation of the new Luas line. Changes have been made and, if necessary, further changes will be introduced.

The Government’s national development plan launched last week includes five-year multi-annual capital envelopes for the period 2018 to 2022 for all Departments. The five-year capital envelope for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is almost €10 billion. Investment in public transport will be accelerated under the national development plan to support the development of an integrated and sustainable national public transport system in the Dublin region and across the country as a whole.

It will be a priority to reverse escalating congestion problems to secure a significant improvement in public transport services. As the Minister outlined, the BusConnects programme will be delivered across Dublin. This will include enhanced integrated ticketing systems, bus corridors, additional capacity, new bus stops and bus shelters. BusConnects can deliver network-wide benefits across the Dublin region quickly and is the appropriate scale of approach for the level of congestion we face.

There will also be investment in priority elements of the DART expansion programme, including investment in a new train fleet, new infrastructure and the electrification of existing lines. This will enable additional passenger services to be put in place much earlier using existing infrastructure with some enhancements. Over the period of the national development plan, metro link will also be developed, which will deliver a full north-south high-capacity, high-frequency, integrated rail corridor through the central spine of the metropolitan area. These major new public transport projects will provide interchange between bus and rail services, offering a more integrated public transport network across the capital.

There is also a commitment for investment in an extensive park-and-ride programme, with strategic park-and-ride facilities at rail, Luas and bus locations and continued investment in sustainable transport projects. These will include traffic management and other smarter travel projects along with new urban and cycling routes in Dublin to allow transport infrastructure to function more effectively and relieve congestion. As Deputy Rock pointed out, this is as a result of the growing economy. The Government recognises there is increasing traffic congestion across the Dublin region. The short, medium and long-term public transport investment priorities identified in Project Ireland 2040 will address congestion in the city and capacity constraints on the existing public transport network. The new national planning framework and the national development plan will deliver an efficient, integrated and sustainable public transport system across Dublin.

The public transport priorities in these two overarching policy documents include a range of measures across bus, rail, cycling, walking and traffic management that will provide viable alternatives to private car use in the city, which is what everybody desires. I, therefore, commend the counter-motion to the House and urge Members to give their support.

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