John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is as well aware of this issue as anyone else as congestion on the M50 features regularly on radio and news bulletins. Rush hour on the M50 is now 7 a.m., not 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., such are the volumes of traffic. It is not just the M50 but the feeder roads and their interconnectivity which are affected. Last Friday a truck was involved in an accident on the N4 but it resulted in considerable tailbacks on the M50, as far as Ballymun in one direction and Tallaght on the other side. That is an indication of the scale of the problem and the reliability of transport on the M50.

The Minister has previously said that the increase in traffic volumes is as a result of the economy growing and I do not disagree with him on that. The NTA indicated that, in 2016 and 2017, the volume of traffic on the M50 rose by 16%, which is very substantial. By most analyses, the volume of traffic we are experiencing on the M50 today is at a level anticipated by 2023. The challenge is to introduce measures to alleviate the congestion people endure on a daily basis, both on the M50 and on the feeder roads onto and off it, which are all interconnected. It was interesting to see that even a minor issue such as a small breakdown, rather than a fatal or multi-car accident, can bring everything to a standstill.

I am not asking the Minister about the long-term plans he has published for 2040 but about steps we can take in the next year or two to address congestion on the M50 and have some short-term impacts.

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