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

The first issue in the Minister's response was traffic control measures in 2020. He said a team was engaged on this but we would like to see the detail of this because 2020 is not that far away. He also said the M50 needs to be allowed to function for its primary intended purpose as a national road which caters for predominantly non-local trips of high economic value.

We have missed that boat in the sense that Dublin has grown beyond the M50, significantly so. If that is the objective the Minister has in mind, an outer ring road needs to be developed because the M50 has become an integral part of city life in Dublin and can no longer serve that objective. As long as that remains the objective, we will have congestion on the M50 and the roads that connect to it. I urge the Minister to give consideration to the development of an outer ring road.

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