Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will leave time for the Minister to answer my questions. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted travel patterns across the world in a profound way. In a variety of ways, transport will never be the same again. The 2 km and 5 km restrictions coupled with economic shutdown and the requirement to socially distance have pushed us to walk and cycle more. We need to do all we can to retain as much as possible of the resultant mental and physical health benefits of this increased activity, the cleaner air and the lower greenhouse gas emissions. We also need to do what we can to ensure people do not return to traffic gridlock and see more of their precious time slip away while waiting in a car.

It is crucial that we do all we can to ease the pressure on our public transport services, where social distancing will be required for some time to come. I disagree with the Minister's statement that capacity is significantly ahead of demand on public transport. I am unsure of his sources for that inaccurate claim. I have received reports of buses on which social distancing is required passing people waiting at bus stops because more passengers could not be safely accommodated.

I am asking the Minister to take quick, cheap and easy measures to encourage and support walking and cycling.

It is not just because these are good things to do but because we have to do them if we are to beat Covid-19. It is indeed a strange situation for me to recommend that the Minister follows measures adopted by the UK in response to the pandemic. On Saturday last, the UK Secretary of State for Transport issued detailed guidance to local authorities on what they could and should do in reallocating road space for pedestrians and cyclists. He stated:

Active travel is affordable, delivers significant health benefits, has been shown to improve wellbeing, mitigates congestion, improves air quality and has no carbon emissions at the point of use. Towns and cities based around active travel will have happier and healthier citizens as well as [long] lasting local economic benefits. The UK Government, therefore, expects local authorities to make significant change to their road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians.

I note and welcome the measures the Minister has cited that the NTA is taking. They are limited measures and every local authority should be asked directly by the Minister to reallocate road space for walkers and cyclists. They should also be asked to assess spaces around the entrances to schools and, indeed, the routes to schools. Where possible, space should be reallocated so that, come September, when we hope our children will return to school, that will be a safer and healthier place and better facilitate social distancing, walking and cycling. Bus stops in the areas immediate to businesses also need to be considered, as we will soon be increasingly familiar with queues outside every business and service. This could be especially useful for cafés and restaurants and indeed the tourism sector.

The Minister also mentioned the issue of increased road deaths. Will he consider using his own power to reduce speed limits by ministerial order, and I support the Love 30 campaign to do so, particularly in the current context?

I have four questions. Will the Minister consider issuing guidance to local authorities regarding the use of the large budget allocation the Department provides for roads, as per the UK Department of Transport, which urged local authorities to reallocate road space, to better protect walkers and cyclists and embed altered behaviours and the positive effects of active travel? Second, Will the Department drive a clear, comprehensive national communications campaign on the health and safety measures the public needs to follow on public transport, including the use of face masks? I understand there will be some guidance soon but things are going to get busy on Monday and increasingly so on 8 June in particular. I fear that we are playing catch-up. There is an urgent and pressing need for a strong, clear message from Government on how people on public transport should behave, especially in respect of the use of face masks. The providers are doing their best but they need to be backed up with a clear message from Government on actions that public transport users can follow and expect of others. It is also crucial that providers are funded to provide the additional capacity. I am getting reports of buses that are not in a position to carry the required passengers in a safe way. Third, can the Minister provide written assurances to the large public transport companies such as Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus that the financial losses they are incurring at the moment will be covered? I understand verbal assurances are being given but for good corporate governance those assurances need to be in writing.

Finally, I refer to rural bus services and the great work they have been doing, particularly over the past few months. Local Link services all over the country have been responsive and adaptable in moving with the changing transport needs of recent times. They can do this because they are embedded in the communities they serve. The Local Link service in counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim has adapted not just to transporting essential workers but also Covid-19 test packs and essential equipment and animal feed for farmers. This co-use of public transport is something that happens in a large scale organised way in other EU countries and is another lesson from our pandemic response that we need to build on. It is, again, greener and more efficient.

My colleagues and I have mentioned the rural bus services, especially the Clare Bus Company, also known as Clare accessible transport. After 18 years operating rural transport programme services in Clare with 100% accessibility, universal design and cost-effective services, supported by €1 million worth of community fundraising, the organisation is now in jeopardy. It is being replaced by operators that do not have the community connection, are more expensive and do not have the crucial accessible buses.

I understand the Minister met representatives from Clare Bus last year. It won the tender to continue providing the service in the county but in March, as the Covid-19 crisis was taking off the NTA refused to sign the new contract with Clare Bus. Will he intervene to ensure that this vital high-value, high-performing service is maintained?

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