Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With regard to public transport and Covid-19, I want to raise the roads less travelled within and between the towns and hinterlands of north Kildare and the connectivity between these areas and the rest of the country and, in the main, Dublin. For many in north Kildare, Dublin is so close but for medical appointments or a visit to family and friends the lack of public transport makes it a step too far.

Public transport is our future. For climate action purposes we simply must get more cars off the road by making public transport the preferred choice. While the message right now is to avoid public transport because of public health advice, many cannot do so. We should not be reducing the frequency of public transport or the number of train carriages. We should be increasing the frequency and capacity to facilitate social distancing so when we come out the other side of this we can have a decent, well-run and functional public transport system throughout the State.

Crucially, we must have access to more and better public transport for our people in rural Ireland. This is common sense. However, at present the community in Rathcoffey in north Kildare is looking at access to the bus that goes from Naas General Hospital to Blanchardstown with something approaching longing. We have to fix this. It can be fixed simply by looking at the route and adapting it to facilitate more commuters. Just as we have to fix the way Covid-19 is exposing the fault lines throughout our society we also have fault lines evident in public transport. Equally, for people dependent on public transport we cannot have vehicles filled to the limit sailing past bus stops and leaving them stranded. This is a common occurrence for the people of Kilcock. While at present it does not happen every day, it had started to return when the Covid levels were low during the summer.

We have to address capacity and frequency on public transport. The news emerging about the significance of aerosol transmission is an issue not alone for schools but also for trains and buses. I presume the Minister and the Minister for Health are looking at this with all of the necessary urgency. It is all well and good for new Deputies to be coming in here and making statements in the Chamber but it is quite frustrating. This might be where issues are raised but it is at the committees where they are sorted. Can we please get the committees up and running so we can start getting on with the real work?

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