Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Another issue that arises in looking at the totality of costs is that we really need to change our entire housing, planning and transport systems at the same time as we are doing these DART+ projects. I hope to do the same in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. We want to move towards transport-led development that would see new housing being built within a walk or short cycle of the major public transport infrastructure in which we are going to invest. One of the main reasons we are making that investment is the benefits it will give in terms of improved quality of life, shorter commuting times, more sustainable, lower-emissions transport, better local environments and an improved public realm. The reality is that we have been going in completely the other direction. Half of new housing in the State in recent years was built in the counties surrounding Dublin and not located close to public transport nodes or other sustainable transport options. At the same time as we undertake the DART+ project and start implementing the other investments, the local authorities need to start reviewing their development plans in order to ensure that, instead of new development spreading out everywhere, we start building closer to the public transport nodes we are going to implement. It is in this context that investment in an upgrade to the Kilcock service could make real sense.

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