Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue again. It is a very important one locally. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for coming to the House to reply. The issue relates to the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, insofar as it relates to Maynooth. The town is heavily overtrafficked and relies on a LIHAF award of €10 million-plus to provide bridges, road realignments, footpaths and internal bypasses to facilitate development and the existing traffic, which is from floor to ceiling. It also applies, although in a different way, to Celbridge, which has similar traffic problems, and to Naas, which also has traffic problems. The award in the case of Naas and Celbridge was by Kildare County Council. We are still awaiting the full outcome.

In respect of Naas, a proposal was put to the local authority but it rejected it on the basis that it was not beneficial to a large part of the town. The excuse given at the time was that the people on the other side of the town did not object at all. However, nobody expected them to object because it did not make any difference to them. Traffic congestion and the population are increasing rapidly. There is a need to take serious action to alleviate the traffic congestion in a way that makes it possible for residents to exist in the area, notwithstanding the traffic, and at the same time allows the traffic to flow. If traffic does not flow, everything closes down. At peak times in all the towns concerned, there is a serious problem with traffic. Progress is progress and we have to have it, but the fact of the matter is that while it is possible to alleviate many of the problems, action has to be taken in the very near future.

I had the temerity to table a question way back in January. The reply explained the situation but did not solve the problem. I tabled another question last week but I will tell the Minister of State about that later.

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