Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was very interested in the Minister's response to Deputy Stanton's question. There seems to be a theme of underspend within the Department of Transport. I understand that part of that probably relates to the fact that a lot of these projects must be shovel-ready.

On that note, there is a project that could have a massive benefit nationally, namely the EuroVelo routes. This is a cycling route that extends from the Continent right up to Scandinavia, with the west coast of Ireland, in particular, being part of that. These are not greenways or dedicated cycling routes; they are shared spaces. The project presents a fantastic opportunity to upgrade rural coastal roads in order that they are improved not only for drivers but also, most importantly, for people on bikes who decide to do these incredibly successful EuroVelo routes, which see families all over Europe participating in cycling. That is a shovel-ready project if expenditure is being sought.

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