John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. Stakeholder buy-in is critical. Who are these stakeholders? Obviously, these include the local people who live in the area and use the roads. I refer in particular to parents, who are under pressure in the mornings. One of the things that happened was that school drop-off points were eliminated. Those school drop-off points that had been there were lost as a result of the construction of the cycle track. Public representatives, including Deputies and councillors, are also stakeholders. The Minister of State said that councillors were briefed on several occasions on this project. The impression I get, though, is that the visuals they were given were not impactful and did not give the councillors, or some of the local community organisations contacted, the required information. I am not being critical. I offer this observation in the spirit of acknowledging that we need to do things better. I say this because I have cycled and walked this route and I am very supportive of active travel. Returning to the point regarding Deputies and councillors and other stakeholders, we need better visuals.

I was at a transport forum meeting last week in Tallaght. The bus drivers said they were not consulted about two buses driving side by side along this road. They told me that even though it is mathematically possible in terms of the road width, overhanging trees mean that a bus has to lean out a little further onto the road, which means eating up some road space. In fairness, South Dublin County Council engineers said they will accompany drivers on a bus along the route. The NTA and bus companies were consulted, but the bus drivers who drive the routes were not consulted.

Turning to pinch points at particular junctions, advantages for public transport should be considered. They should just be an essential part of this context. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in his response to a parliamentary question from me, stated he is "considering proposals to strengthen the public consultation requirements in accordance with Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994". Additionally, he said that his "Department is working with local authorities in order to create an environment whereby there will be greater levels of community engagement". It is not too late on this project. I encourage the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to talk to representatives of South Dublin County Council and the NTA to see what can be done in relation to the Tallaght to Oldbawn cycle track even now, because it is not even near completion, and this would certainly result in buy-in from the local community.

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