Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the time available to me I would like to raise two issues that are particularly important to my constituency of Limerick, namely, the delays in completing the Coonagh to Knockalisheen road and the ongoing scourge of scrambler misuse in urban areas.

The Coonagh to Knockalisheen road is a vital project and piece of infrastructure and, when completed, will service the community of Limerick’s north side, especially the Moyross area. Moyross is an area that, despite making incredible strides over the past 15 years, remains lacking in employment opportunities and connectivity to centres of employment. It is outrageous this project still has not been completed. The project has been in play for more than a decade. It took a long and very hard-fought campaign championed by the local residents of Moyross to get the Minister to take action and approve construction, which he finally did in 2021. Without the commitment and resilience of these residents, I have no doubt that construction would not have commenced. They faced great resistance from the Minister for Transport at the time, who blocked the delivery of this vital piece of infrastructure which, as I have said, will be a key part of the Limerick regeneration programme. Unfortunately, the contractor subsequently entered receivership 18 months ago and construction was halted. Virtually nothing has been done since. This morning we got confirmation that the Department of Transport has issued approval to progress the Coonagh to Knockalisheen distributor road to tender stage, which is very welcome.

Why does everything take so long? As the parish priest of Moyross said recently, why does everything for Moyross have to be a battle? In September last year, Limerick City and County Council advised that tender documents had been prepared and that a new contractor was expected to be on site by the middle of 2023. That timeline, like all timelines relating to this project, was missed. I was advised that a tender is with the Department of Transport and yet there has been no communication until this morning as to who the new contractor is and when works will commence. I wrote to the Minister a month ago about this very matter and I still have not received a reply.

It is extremely disappointing that the community in Moyross have yet to see this vital infrastructure completed and that this project seems to be of no interest to the Minister, and I have said this to him repeatedly. He must be consistently dragged and kicked on this issue. Any further delays will just add unnecessary costs and have the potential to undo the good work that has been completed in the north side communities to date. These communities deserve more than this. I hope today’s announcement from the Department of Transport of approval to progress the Coonagh to Knockalisheen distributor road project to tender stage will see this project delivered on or before time. People across the north side have waited too long.

I have said many times before that this is more than just a road and is a crucial piece of infrastructure in the north side of the city. We cannot allow this to remain the road to nowhere. We cannot allow a community that has campaigned so hard, that has been resolute in the face of many challenges, to be let down once more. The road simply must be completed as quickly as possible. The contractor needs to be announced as soon as possible and the works need to recommence as a matter of priority. The delays and lack of communication until today on this are contemptible. People deserve to know when the project will finish and they have waited more than a decade, as I have said earlier.

As I do not have much remaining speaking time, it is nonetheless important I raise the issue of scramblers. They have become a plague in many parts of Limerick, especially urban areas. They are being misused, driven in a reckless manner, and have become a real menace to pedestrians and road users alike. The use of balaclavas and other face coverings adds to the intimidatory presence that scramblers pose. It is perhaps the most visible antisocial behaviour issue in Limerick at present. The drivers of these scramblers are reckless, dangerous and a menace to the people of Limerick.

In 2020, I and fellow Sinn Féin Deputies, Paul Donnelly and Dessie Ellis, brought forward a motion aimed at addressing the misuse of scramblers in urban areas. Subsequently, the Government brought forward its own legislation and it was very welcome. The new powers were used very successfully earlier this week in Limerick for what I believe to be the first time. In the course of a targeted operation into criminality, the gardaí in Limerick seized, among other things, 44 scrambler or off-road vehicles. This is very welcome. These vehicles, along with e-scooters, have become the go-to vehicle for many drug dealers to distribute their wares.

I commend the Garda in Limerick on this significant action against the misuse of scramblers and I look forward to seeing these powers used more regularly as part of an overarching response to antisocial behaviour in Limerick. This operation will be welcomed by people in Limerick, particularly those in urban estates who have faced the brunt of the associated antisocial behaviour that seems to accompany the misuse of these vehicles. What this seizure further shows is that, with the right resources and support, An Garda can make a significant impact in battling this scourge.

I also understand that some sections of that Bill have not been enacted and that the full powers have not been provided yet. We need to get that done as soon as possible. Statistics From the RSA show that 48% of incidents involving death and injury on scramblers involve people under the age of 18 years. Scrambler misuse is finally being tackled with the urgency required and I have no doubt these Garda interventions will save the lives of innocent road users and pedestrians.

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