Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. I believe the NTA has a huge agenda. There needs to be stronger engagement with both the Government and the Oireachtas, and maybe much more time could be saved, including in the development of BusConnects, for example. As I have said repeatedly, the scenario seems to involve publishing the worst possible plan, which ignites the greatest degree of opposition from neighbourhoods and residential areas, and then – hey presto – following consultation, a much-diluted plan emerges. All of that is happening in the name of the State. That must not continue, as I have said to the NTA myself. There has to be a different approach, an approach that is more cognisant of people’s needs but also their anxieties. From my experience, too many residents end up in tears when a letter comes in the door stating that half their garden is to be taken, without proper consultation. We need better, streamlined bus services and we need to create the conditions for that. We need to consider a refreshing, new type of approach.

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