Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I am raising the issue of traffic management around our two major international stadia, namely, Croke Park and Lansdowne Road. Traffic is a nightmare at the best of times, but it is an additional nightmare everywhere in the north inner city whenever there is a football match, concert, or other event in Croke Park. Planning permission was granted for the development of Croke Park 12 years ago on the understanding that a cordon sanitaire would be introduced. It was also understood that park and ride facilities would be provided on the city's perimeter and that public transport would be the major form of transport to Croke Park. However, nothing whatsoever has been done to relieve the hard pressed and beleaguered residents in the communities surrounding Croke Park and further afield. If anything, the circumstances have worsened. The construction of Croke Park has now been completed and the stadium has a capacity of 82,000.

As well as Gaelic football and hurling matches in the spring, summer and autumn, Croke Park hosts Australian Rules football and a number of concerts in the summer. Moreover, during the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, Croke Park will host numerous international rugby and soccer matches for the next number of years. These games will start in February 2007 and will almost certainly attract capacity crowds. Floodlights are currently being installed and even more sporting events will be held in Croke Park. Croke Park is also a major conference centre attracting large numbers of people and vehicles throughout the year.

Despite this intense activity and use, planning conditions did not require the GAA to provide even one parking space in Croke Park or elsewhere for the visiting public. The long-awaited pilot park and ride scheme was to start in August 2006. However, nothing happened and the GAA has informed Dublin City Council that it is not financially feasible for it to contribute to the provision of park and ride facilities for the travelling public. The GAA is an exceedingly profitable corporate entity that has received close to €100 million from the public purse towards the reconstruction of Croke Park. Moreover, it has benefited enormously from its downtown city centre location. It has taken much but is prepared to give little. It is unacceptable that the greatest voluntary organisation in the country should put profit before people in such an arrogant manner.

The only way the public interest can now be served is for the Minister for Transport to introduce special legislation governing parking and traffic management for the two city centre national stadia, namely, Croke Park and Lansdowne Road when it is rebuilt. The legislation would regulate such matters as the reservation of parking on public roads in the vicinity of the sports stadia for residents on event days; the provision of park and ride facilities on the perimeter of the city; the use of public transport; and an integrated ticketing system to cover such parking and transport. Direct statutory intervention is the only way to resolve the impasse and action must be taken immediately.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Under the Road Traffic Act 1994 responsibility for traffic management was devolved to individual road authorities. Responsibility for the implementation of traffic management measures and the application of road traffic regulatory provisions in the Dublin city area is therefore a matter that falls to Dublin City Council to address in the first instance.

The issue of parking has been the focus of the traffic management issues that have been raised with the Minister for Transport. In the course of the past year, representations have been made to the Minister on parking problems that arise on the roads in the environs of Croke Park and other stadia on match and other event days when a large influx of motorists from outside the area park on residential roads for the duration of the events. The Garda authorities put in place extensive traffic management plans on such days. This includes a Garda cordon area to provide for crowd safety controls and to regulate access to the venue. This has been in place for many years in respect of the streets in the immediate vicinity of Croke Park and Lansdowne Road when matches or other major events are held. Divisional traffic corps units also patrol the outlying areas prior to and subsequent to any event, ensuring the traffic flow is maintained.

Vehicle owners who reside within the Garda cordon area may apply for an annual permit to allow their vehicles to enter and exit through the cordon barriers. The regulation of access and resident's permit measures are implemented and administered by the Garda Síochána as are other traffic management and parking prohibitions that are applied in the greater stadium area on event dates.

The issue now being raised is that residents on roads that lie outside the existing cordon area are seeking that parking be reserved on a residents-only basis in their areas on match and event days and that vehicle permits and visitor permits be issued in respect of each premises. If accepted, this proposal would effectively prohibit or exclude the general public from parking on a public road.

Last summer, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, met a deputation from a local residents' association from the Croke Park environs and some local public representatives to hear their case. In the past six months, this issue has been the subject of 12 parliamentary questions and featured also in amendments that were proposed by Opposition parties when the Road Traffic Bill was being debated in the Houses. It is important bear in mind that road traffic regulations have national application. Therefore, the issue of reserving parking on public roads for local residents is complex and much broader than the context of match days at Croke Park or Lansdowne Road.

The discussion and debate on this issue has also drawn attention to the inconvenience experienced by residents where parking congestion can arise on a daily basis on public roads in residential areas countrywide. At some locations, parking spaces on residential roads are now taken up on a daily basis, and not just on periodic match or event dates, by motorists who work nearby, or as park and ride facilities by people who commute to work by bus, rail or tram.

An argument that has also been put forward is that resident-only parking schemes operate in the vicinity of stadia in other countries and that Ireland should follow suit. The law is applied by way of a traffic sign in most other jurisdictions, but a different legal system operates in Ireland. The Irish system requires law to be stated in primary or secondary legislation, and the provision of a traffic sign at any location or the application of a traffic and parking measure must be underpinned by a legal provision in every instance. Provisions in relation to the regulation of road traffic and parking on public roads are contained in the Road Traffic Acts and in the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997-2005 and supported by road traffic signs.

Responsibility for traffic management, including the implementation of parking controls, such as prohibitions and restrictions, was devolved to individual road authorities under the Road Traffic Act 1994. An examination of the present road traffic legislative provisions was carried out in the Department to ascertain if new measures to reserve parking to local residents in any circumstances would be appropriate or feasible. This examination indicated that there is no existing legislative provision to exclusively reserve parking on a specified public road on specified dates to the persons who reside in premises on that road. The legal issue that must first be established is whether it would be appropriate or feasible to provide for parking restrictions of this nature on a public road. In this regard, the matter has been referred to the Office of the Attorney General for advice and will be considered further when advice is received.