Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Minister of State will have some experience of the lack of residents-only parking in the vicinity of Croke Park. It is an issue of concern to the local residents who suffer on big event days. Croke Park's capacity stands at 82,500 and it is open not just to Gaelic games but to international rugby and football matches. Last night, Croke Park was at full capacity for an international floodlit football game. Cleaning did not take place until 3 a.m., causing much grief to residents in the vicinity of the facility. While there has been a large increase in the use of Croke Park, mainly for international games, nothing has been done to make life easier for the residents in the vicinity.

Initially when the plans for the expansion of Croke Park were put in place in 1994, it was intended that a one-mile radius around Croke Park would be free from vehicles of fans attending games. That has not transpired and local residents experience vehicles parked on grass margins, blocking driveways and double yellow lines. It is especially difficult in the Dublin Central constituency. Many teams in the latter stages of the all-Ireland championships are from Northern Ireland. Many fans travel from counties Derry, Donegal, Armagh, Tyrone and the central Dublin area near the Drumcondra Road has seen a proliferation of parking that gives rise to numerous problems for local residents.

Since I tabled this matter, I am glad the Minister for Transport has taken on board my proposal. He has tabled an amendment to the Roads Bill 2007 which is seven pages long and comprises a third of the entire Bill. It does not, however, address all the issues. What provision will be made for park-and-ride facilities? How will the proposed permit system be implemented? By-laws will be granted to local authorities but will require individual applications when residents-only parking is required. This will be a nuisance when a generic approach is much preferable. I am glad a move has been made in the right direction. It seems there will, however, be teething problems in getting the system right. When that happens, it will be to the benefit of many people living on the north side of Dublin.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport.

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 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. Representations have been made to the Minister about 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.

On match and event days, the Garda authorities put in place extensive traffic management plans. This includes a Garda cordon area for crowd safety controls and to regulate access. 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 there. 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 that vehicle to enter and exit through the cordon barriers. The regulation of access and residents permits measures are implemented and administered by the Garda as are other traffic management and parking prohibitions that are applied in the greater stadium area on event dates.

The matter being raised now is that parking be reserved on a residents only basis on match and event days to facilitate people living in the Croke Park area. This proposal would effectively prohibit or exclude the public from parking on a public road. An important point to bear in mind is that road traffic regulations have national application and the issue of reserving parking on public roads to local residents is very complex and is much broader than in the context of match days at Croke Park.

Discussions on this issue have also drawn attention to the fact that inconvenience can also be experienced by residents where parking congestion can arise on a daily basis on public roads in residential areas in other circumstances in other parts of Dublin and countrywide. At some locations throughout the country, parking on residential roads is now taken up on a daily basis, not just on periodic match or event days, by motorists, who use the location to park if working nearby or to use the location as a park and ride facility while they commute onwards by bus or rail to work or walk to work and collect their vehicle later that day on return.

Provisions in regard 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 to 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 this issue was carried out in the Department of the existing road traffic legislative provisions 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 matter was then referred to the Office of the Attorney General for advice to establish whether it would be appropriate or feasible to provide for parking restrictions of this nature on a public road at specified times on specified days to cover matches and other events. On the basis of the advice received, the Minister has included a comprehensive provision, as Deputy Costello mentioned, in the Roads Bill 2007, which is going through the House, to provide a by-law making power for road authorities for restriction or prohibition of parking at specified events.

The Deputy referred to other matters, park and ride facilities and so on. If the Roads Bill is dealt with in this House next week, he might have another opportunity to tease them out. I am aware of the problem. My constituency at one stage extended nearer to Croke Park and to the North Circular Road. The northerners, to whom the Deputy referred, do not all park in the environs of Dublin Central.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Deputy finds that a few of them park in his constituency as well.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that a number of them park in Griffith Avenue, Whitehall and Santry. Something is being done about it.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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It might be beneficial to both our constituencies.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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It may not be a total solution to this issue. Such motorists can be restricted from parking in one area or street and they might then park in my constituency. It is a case of addressing this issue in a number of ways. I recommend that the Deputy tease this out with the Minister, Deputy Cullen, during the debate on the Roads Bill next week.