Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding a national cycle route as promised in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5958/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The policy document, Smarter Travel — A Sustainable Transport Future, I launched last week commits to creating a strong culture of cycling to the extent that modal share of cycling will increase from 2% in 2006 to 10% by 2020. This equates to a rise in daily cycle commuting from 35,000 to 160,000 by 2020.

Action 15 of the policy commits to the publication of a national cycle policy framework, which I will do shortly. The framework will not only be a comprehensive response to current difficulties faced by the cycling community in terms of road priority and safety issues, but will also prove to be a springboard to creating a culture of cycling. Among the issues to be addressed are the creation of traffic-free urban centres to facilitate cycling, cycle training for schoolchildren, the integration of cycling with other transport modes and investment in a national cycle network with urban networks given priority.

Some progress is already being made on cycling networks. Fáilte Ireland assists in the development of cycling trails and I am committed to progressing a flagship project, such as the Sutton-Sandycove route. The development of an integrated national network will take place over a longer period of time and the proposed national cycle policy framework will address the issue further.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Between 2002 and 2006, 427 cycling collisions were reported to the Garda. Sadly, 11 were fatalities. Of those, eight cyclists were killed by left-turning lorries. We must address this serious issue. Of the other three, one involved a vehicle hitting a cyclist while changing lanes, another involved a vehicle rear-ending a cyclist while the third was caused by a stolen car driving into a cyclist head on. We must address these issues and the Minister must ensure that cyclists are secure. There should be a solution to the problem of left-turning lorries killing cyclists.

Will the Minister consider cycling routes along canals, bus lanes, DART lines and old national primary routes. While we must radically change the way in which we think, we must protect the cyclist above all else. We are not doing so effectively.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I agree. Many of the Deputy's suggestions will be included in the framework. A number of old railway lines are being actively considered. The Ministers for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs have been active in that regard.

To some extent, the difficulty in terms of left-turning lorries has been addressed in the past 12 months. We passed regulations that require an extra mirror to provide more visibility, which should help to reduce the accident rate. However, the Deputy is correct. If we want to change attitudes and everything else, we must prioritise bicycles and pedestrians instead of cars. This will be a central theme of the document to be published in a few weeks' time.

Interestingly, the Deputy mentioned old national primary roads. We have a significant opportunity to capture some of them for use as good cycling routes. We should narrow them down to one lane of traffic in both directions while using the remainder for cycling lanes.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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It sounds like a good idea. However, the problem with cycling provision is that the Government is not prepared to spend any money on it. While I welcome the Minister's comments on the Sutton-Sandycove route, the Australian Labour Party Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will this year introduce a cycling programme with a value of 40 million Australian dollars. By contrast, we seem to be doing almost nothing. Will the Government take any major initiatives? For example, would it be possible to get Ministers on their bikes? The Minister of State beside the Minister could use a number of cycle lanes on his way in from the north side. Could the new cycling programme for Dublin city be extended to include Ministers, Deputies and Senators travelling between their various offices?

Concerning the injuries mentioned by Deputy O'Dowd, I welcome the report compiled by Dublin City Council's road and traffic department. Why is the Minister discussing cyclops mirrors instead of doing something about them?

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy misheard me, as that measure has already been taken.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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We are still waiting.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware of the fact that at least two Ministers are on their bikes.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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They will be on them for a long time.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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There will be many more Ministers on them in a couple of weeks' time.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Broughan mentioned that he was involved in introducing the first cycling lane while he was a member of Dublin City Council. I was on my bike at the time because I launched the initiative on the quays.

We have a considerable opportunity to change our habits. If people felt that cycling had become safer, many, including Senators, Deputies and Ministers, would travel by bicycle.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Ministers would not be safe on their bikes.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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My colleagues who cycle claim that it is safe, healthy and so on, but people remain to be convinced. The only way to do so is to put safe cycle lanes in place.