Dáil debates

Wednesday, 20 April 2011

3:00 am

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport his plans to extend the use of bus lanes; his further plans to review the bus lane system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8613/11]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Following the establishment of the National Transport Authority in December 2009, responsibility for the delivery of an integrated transport system, including funding for quality bus corridors in the greater Dublin area, is a matter for the National Transport Authority. I have, therefore, asked the National Transport Authority to send the relevant information to the Deputy. I ask him to advise my private office if he does not receive a reply within ten working days.

As regards the rest of the country, my Department is funding an ongoing programme of bus priority measures - green routes - and park and ride facilities in the four regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. An amount of €5.5 million has been provided in 2011 to the four cities in question.

Public transport feasibility studies have been commissioned by the local authorities in the four regional cities and these were funded by my Department. The purpose of the studies is to examine the most appropriate and feasible public transport systems for the cities in question. The completed studies include recommendations in relation to bus priority measures. Some of the recommendations of the feasibility studies are already being funded under the regional cities bus priority and park and ride programme. Since 2006 the four cities concerned have received funding totalling €55 million under the programme.

The National Transport Authority is examining the recommendations of the completed studies as requested by my Department in consultation, as necessary, with other appropriate bodies, with a view to assessing and prioritising future public transport options for the four regional cities, having regard to the current difficult budgetary position.

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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On plans to review the network of bus lanes, Deputies will be aware of bus lanes being established on routes where a bus service is not provided. This is crazy and must change. Will this issue be examined as part of the review?

Another issue which arises is the use of bus lanes by non-bus traffic during off-peak times. I am aware this could give rise to difficulties but we need to take a flexible approach to the road network. It does not make sense to have bumper to bumper traffic on one lane of a road beside an unused bus lane. Will the review examine these types of issues given that they make a nonsense of the system?

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I presume the Deputy's concerns relate to the greater Dublin area. The National Transport Authority is examining this matter, although it is not the subject of a review. I could request that such a review be carried out to examine matters such as the times at which the bus corridors can be used by vehicles other than buses, the success rate of each bus corridor measured against key deliverables and so forth. I will communicate further with the Deputy on the matter.

Photo of Paudie CoffeyPaudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to revise current National Roads Authority policies to increase the number of service stations on the motorway and national roads network to ensure that there is adequate provision of rest and service areas in the interests of road users and traffic safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8544/11]

Photo of Michael ColreavyMichael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport the tender process for services areas on new roads that is used by him. [8627/11]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 32 and 39 together.

The programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a new procedure for answering oral questions by State bodies. The chief executive of every State funded body will be required to attend the relevant Oireachtas committee on a regular basis to answer oral parliamentary questions which can be submitted by any Member. There will also be a liability on State bodies to answer written questions within a specified number of Dáil sitting days.

Until these new procedures are designed and implemented, I have adopted a transitional arrangement for questions on issues which are the responsibility of bodies under the aegis of my Department. Rather than seeking to have these questions disallowed, as was previously the case, I have been referring them to the relevant bodies for direct reply and have asked the Deputies concerned to revert to my office if a reply has not been received within ten working days. The House will appreciate that this approach lends itself well to written questions. However, our procedures for oral questions allow for supplementary questioning and this is clearly not appropriate when the Minister is not responsible for the issue concerned. I suggest, therefore, that Deputies table such questions for written reply only as I clearly cannot deal with them in any detail in oral replies.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads, including service areas, is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Section 54 of the Roads Act 1993 specifically provides for the National Roads Authority or a local authority to provide and-or operate service areas.

I have, therefore, referred the Deputies' questions to the National Roads Authority for direct reply. I ask them to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten working days. Given what I have outlined, I am not in a position to respond further.

Photo of Paudie CoffeyPaudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the effort by the Minister to take these questions and I note they were ruled out of order under previous Administrations. It is important we have the opportunity to put parliamentary questions to State bodies. The NRA takes direction from the line Minister, Deputy Varadkar, with regard to policy. While we must acknowledge the huge improvements in the inter-urban motorways and roads network, there is a deep deficit in regard to facilities and service stations on these networks.

Will the Minister confirm that in his deliberations with the NRA he will ask it to revise its current policy in order to allow more service stations on networks, including not only the motorways but also the national roads network? I am aware of cases, as I am sure are other Deputies, where the NRA objects to applications for new service stations on our national roads network. This is an issue we need to examine from a strategic point of view with local authorities to ensure we have adequate provision. We do not want them on every road but we want adequate provision in the interest of road safety and providing facilities for road users. I ask Minister to consider this point.

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Perhaps the right way forward is for me to arrange for the Deputy to meet the NRA to convey his views directly. The provision of service stations is an objective of the NRA but they must be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is appropriate to locate them in some places but not in others and we do not want to have too many spread out on a single road. We often find that while there is great support for service stations in some areas, people in other areas may be very much against them because they argue they take commerce out of individual towns. There is also an issue whereby private operators want to provide their own service area where one is not provided by the NRA, and they would often have expectations that the NRA will rebuild the road or build over-bridges and so on to facilitate their businesses, which is not realistic in most cases.

This is the reason the matter is left to the NRA. It is not appropriate for a Minister to make decisions on individual cases as to where service areas should be located. The right approach might be for me to organise a direct engagement with the Deputy and the NRA on the matter.

Photo of Dessie EllisDessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate and understand the Minister's position. However, we are outlining our concerns regarding what is happening on the motorways and the Minister must take this on board. While the NRA is responsible, we all have experience of travelling on motorways where there is no place to set down and the driver must either go off the motorway despite being in between locations. The issue of safety and driver fatigue comes into the equation.

It is a serious situation. I understand some contracts are already in place and five or six stations are to be delivered. However, it is urgent that we have service areas, whether it is a garage, a restaurant or otherwise, where people can recuperate and have a cup of coffee. It is essential that people have breaks when they feel tired. I urge the Minister to reiterate to the NRA that it needs to deliver these service areas quickly because it is a safety issue.

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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In his discussions with the NRA, the Minister might raise two issues. First, he might find out what the term "service station" means. The NRA seems to believe it constitutes a very large development costing millions of euro and, therefore, is difficult to provide.

Photo of Paudie CoffeyPaudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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That is correct.

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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All we seek is the provision of tea and coffee making and toilet facilities appropriate to the current lay-by system that exists. Second, the Minister should also ask the NRA why many lay-bys have their gates closed.

When the transport committee is established, it would be a good forum in which to deal with this matter. We had the opportunity previously at a time when the NRA iterated the point made by the Minister that it did not want to provide these services as it would take from people entering villages. Those of us who travel on the inter-urban routes rarely, if ever, enter villages as we continue to try to get to our ultimate destination, often at risk to ourselves and other motorists. I ask that action be taken and that, in conjunction with the issue of lay-bys, relatively small tea and coffee making and toilet services would be provided. This would be more than adequate to meet the needs of the vast majority.

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Under the current policy, the NRA has identified optimum locations for 12 service areas at approximate intervals of 50 km to 60 km and legislation was amended in 2007 to allow it to do that. Generally, service areas are designed to offer a full range of services, including convenience retail services as well as extensive car, coach and HGV parking and Garda enforcement areas. In addition, the NRA provides for rest areas. While they are not a substitute for service areas, there are a number of parking areas along the major inter-urban routes where vehicles can be parked safely to allow drivers to take breaks or rest periods. In the context of a motorway, an interval of 50 km to 60 km should be adequate.

With regard to projects that have already begun, three opened for business in 2010 - two on the M1 and one on the M4 - and the authority has planning approval for four other stations at Athlone on the M6, Cashel on the M8, Kilcullen on the M9 and Gorey on the M11, and three other service areas are being tendered at present for Athlone, Kilcullen and Gorey.