John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raised increased traffic congestion in the Dublin area. I have raised this matter a number of times in parliamentary questions and have received a number of answers that go some way towards addressing the issue. In the course of my contribution I wish to focus on transport, public transport and transport infrastructure in my area in the western part of Dublin. It lies roughly between the N4 and the N7 and is affected by the M50.

In a previous reply to a parliamentary question the Minister stated:

I recognise that there is considerable evidence emerging of increased travel demand across the Dublin region in general, with growing traffic levels on many of the region's roads and streets. The increase in the number in employment has impacted on transport through the beginning of a recovery in public transport numbers, but also through increased car use and the re-emergence of peak period congestion. ...

Insofar as congestion issues in Dublin are concerned, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has overall responsibility for the implementation of their published Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). My Department is working closely with the NTA with a view to intensifying efforts to combat congestion across Dublin in the short to medium term through greater use of bus priority, demand management and other alleviating measures.

I accept the Minister's response, but I am greatly concerned because I do not see its impact in my area. The challenge for the Minister in his response is to outline whether the plan of the National Transport Authority needs to be reviewed. What are the other alleviating measures to which the Minister referred?

I will outline some of the problems. Two weeks ago I was driving home from Leinster House but at Bluebell I ended up sitting in a traffic jam at a certain time in the evening. The journey took me almost one hour and 45 minutes. The cause of the traffic jam from Bluebell, as I heard it reported on the radio, was a broken-down car on the N7 at Rathcoole. It was reported that there were delays to the Long Mile Road, but the delays were not just to the Long Mile Road but back to Bluebell and Inchicore. That is the capacity at which these roads are operating. Try to get out of Palmerstown at the junction of the N4. There is no flyover or intersection, so people queue for hours on end each day. Consider the M50 between the N4 and N7 junctions. In 2014, it was predicted that by 2023 there would be an annual average traffic flow there of 143,000 per day. The figure was 140,000 in 2016. By any stretch of the imagination, it is far ahead of what was expected. However, our responses are not dealing with those issues.

In terms of public transport, there were 10 million extra passengers last year. Where are the increased number of new buses for Dublin Bus? Kishogue railway station in my constituency is lying idle. It will be opened at some time in the future. Where is the Luas to Lucan project that was planned? Surely it is time to address that, given the volume of traffic movements on the M50. Metro west, an orbital route to link Tallaght, Clondalkin, Lucan and Blanchardstown, whether it is a metro or bus service, is gone. Try to get a bus out of Lucan in the morning. If one has to get into town, people know that there is no point in queuing at certain bus stops because the bus will be full when it arrives. They move to the next bus stop.

There is an immediate crisis in public transport in my part of the city. I am glad the Minister is present today because the written replies I have received on this matter offer very little comfort that real and tangible solutions will be put in place in the short and medium term. The Minister referred to alleviating measures. What are they? We need more than just a promise that the mid-term capital review will deliver something. We need specifics and we need them urgently. As I said, the traffic movements on the M50 between the N4 and N7 junctions are already at the levels predicted for 2023.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I am sorry that he has not found the written responses adequate but I will try to elaborate on them. Before I address the matter specifically, the Deputy should realise that the problem of traffic congestion in Dublin is extraordinarily difficult because of the volatility of what has been happening with traffic congestion, traffic numbers and traffic speeds in recent times. The variation in traffic patterns, speeds and numbers is mainly a product of the economic changes which have occurred. By any standards, they have been unpredictable. The Deputy is seeking comfort regarding what is going to happen in the near to medium-term future. I will try to give him some indication of that within the powers of prophecy that I have about what will happen to Dublin traffic in the years to come.

The advent of Ireland's economic downturn in 2008 significantly affected transport patterns and levels of transport usage. Largely reflecting the growth in unemployment, public transport usage and car usage in the Dublin region dropped significantly during the downturn and in subsequent years. This also applied to the west Dublin region.

The period from 2008 to 2015 can be characterised as a period of reduced transport usage and suppressed transport growth. Focusing solely on road-based transport, levels of congestion fell from 2008 and journey times reduced for many people. It is fair to say that traffic congestion was not a major issue during this period. However, I fully recognise that, as the Deputy has pointed out, a growing body of evidence is emerging of increased travel demand across the Dublin region in particular, with growing traffic levels on many of the region's roads and streets. Indeed, 2014 saw the start of a reversal of the trend of reduced travel demand. Public transport usage in 2014 increased for all modes, including bus, Luas and commuter rail services.

While the welcome increase in the numbers in employment affected transport through the beginning of a recovery in public transport numbers, it has also manifested itself through increased car use and the re-emergence of peak period congestion. As a key indicator of recent trends, in 2014 users of the M50 motorway began to experience significant increases in journey times for the first time since the completion of the M50 upgrade. In terms of traffic flows, average daily traffic at the tolling point on the motorway was almost 18% higher in 2016 than in 2014. The effect of this growth can be seen on a daily basis, with slower speeds and longer journey times evident on the M50. Similar patterns, though not as pronounced, are emerging elsewhere on the road network. As Dublin city is the target destination of many of the journeys being undertaken in the region, there is a substantial degree of congestion evident at many locations on the road network approaching the city.

Insofar as congestion issues in Dublin are concerned, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has overall responsibility for the implementation of its transport strategy. My Department is working closely with the NTA with a view to intensifying efforts to combat congestion in the short to medium term through greater use of bus priority, demand management and other alleviating measures. The NTA’s approach to managing congestion for the period 2015-18 focuses on public transport provision on key routes to the city centre, supported by adequate traffic management arrangements, measures to protect the efficiency of national roads in the region and measures to address local travel delay locations.

The bus network is the backbone of the public transport system in Dublin. While a small number of corridors have enough patronage to justify development of light rail, metro or heavy rail lines, the bus system has to serve the majority of the Dublin area. With this in mind, in its approach to tackling congestion in the Dublin region, subject to the availability of funding, the NTA will focus on transforming the bus system to deliver a step change in performance across the region and complementing that improved public transport system with a network of park and ride sites.

I will detail more specific measures in my supplementary reply.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister but I am sorry that he did not begin reading from the middle of his script rather than from the beginning. The beginning was a history lesson and went over many issues with which we are already familiar. I do not mean to be rude but-----

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputy is correct.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I have set out the position as we find it today. The Minister finished by referring to Dublin Bus but does the Minister know how many extra buses Dublin Bus will have in 2017? The total provision of additional buses this year for Dublin Bus, at a time of significant growth in demand, is 20. That is a grossly inadequate response. The bus network, as the Minister has said, is the backbone of the public transport infrastructure but the Government is not providing the required level of response. As I raise this issue with the Minister, I am frustrated at the lack of urgency. The frustration of the people who will sit in their cars and on buses this evening is not being reflected in the Government's responses.

The entire road infrastructure in the Dublin region is at capacity. Are there plans to deliver what was previously proposed in Lucan, namely a Luas line? Are there plans to open a train station in Kishogue? Are there plans to provide local bus services that would join major transport infrastructure hubs, for example, bus services from neighbourhood centres in places like Clondalkin and Lucan to the Luas station at Red Cow or the main Fonthill Road railway station? Where are the specific plans that could have a more immediate impact?

I could speak on this topic for ages but my time is running out. The final point I will make is that I am concerned about long-term planning. I am concerned because Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and South Dublin County Council, SDCC, have very different views on where things are going. By 2023, TII expects the population of the SDCC area to be 268,000, with jobs in the region standing at 105,000, an increase of 7% and 12% respectively. However, the council itself anticipates that the population will be 280,000 and the number of jobs in the area will be 115,000, representing growth rates of 11% and 23% respectively. How are we going to deliver the necessary infrastructure when TII and SDCC cannot even agree on projected future growth?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I will try to go into more detail on the latter part of my script. The medium term outlook is far better than the picture painted by Deputy Curran. I intend to make the case for increased investment in public transport as part of this year's review of the Government's capital plan and the need to tackle congestion will be a key theme in that case. I acknowledge fully everything the Deputy has said and I acknowledge the need to address the issue. We need a major step forward in our attitude to public transport and we need extra funding for the sorts of measures to which the Deputy referred.

In terms of the specifics, questions should be addressed to TII or the NTA, but if the Deputy has a problem getting an adequate response from either of those bodies regarding specific issues in his constituency, I will certainly be able to ask questions on his behalf. There is no difficulty in that regard but those issues are not ones that I can address across the floor of the House today. The Deputy has raised what are operational matters for the aforementioned bodies; they are not matters for me.

On a general policy level, I will address the matter of the M50. Besides managing demand and optimising operational efficiencies, we are introducing measures to address the very serious and difficult problem of congestion. The Deputy is absolutely right when he says that the numbers using the M50 have increased to approximately 140,000. Those numbers were not predicted and they make it very difficult to manage. However, we have introduced revised merge layouts, permanently signed diversion routes and enhanced vehicle recovery services. The Deputy spoke about being stopped on the M50 for a prolonged period because of an accident on the N7. The aforementioned enhanced vehicle recovery services have been introduced to counter situations such as the one the Deputy described. We have also introduced variable speed limits which have the effect of reducing congestion.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Some of those measures are three years old.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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What else have we done? I suggest to the Deputy that he is not acknowledging some of the things we have done.

In the period 2015-18, several matters will be addressed. First, Luas Cross City will be completed this year, on time. The train service on the Kildare rail line will link with the city centre through the Phoenix Park tunnel. A ten minute DART service will be provided during peak hours. The bus fleet, to which the Deputy referred, will be increased. Additional buses will be acquired and additional capacity will be added on busy routes currently experiencing high passenger numbers in peak hours. Approximately 30 to 40 kilometres of additional bus lane infrastructure will be provided on a number of priority bus corridors forming the core bus network within the Dublin region. There are other measures planned, the details of which I can send to the Deputy. I assure him that the issue will be addressed. We are now in a period of critical congestion which we are taking seriously and which will be addressed in the years to come.