John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to improve micromobility infrastructure in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35771/20]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the huge investment this week in cycling infrastructure throughout the country. It is the largest ever investment in this area on behalf of the State and there is more to come. There has never been a greater opportunity to move ahead with the provision of cycling infrastructure in terms of public goodwill and support and, more specifically, the public appetite for such initiatives demonstrated throughout the first lockdown and necessitated by the impact of Covid on public transport capacity.

What are the Minister's plans in respect of cycling infrastructure in Dublin?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Did the Deputy mention cycling infrastructure at the end?

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My understanding was that the question was on-----

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am asking about micromobility infrastructure.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I would include e-scooters and e-bikes in that, along with cycling. I know the Deputy has had an interest in promoting legislation on e-scooters. We intend to regulate e-scooters. In that regard, a road traffic (miscellaneous provisions) Bill is being developed in my Department in conjunction with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. That is due before the Dáil shortly. I hope to introduce an amendment on Committee Stage which would allow for secondary legislation to regulate e-scooters. I believe their use should be encouraged.

The Deputy has spoken about a whole new direction in transport, under which e-mobility will be promoted in a variety of different ways. First and foremost in any discussion of micromobility must be pedestrianisation. We have to create safe conditions for pedestrians. This will involve better footpaths, easier zebra crossings and a whole range of different measures. Micromobility also includes cycling and these new e-bikes. These are fantastic because they extend the range people can travel and make cycling easier for people with less ability or in different age groups. The technology is improving dramatically and the cost is coming down. I am, however, speaking about ordinary bikes as well.

There is a revolution taking place in transport which leads towards this type of transport system. We need to start shaping the rest of the transport system around it so that the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and students going to college on an e-scooter is prioritised. The heavier actors in transport have to take care if we are to create a safe environment for those mobile modes. I very much support the Deputy's comments. I give notice of our intention to regulate for e-scooters, an intention mentioned in the programme for Government.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. I acknowledge that I am pushing an open door. The directly-elected mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, introduced and appointed a cycling commissioner, Chris Boardman, the first UK Olympian to win a medal for cycling, which he did at the Barcelona Olympics. The Minister could do worse than to consider the appointment of a micromobility commissioner for Dublin. Such a person could really drive the agenda across the four Dublin local authorities, which have shown mixed responses to the need for micromobility. The Minister will be familiar with Dublin City Council's approach, which has been really proactive, as has that of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. My county council, South Dublin County Council, has been behind in this regard. The Minister could consider such an appointment.

I agree wholeheartedly with, and strongly welcome, the Minister's comments on the need for a hierarchy of responsibility on our roads, as is legislated for on the Continent. The Minister might outline if he has any plans to back up such a hierarchy with legislation.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I believe we have the correct structure in Dublin. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is the lead authority in designing and implementing the city transport strategy. An example of this is the BusConnects project. Its implementation will not be without difficulties. I was speaking to Deputy Lahart's constituency colleague, Deputy Duffy, last night in Rathfarnham. The Deputy will be aware of the granular detail but, in general, this scheme, although it is called BusConnects, will completely transform the city for the better as regards cycling. We are in the third round of consultation now and, during the process, the scheme changed from one which was very traditional and heavily orientated towards traffic to one which promotes pedestrian, cyclist and e-mobility safety structures. It is critical that this scheme be introduced, although it may need further amendment in respect of very local specific issues. The broad outline of the plan seems right to me. The authority has done good work in the consultation. We do not need a tsar; we need to implement what we have.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Perhaps we will come back to that issue another day. Returning to the legislation, pedestrians give out about cyclists, cyclists give out about car drivers and car drivers give out about heavy goods vehicles. We should legislate for a hierarchy of responsibility so that truck and bus drivers would be responsible for smaller motor vehicles, cars would be responsible for smaller vehicles such as bikes and e-scooters, and everyone would be responsible for pedestrians. Legislation of this kind exists in other countries.

I know the Minister will appreciate the concept of cyclovia, which has been introduced in other capitals and which began in Colombia. It involves cities holding car-free days. In Dublin, this might include those areas within the canal cordon. It would be held once a month. This is a small request to make and there should not be any obstacles in the way. We shut the area down for the marathon once a year. Can the Minister imagine the activity that would be generated in the capital, particularly during the period of Covid restrictions, with regard to pedestrian movements if we implemented cyclovia in Dublin once a month?

Finally, with regard to the Phoenix Park, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. There has been great public movement with regard to bikes and pedestrians. Can we return to pedestrian movement only in the Phoenix Park, even if only on weekends? If we could do so even just for Sundays, it would be a gesture towards those who support micromobility.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Deputy mentioned Colombia. One of my heroes is a former mayor in Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, who transformed the city of Bogotá into a cycling and walking city. He is like something out of a Mario Vargas Llosa novel, a romantic. He has said that pavements are for kissing and that man and woman are to walking what fish are to swimming. He had a romantic vision of how cities and streets should be designed. It is a social project because it is a project for everyone.

On the matter of the hierarchy approach, every tier must be designed around people with disabilities. This is the case for public transport, pavements and other infrastructure. When one designs for people with disabilities, one also designs for parents with a buggy and two or three kids, for older people and for people like poor old Deputy Chambers, who currently has a broken foot. When one designs in that way, one gets better transport systems that work better in every way. They are more efficient and more effective. That is the metric. One starts with disability and works from the pedestrian and the cyclist up, just as Deputy Lahart has said.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I hate to interrupt but I must ensure that everyone gets a turn.