Results 361-380 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I welcome the NTA to the transport committee. I concur with Deputy Duncan Smith's comment that the NTA is always willing to engage and that is appreciated by all members of the committee. I saw the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report this week, which is positive about emissions reductions. We are here to discuss sustainability in transport. We have seen good work being done in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is absolutely critical for the reasons Ms Graham outlined. I urge any future Government to adopt that type of policy. The transport budget will always be there, but knowing what the ratio of the spend will be gives confidence. We spoke about driver recruitment earlier. How does train driver recruitment stand at the moment? I engaged with the NTA about improving the weekend service...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: In the first year, we saw active travel budgets. In the second year, we saw the recruitment of staff by local authorities to design and implement those projects. It did not really bed in until the third year of this Government, when everything started to work well together. What is the process when a local authority district engineer and members identify potential active travel projects...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: Is each individual project assigned its own code? Could a district engineer come along and say, "I have a bundle of ten radius-tightening projects", and then submit that up through the chain?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is important because it is often small interventions that can make the link between two bigger ones. On the 23 km zone, how did the NTA arrive at 23 km? I appreciate a line will always have to be drawn and there will always be people outside it-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: How did the NTA come to 23 km, when the other zone is 50 km?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I had not intended to ask this question but Mr. Ryan has set it up very nicely for me. Maynooth was the north star. The Maynooth service commences at Pearse Station. The service is from Pearse Station, or possibly Grand Canal Dock, to Maynooth. Pearse to Greystones and Pearse to Maynooth is the exact same number of kilometres, yet Pearse to Maynooth passengers can avail of the cheaper...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: The other end of that DART line will end in Wicklow town.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: To continue on that point before I bring in Deputy O'Connor, I fully concur with Deputy O'Rourke. People in villages and towns tell me they never had a bus before and now they do. In terms of meeting demand, there is also induced demand there as well. As people become more aware, they find there is a bus service in place and it works. The NTA may look at static demand first but then there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I think we all would. I will bring in Deputy O'Connor next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: We have spoken about the Local Link service. Is there potentially any option to have some sort of GPS on a bus such that somebody could use an app to know where the service is? The 183, for example, is a fantastic service but it is on a very long route and can fall behind. Is that something the NTA would look at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is positive. We spoke briefly earlier about circulating buses in towns. Two buses have been proposed under BusConnects, namely, route L14 for Bray and L2 and L3 for Greystones, although those numbers might be incorrect. Is there a commencement date for any of those services?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I think we have had about five or six Local Link services into Wicklow over recent years, which is very positive, but there is one missing link, which relates to Laragh and Annamoe, through Roundwood, into Bray train station. A private operator operates on that route. It is a well-established service that has served people well, but a Local Link service would suit that commuting type of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: It would be a complication that there is a private operator there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: The private operator has been operating there for a long time. It does not, in my view, provide a commuting option. It is very much a St. Stephen's Green to Glendalough-type service, so it was intended more to serve perhaps visitors or tourists. As the witnesses well know, however, Local Link services can provide that link into Bray train station for people working in the city or who need...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I call Senator Murphy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Graham, Mr. Creegan and Mr. Ryan for their attendance today. The investment in transport in recent years creates further difficulties and expectations and puts further strain on the system. For me these are positive problems rather than negative problems. We have all been around long enough to have seen major cutbacks in public transport. We are now going the other way. I pass...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: 110. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 278 of 4 July 2024, the position regarding the number of students that have more than one offer of a school place (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure that the eight students still without a place for the coming school year are accommodated; and if she will make a statement on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Waterways Ireland: Discussion. (9 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: Good afternoon. I welcome everyone to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Today's discussion is with Waterways Ireland. I welcome Mr. Éanna Rowe and Mr. Patrick Harkin back to the committee again. This is their third time with us in recent months, and the committee appreciates the level of engagement that they have shown. We are joined by many...