Results 7,561-7,580 of 26,021 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: In fairness, Minister, I think the Estimates are coming in on 9 February, so we will have a chance to go through them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does Senator Buttimer wish to pose a question to the Minister?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Well done. There is €360 million for active travel. The programme for Government refers to a 2:1 ratio between public transport and roads. Is that both the revenue and capital budget or just the capital budget?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is the €360 million part of that 2:1 or outside of it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: With due respect, public transport versus roads is well above 2:1 in reality. Some €360 million a year brings it well above 2:1 overall. In one way, I am surprised that €360 million is not included in the 2:1 because the bulk of it is capital. Many projects have very little headroom, especially roads. I want to deal with roads. We have dealt with rail. We have very poor...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister has name-checked the national planning framework at length today. I have looked at the national planning framework. The two top ones are compact growth, which we all agree with, and enhanced regional accessibility. It refers to all regions in the country having a high degree of access to Dublin as well as to each other. Not every route has to look east. Accessibility can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I accept that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: What is the Minister's view at this stage on the M20 project?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: A dual carriageway?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: What about dual carriageways? The second objective under the national planning framework is to connect cities. The Minister speaks about the cities growing. Cork, Limerick and Galway must be accounted for. Many of the areas on the route from Limerick to Cork are treacherous, particularly between Charleville and Mallow. Bypasses are needed, but equally we have to address travel time and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: If TII comes up with a proposal and is talking about a motorway or dual carriageway, will the Minister oppose that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister said that already. The national planning framework, which he has quoted, specifically addresses enhanced regional accessibility and specifically mentions linking Cork and Limerick. Ultimately, if we are to have proper balanced regional development, we must connect the cities. I accept that we must have compact growth within the cities.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Those aspects are not mutually exclusive.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We cannot have a situation where cities are operating in isolation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister spoke about Dublin. The only situations where we can have regions that would be competitive outside of Dublin is if we can achieve the synergies between the cities located right up along the Atlantic economic corridor. Has the Minister driven the N20 from Limerick to Cork?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does the Minister know how bad that road is?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: That road has the highest rate of fatalities. It is a lethal road and it has stopped economic development in that area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We all agree with that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Once again, I am coming a distance with the Minister, which is that I agreed to the bypass. I am also coming a distance with him in that we need to build up the cities, but for whatever reason the Minister has an ideological position whereby he will come out against something that might be good. He deliberately did so on the northern distributor road earlier. The LSMATS plan may show that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am a Deputy in Limerick city. I know that route intimately and grew up along it. We have a once in a lifetime chance and you are the Minister. TII is doing its work. I hope the Minister will have an open mind on what the professionals come forward with, whatever that is. I want to see a dual carriageway and motorway along that route. I want to see Charleville, Mallow and Buttevant...