Results 7,801-7,820 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: On the last point of traffic relating to construction, the reports indicate that such traffic has not reached the level it was at during the boom. As the economy progresses and gets better, there will be a significant further increase in construction traffic, which is not yet accounted for in figures, if I read the report correctly. Deputy Rock is next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: He is a full member.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Deputy was just not at the meetings to find that out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We agreed to stick to committee members by rotation so I call Deputy Munster. I apologise if Deputy Lahart feels left out. Deputy Rock has been a member of the transport committee for two months and has been at all the meetings.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I support Deputy Munster on the need for regulation of rickshaws. I am advised by the clerk that the Minister has been invited to appear before the committee on 30 May to discuss the issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Everybody has a role to play. I agree with the Deputy that this is a hugely important issue and it is a priority for the committee. I would like to make a couple of points before I call Deputy Catherine Murphy. There are various authorities doing excellent work in the transport area but is there a need for an overall tsar, somebody to whom everybody would be accountable? In other words,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Minister is responsible for policy. I am speaking about administration in terms of identifying issues, taking control of them and bringing proposed solutions to the committee and the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We will now move on to Members of the Houses who are not members of the committee. I will invite Members in the order in which they entered the room to avoid arguments. I recognise that this is a hugely important issue for Members but I must make one point. The political system is responsible for investment in transport. Our witnesses today have pushed for and want the most modern public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: To put some structure on this afterwards, as a huge variety of ideas and thoughts are being put forward, after we respond and have a debate on them we will summarise them and have another meeting in six weeks to see what progress has been made on the points so it is not just a talking shop. We want to get clear actions out of this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Sorry, but I wish to be fair to everybody. The Deputy is very welcome here. I asked for this meeting to take place. One other member was present when I made that request. The idea was to concentrate on the immediate needs. We acknowledge the fact that there is a huge capital investment programme for the DART, MetroLink and so forth. We are not being critical. The objective of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Hold on. I am the Chairman. There is no reason that the Deputy cannot say anything he wishes but, in fairness to our guests, that is what I asked them to comment on. Whatever criticisms the Deputy might have of what they said is his opinion. However, they are here in good faith. I am happy to stand over my invitation to them to come here in that context. I said to them outside that we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I just thought I should point that out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Yes, and fairly, properly and appropriately. I ask Deputy Eamon Ryan to withdraw any inference regarding our guests.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Deputy should also withdraw the inference about people not cycling. He does not know anything about the means by which our guests travelled here. It is unfair to berate them like that. I accept the Deputy's concerns but we should keep it constructive and positive, not personal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: In fairness, I asked them to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is why this meeting is taking place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I want to make sure that we do not just talk about it today but that we get outcomes that are predictable, make sense and will work.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: When I proposed the meeting, there was nobody here apart from one member. The witnesses are here based on the decision we made then and that was the mandate they have here today, with respect to them. The whole idea is that we now have a discussion on the ideas that were put forward and, obviously, the witnesses want to respond very strongly to some of the points. After that, we have to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: On that point, I use the port tunnel a lot and it often does not recognise the tag, which causes delays. This also happens at the other toll at the River Liffey crossing, so it is significant. Drivers are waving their numbers out at toll operators every day, believe it or not.