Joe O'Toole (Independent)

There is always a double-think on the question of traffic. As a starting point there should be one person in charge of transport. There are too many bodies. If I had a choice in the morning I would nominate the one person who has achieved everything he has set out to do, the much reviled Mr. Keegan. He has always delivered exactly what he said he would, he has taken on those who criticised him and has always been prepared. When he set up the Donnybrook quality bus corridor the people in RTE were appalled – they get upset about that kind of thing outside their front door. He offered them bets that he would have increased usership and improved the time within months. The recent survey, to which Senator Dooley referred, has just proved that point.

The problem with Mr. Keegan's job is that his remit extends only to the city area. He has done his part of what needs to be done but it does not fit in with anyone else. A good example is the park and ride scheme. The quality bus corridors are working very well but they are no good if people cannot leave their cars at their starting point. There is no place to park where corridors begin in Finglas, Blanchardstown, Stillorgan or Malahide, and I could go on. If park and ride facilities, which were part of the plan into which Mr. Keegan was feeding, were there, it would make life much easier. There is no doubt that a bus can bring someone into the city far quicker than a private car and more people are using it in that way. If someone is coming along the N3 who wants to use the quality bus corridor when there is a bus from Ashbourne or from Finglas, what can he or she do with his or her car? Senator Morrissey made the same point about lack of co-ordination.

The other example is the port tunnel. Will we ban trucks that cannot fit into the tunnel from the roads, a decision I would support? It is a great idea but I do not believe the Government will do that. Those trucks are not allowed into many parts of Europe but we will build the tunnel to comply with the current regulations and they will just come back onto the streets, or somewhere else, and continue on their way. When the port tunnel opens it will bring another 8,000 trucks a day onto the M50.