Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him well. I worked with him when he was Minister of State with responsibility for the elderly and he will fulfil his new role well. The introduction of the national development plan has resulted in significant investment to revitalise transport in the greater Dublin area.

The two Luas lines have been a great success. The journey from Sandyford to St. Stephen's Green takes 22 minutes and from Tallaght to the city centre takes 43 minutes. Those are very impressive journey times. When I was a county councillor I travelled from my area to Tallaght and it used to take me over one and a half hours to travel to and from Tallaght. The journey time of 43 minutes is a significant achievement and is welcomed by every Dublin citizen. Commuters can now travel to their destination efficiently and in comfort.

The platforms on the DART line have been upgraded so that those with disabilities have easy access to the trains and this is a significant improvement. Four or five years ago the number of DART carriages per train could not be increased because the platforms were not long enough. That improvement has been implemented and is a step forward which facilitates those travelling to and from the city.

Bus Átha Cliath has increased its fleet numbers. There are too many buses on the road. Given the traffic congestion, the buses overlap one another. In many cases three buses come in a row. If there was no congestion, there might be no need for the extra fleet of buses.

Quality bus corridors, particularly the Stillorgan and Rathfarnham QBCs, have been a major success. They are working very well. The rail services in the outer area have also increased capacity which will facilitate the demand from Kildare, Maynooth and Gorey. I acknowledge there is much more to be done but these are significant steps forward.

The question to be answered is how we can lessen our dependence on the private motor car. Is it the case that bus users are switching to the Luas and therefore the motorists are not being taken off the road? Some action must be taken because the traffic congestion is building up. I needed to bring my car into town in order to collect a big item but I will not do so again. It took an hour to get in and out of the Jervis Centre. I will not bring my car into town for the remainder of this year. It took me one and a half hours to travel home yesterday, which is ridiculous. People must cop on about this situation.

I suggest that an integrated ticket system might be a way forward. A man travelled up from Waterford to St. James's Hospital. He came up by train and crossed the road to travel by Luas to St. James's Hospital but he had to buy his ticket on a different system. It should have been possible for him to buy a ticket at Waterford station to connect with the Luas. Such a system would attract more people to public transport. They should not be inconvenienced in their travel. In this regard I agree with Senator Morrissey's comments regarding a yearly ticket. Employers could produce a yearly ticket for employees with perhaps a tax rebate as a way of attracting them away from using a private car.

The provincial buses all leave from Busáras at 5.30 p.m., heading for the N4, N7 or N9 routes. Why can they not be moved out to the depots near the Red Cow roundabout? That should be considered.

The park and ride system is not working. People still park on the side of the road in Sandyford rather than in the park and ride facility because they will not pay the fee. I was surprised at that attitude and it needs to be examined. I urge the Minister of State to solve the problem of congestion in the run-up to Christmas. If the traffic can be kept flowing, we are halfway to success.