Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

Like Senator Wilson, I too, thought that the Clare Street initiative and traffic calming measures was about putting ramps on Clare Street, until my colleague, Senator Paddy Burke, told me what it was really about.

I cannot compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, on what is proposed here. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, is very welcome. Coming from Cork as he does, I am sure he understands the problems we have in Dublin and does not envy us. I want to quote the Minister of State, Deputy Callely:

I want to place on the record my commitment to ensuring that a broadly based, consultative and innovative approach is taken to provide an efficient and sustainable transportation infrastructure for the people, communities, social and economic partners of the greater Dublin area.

That is very good. We heard something along those lines on the first day the Government was formed. I want, however, to bring the next sentence to the House's attention: "I believe that this approach is the starting point for any discussion on the future of transportation in the greater Dublin area."

I am expected to welcome the Clare Street initiative but there is no need for this initiative. I feel sorry for the people the Minister of State has invited to discuss this with him and I compliment them on giving of their time to do so. Do they realise that the plan is there already in the form of the Dublin Transportation Office's transport strategy A Platform for Change — 2000 to 2016? It just has to be implemented. This initiative has no teeth, whatsoever. It is an effort by the Minister of State to reinvent himself, or to boost his ego, and to deflect attention away from the work that has not been done by his Department.

The failure to do this work has resulted in the congestion and the gridlock to be seen in Dublin on a daily basis. The Minister of State wants to try to solve the congestion in Dublin and this is the starting point. Does the Minister of State believe we came down in the last shower? Does he believe the people of Dublin will thank him for this initiative? I think not, and it is foolish to consider that this will deceive the people. We knew what needed to be done years ago, as Senator Morrissey has outlined. It is absurd to be talking of a ten-year plan which still has to be published. I have heard Senator Morrissey many times, and I support him in much of what he has said. Where is the integrated ticketing? Where is the electronic real-time bus information system? It would not be of great assistance, indeed, to people at the bus stops, apart from telling them that the bus will not be along for another 20 minutes or so. Where are the car parks at the railway stations? Where are the park-and-ride facilities we talked about years ago? In the Fingal county development plan, park-and-ride facilities have been included for years and not one has been provided. It would really impact on congestion in Dublin if people on the outskirts could be transported to the city centre by buses in the way the Luas is now transporting people from the Red Cow roundabout. There is not a single park-and-ride facility, certainly in the Fingal area.

As regards rail services, I acknowledge some improvements have been made on the Connolly-Maynooth line. This cannot be further improved, however, because of lack of capacity at Connolly station. An area of Dublin 15 which has a population approaching 100,000 is gridlocked due to lack of investment in public transport. There are some quality bus corridors over short distances. The one referred by Senator Morrissey is perhaps 100 yd. long before reaching a bottleneck from which point the buses cannot proceed any further. The same applies to most bus corridors in Dublin. While I support them and agree they help users to reach their destination a little quicker, buses still crawl into town.

An Bord Pleanála consistently informs us that it approves planning applications on the basis of the availability of public transport. It may, for example, grant permission for development if a bus corridor is located nearby. Dublin has been over-developed without the provision of an appropriate level of infrastructure. The city needs development because people want to live in it but this development must be matched by infrastructure. While the Dublin Port tunnel will make a major difference on the quays, it will create chaos on the M50, already the largest car park in the country.

The Minister of State did not mention the proposal to introduce a dedicated traffic corps. Where is this simple initiative? Why has it not been implemented? A dedicated traffic corps should be introduced immediately but its members should not be gardaí. The Garda should be deployed to prevent crime on the street not to direct traffic.

The document, A Platform for Change, outlines what needs to be done in Dublin. I cannot understand how the Minister of State has the brass neck to come into the House and inform Senators that this report is the starting point for discussion on transportation in Dublin. The parties in Government have been in power for almost eight years. What have they delivered? This Government has done nothing but increase congestion and gridlock in Dublin, yet the House is still discussing A Platform for Change.