Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and the Clare Street initiative he proposes. I am delighted he is as enthusiastic about this initiative as about previous measures with which he has been involved. If anybody has knowledge of the effect of traffic on local areas, it is the Minister of State. The manner in which the initiative has been compiled and the steering group involved in its delivery will ensure participation is comprehensive and the proposals remain realistic and achievable.

Of all the issues exercising people in my area, traffic probably ranks third on the list after health and crime. Transport issues, whether disc parking, cycle and bus lanes or speed ramps, affect the lives of everyone, from schoolchildren to pensioners. We must all use our transport infrastructure, whether to take a bus or travel by bike, on foot or in a car. Transport, therefore, has a profound impact on people's daily lives and this initiative, which proposes to micro-manage issues and address specific problems, will help to alleviate some of our transport problems.

In my area of Dublin, ramps, speeding, parking for residents and other transport issues create problems. For example, the significant increase in the number of small and large apartment complexes presents difficulties. In the 1980s and 1990s, when speed ramps were first introduced as a traffic calming measure, their purpose was to combat the major joyriding problem experienced in certain areas of the city. These ramps are now being used as a traffic calming measure to reduce speed but have become redundant because the sheer volume of traffic means one can no longer speed on the roads.

Senator Morrissey referred to the Dublin Transportation Office. I recall the widespread consultation process involving the public, business, local authorities and other relevant bodies which took place prior to the establishment of the office. Published in the early 1990s, its final report resulted in the Dublin transport initiative which produced a number of excellent concrete recommendations, including the introduction of bus and cycle lanes, the construction of a light rail system and improved public transport. However, some of the more important recommendations, such as the introduction of park and ride facilities and the construction of a metro, have not been implemented.

I fundamentally disagreed with the policy of excluding as much car traffic as possible from the city centre because the infrastructure required to support this approach was not provided. This policy decision, which is still in effect, was applied at the expense of areas adjacent to the city centre. It is obvious it has not worked because traffic is still a major problem for anyone seeking to cross the city. No steps were taken to link this wider approach with the policies of Dublin City Council, which continued to grant permission for the development of large car parks and apartment complexes in the city centre. The requirement that every apartment development have a certain ratio of car parking spaces to apartments, for example, did not link in to the policy of trying to exclude cars from the city centre.

While nobody can deny the considerable investment and improvement in public transport in recent years, these positive developments must be supported by other measures. The Luas is an example of an approach which works. I recall that the residents of certain areas in my constituency fought tooth and nail against proposals to build a light rail system. Public representatives for these areas did their constituents a major disservice in opposing Luas and causing the planned route to be changed to avoid Mount Brown and Inchicore. Driving through these areas the other day, I noted that businesses are folding or moving elsewhere.

The Clare Street initiative focuses on smaller-scale traffic management. Steps which may not seem significant in the overall context could have profound effects at local level. In recent months, for example, changes to two of the main arteries from the northside into the city centre, the Howth and Malahide roads, which have involved channelling traffic into one lane, have created major problems where there had been none previously. These problems are the direct result of a policy decision to prevent as many cars as possible from entering the city centre. It may be a small change overall but it has a major impact at local level.

While I accept that the introduction of a traffic corps was proposed, one must also consider recent successes such as the imminent opening of the Dublin Port tunnel. Senator Paddy Burke raised the issue of supertrucks. Between 9,000 and 10,000 trucks travel from Dublin Port through East Wall every day. We do not need to supersize them. This is not that big a country. Unfortunately, we cannot cope with these vehicles. I agree with the Taoiseach when he stated we do not need them.