Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

I congratulate the Minister, the Minister of State and the Department on the production of Transport 21. The next ten years will be the most crucial in this country's infrastructural development. We have almost reached saturation point with regard to the number of cars on roads in Dublin. Certain Senators spoke about their own experience with Dublin traffic. It took me an hour and a half to travel the four and a half miles from Donaghmede to Drumcondra this morning. This morning was exceptional for no obvious reason.

Transport 21 is farsighted, well planned and well researched. I remember the Dublin transportation initiative which led to the creation of the Dublin Transportation Office. At that time, I disagreed with the policy of excluding cars from the city centre. We now have long traffic queues, cars parked in streets around the city and a concomitant increase in vehicle emissions. Transport 21 is a holistic and comprehensive look at how we can tackle these problems. I welcome the commitments given regarding value for money in this initiative. These include various guides and fixed-price contracts which have been cost reviewed at the beginning and include inflation and risks.

The plan contains provisions for more buses and quality bus corridors for Dublin. A total of 170 bus routes cater for over 500,000 people per day in Dublin. A Senator commented that Dublin Bus has not improved but I believe it has improved immensely. It has increased its transportation of commuters by 25% over the past six years. The Luas and DART systems are considerable successes. I welcome the news that the RPA has called on the Minister to introduce the railway order which will permit the extension of the Luas line to the Point Theatre. The extension of this line is crucial to this area of the city and will link with the proposed new train station there which will be part of the Navan line.

The provision of park and ride facilities around Dublin city was part of the original plan, which would enable people living on the outskirts to park their cars and use public transport. I listened to Senator Norris's comments regarding the metro system. The late Rudi Monaghan, whom I knew very well, pushed for the creation of a metro system for a long time. A metro system is essential, particularly when one considers that such systems are the main form of transport in most capital cities in Europe and the rest of the world.

The need for connectivity throughout the country comes across in the plan. A Senator commented that there was no timing or detail in the plan but it contains a considerable amount of detail regarding what will happen between 2006 and 2015. The plan also contains an element relating to the upgrading of roads between this country and Northern Ireland. It also provides for the upgrading of provisional bus services, roads and the rail network.

Traffic problems in Dublin must be tackled. The Minister and the Minister of State have demonstrated great initiative in attempting to tackle some of the problems facing Dublin. The Clare Street initiative was one such project. I congratulate the Minister, the Minister of State and the Department on producing Transport 21.