Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

Prosperity and economic success have resulted in a significant increase in the number of cars on the roads. It is a matter of concern that the number of cars here per capita remains low when compared to other European Union member states. This means congestion problems will worsen as the number of cars on the roads increases in the next ten to 15 years.

Few of us would have expected traffic jams to supersede the weather as the main topic of conversation for many people. I recall that in the days before the introduction of Sky Sports, soccer fans had to listen to BBC Radio 2 on Saturdays. It was while listening to this station that I first heard traffic reports. I never expected we would ever have traffic jams here. Traffic congestion on our roads has become a crucial national issue, both from an economic perspective and in terms of the major social problems it causes. For this reason, it must be urgently addressed.

The statistics on the cost of the M50 to motorists and the significant sums being generated by road tolling oblige us to reflect on our approach to road tolls. We need a national debate on the issue. Like Senator McDowell, I do not have hard and fast views on whether tolls are a good or bad idea. Given the clear need to build more roads, the question is how they should be funded. In the mid to late 1980s no one foresaw how much money would be collected by National Toll Roads. The West Link, which cost €38 million to build, will have raised more than €1 billion by 2020. Perhaps we should have had greater vision at the time but no one envisaged that the bridge would generate this kind of money. It is important, therefore, that we now ask what is the best way forward.

The prospect of new tolls being introduced is a cause of major concern. Senator McDowell asked when I would raise the issue of the Fermoy bypass. The Minister will be aware of the position in Fermoy, a town in my former Dáil constituency. A road, which was originally designed as a bypass of the town, has become part of the much larger Cork to Dublin motorway. The decision to place toll booths just outside the town has caused considerable local unease because it will result in cars diverting into the town to avoid the toll plaza. The National Roads Authority has indicated that up to 40% of cars using the motorway will make a diversion, which would be a disappointing development. If this estimate reflects the future scale of the problem in Fermoy, it raises concerns about the scale of future problems in larger cities, particularly in the Dublin region if drivers are required to pay tolls at two or three points on the M50.

The tolling system needs to be examined. Contracts signed with National Toll Roads clearly cannot be cast aside and negotiations with the company will be necessary. The option of replacing toll charges with a levy on petrol and dieselmust be considered. The House has already debated shadow tolling, which involves removing barriers and billing drivers who pass a toll. An alternative to this approach would be to raise the necessary funding by other means. Although it is universally accepted that roads will not be built free of charge, the current system is unsustainable.

While, like Senator Wilson, I do not travel the M50 every day, the queues are of a scale that we cannot allow. We are beginning to appreciate the level of frustration and anger felt by motorists and we must respond to it. Although I wish I had the solution, I do not. What has happened over the past five or six years cannot be repeated. Since it is not sustainable to allow more and more traffic to build up at these tolling booths, new solutions are required. The idea that people who live in certain areas and who travel along the M50 might have to pay a number of tolls per day is not only politically unacceptable but wrong on every count.

As the Minister tries to proceed with the national transport plan and put in place a mechanism to spend the €34 billion, which is an enormous sum, we must ensure it is done in such a way that gives value for money and does not create these huge bottlenecks. I wish the Minister well in his endeavours but over the past five to ten years we have seen a system that does not work and urgently needs to be reviewed. The public representatives for the Dublin region understand better than I that the issue of traffic jams and transport management has become almost No. 1 on the political agenda, and consumers and constituents will demand a political response. The Minister must insist that the NRA urgently reviews the situation where planned bypasses end up with toll plazas. Being parochial again, this is an issue not just in Fermoy but in towns across the country.