Seanad debates

Wednesday, 14 June 2006

Road Traffic Bill 2006: Committee Stage.

 

11:00 am

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I welcome what the Minister has set out in the Bill regarding the issue of in-car entertainment and other modern technologies. Obviously, it is all about driver behaviour and ensuring drivers concentrate on the management of the vehicle and on the road.

Something which is not in this section but to which the Minister of State might give consideration at a later stage, is the issue of scenic routes, which are now defined through the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, or more particularly through the local authority, in terms of their development plans. They are creating and identifying routes as scenic routes.

The designation of scenic routes and the belief that they can be used for something other than that for which they are designed, namely, as thoroughfares to get from A to B, has the capacity to lead to accidents due to people slowing down in particular scenic spots, not concentrating on the road and, more particularly, looking at the visual amenity in the area. On another level, it is creating major problems in terms of people getting planning permission in particular areas. That aspect should be addressed by the Minister of State's Department in terms of road safety.

We have many scenic routes in County Clare and the Department must examine, in conjunction with the local authorities, the possibility of providing more lay-bys in particular areas to accommodate tourists and others who wish to appreciate the scenic value of particular areas. There is an exercise between the Minister's Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to move away from the principle of all stretches of road being seen as some type of scenic amenity. It is more important that they be seen as thoroughfares and try to discourage people from gaping over ditches in a way that has an impact on road safety.

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