Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discuss this important issue. I am concerned about the level of traffic control in new and existing housing estates around the country. My greatest concern is, obviously, for the housing estates throughout County Clare, but I suppose the problem exists in every county.

Local authorities are making no effort to restrict the speed of traffic through estates. Some older estates have wider roads where cars can travel at considerable speed. The nature of modern day living is that houses in many estates are rented out. The result is that many young people in their first job live in these houses and have cars. These people are more carefree and may have a more careless approach than traditional householders. Unfortunately, this makes life extremely difficult for young families living in these estates. The one positive aspect of older estates is that back gardens are bigger and people can let their children play there. However, in many new developments, following the guidelines issued by the Department on greater densities, smaller sites and communal play or green areas, children must spend more time on the public roadways of their estates. This has created a major problem for parents.

We are about to enter the summer period and children will have no place to play except in these open public areas, in close proximity to young men and women who are driving for the first time and who may have a careless approach. Unfortunately, they create a serious hazard. As a result many parents will not let their children out and confine them to small back yards or gardens.

In addition, some councils have not progressed their play programmes or the provision of playgrounds. However, I will not get into that now. My purpose in raising this motion is to seek assistance from the Department for the provision of funding to local authorities that will allow them install speed restricting devices in estates. They should limit the width of roadways, put in some kind of chicane that would cause people to slow down or install speed ramps or bumps. This requires funding and local authorities need help in that regard.

For new estates a revision of planning guidelines could ensure planning conditions are changed to ensure all new developments above a certain size or with roads of a certain length are required to put speed restrictions in place, whether by way of traffic islands or other mechanisms. I have sought the assistance of both town and county local authorities in County Clare in this regard. However, they have refused to put in speed restricting measures for a variety of reasons, mainly funding and the fact that if they put them in one estate they will have to put them in all estates.

We must accept there is a problem. We must deal with the legacy of the existing estates and for future developments we must change guidelines to put a condition on builders to install restrictions. Developers would, in many cases, be happy to do this as the cost would be relatively small at construction stage.

I appeal to the Minister, for the sake of young children, to ensure the Government continues to strive for safer roads and give consideration to these proposals.