Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Dooley for raising this matter. I accept traffic control is an important issue which could contribute so much to the quality of life in residential developments. Providing homes to people in sustainable communities is at the heart of the Government's policy as set out in the new detailed housing policy statement launched recently. The Government's policy includes a strong focus on building active and successful communities through quality housing and is committed to continuing improvements in the quality of houses and neighbourhoods. Guidance on best practice on planning new housing developments in urban areas is set out in the residential density guidelines.

Recent guidance on the important issue of traffic calming is contained in the traffic management guidelines manual which was issued in 2003 by the Department of Transport and my Department. The essential points of these guidelines will be restated in the Department's new sustainable residential development guidelines which will be available in draft form later this year. The purpose of the Traffic Management Guidelines manual was to provide guidance on a variety of issues including traffic planning, traffic calming and management, incorporation of speed restraint measures in new residential designs, and the provision of suitably designed facilities for public transport users and for vulnerable road users. It was prepared in line with national and regional transport strategy guidelines that promote sustainability and accessibility through improvement to, and better management of, the transport system. It was designed to provide assistance to a wide range of people including local authority officials, developers, voluntary organisations and the general public, and also Departments and their agencies.

Section C of the manual deals with speed management and traffic calming. It gives advice on traffic calming measures, both for existing roads and new roads. A number of traffic calming measures are suggested for existing roads, for example, traffic islands, mini-roundabouts, chicanes, ramps, speed cushions. Guidance is provided in respect of the suitability of the various traffic calming measures for different categories of roads.

On new areas, however, the guidelines state that it is possible to constrain speeds without the need to resort to remedial treatments such as ramps. Here the opportunity exists to use horizontal alignment constraints backed up by good urban design to keep speeds low. The careful positioning of buildings, landscaping and the use of different materials can help to reinforce the need to reduce speed and reduce the dominance of motor vehicles.

A number of further measures are also recommended for new areas. These include entry treatment, shared surfaces, carriageway narrowings and chicanes, speed reduction bends, speed control islands, priority junctions and traffic islands.

Traffic calming measures may be funded under the low cost safety improvement works scheme of grants, once the roads have been taken in charge by the local authority. This year the Department has allocated almost €8 million to local authorities in respect of low cost safety improvement works on non-national roads. Local authorities may also use discretionary improvement and block grants, which are allocated to county councils and urban authorities, respectively, to fund such works. This year discretionary improvement and block grant allocations to local authorities total almost €41 million.

Senators will be aware that development contributions, which are attached as conditions of planning permissions, may be spent on a range of public infrastructure benefiting the development. The relevant categories of infrastructure include traffic calming measures.

I am satisfied, therefore, that planning authorities have available detailed guidance on the provision of traffic control measures in all new housing developments, and also that they have adequate funding for such measures in both new and established areas. The Department keeps the need for further planning guidelines under review.

I fully understand the matter raised by Senator Dooley. Better design can help to reduce many of the problems before they arise. Considerable money is coming into many local authorities through development contributions and council members should press the officials that there is no point in hoarding the money and they have the authority to spend it on items such as those to which Senator Dooley referred. I thank Senator Dooley for raising the matter.