Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I realise that. It was good to hear Senator Ross's support for the measures. While many people talk about the need for cycling, when something was done yesterday, it was the cause of a bit of merriment. It was good to lighten the mood and to hear a few giggles because much of the Minister's speech was probably not very interesting news. While we all say nice things about cycling, it is unfortunate that when something is being done, it is regarded as a bit of a joke. That was the general response yesterday.

Facilities, money, ideas and vision are needed as well as a change in the culture. I hope many of those measures will be set in train when the plan is published. There was a time when cycling was a widely used mode of transport. Perhaps I am showing my age but 40 or 50 years ago, there would be five or six lanes of bicycles. We will not return to those days but we need to get back to greater use of bicycles because we cannot cater for all the cars. From the point of view of vehicle emissions and what was done yesterday, the new plan has the potential to change the culture in a significant way.