David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to be invited to the House to discuss traffic management in Dublin in light of the proposal to extend the 30 km/h limit throughout the city. Nobody observes this as it is; it is laughable. I drive around the city and nobody is observing it. It is understandable as this proposal was promoted by a women whose child was killed in Kilkenny. That is a very emotional issue and it is very understandable that this should happen, although it is unrealistic. The next thing is having somebody walking in front of a car with a red flag. It is all part of a policy in Dublin that has been ongoing for years. The city authorities are attempting to use the infrastructure of the city as a weapon against the citizens. It is dangerous.

The authorities have spikes in the middle of the road and they continuously alter the layout of those spikes. At the back gate of Trinity there are crashes and traffic flow hold-ups, etc. They have extended footpaths unnecessarily all over the place. They have jagged parking areas for rented bicycles. Just today I was nearly run down by somebody on one of these rented bikes cycling on the pavement with a telephone at her ear. It is funny but it is also dangerous, particularly for people even more elderly than I am who could be knocked down and have their limbs destroyed. There is also a policy of restricting the number of parking spaces in new developments. There is a deliberate plan to curtail people, particularly those living in the inner city, from having cars at all. It is a real mistake.

The transport policy is a disaster and the Luas is useless. The way it was put together is mad. It should have been put underground and there is still a possibility it can be put underground. That is the way to go. I ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to come to the House to discuss these matters.