David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I beg your pardon. I apologise. I call for a debate on transport. About 35 years ago, I was one of the principal organisers of the Dublin crisis conference where we focused on reclaiming Dublin as a living city. We now have a situation where apparently 1,200 front gardens are going to taken over by the NTA to create a series of express bus routes. This is part of the continuing disaster on the part of whatever imbeciles are in charge of the transport network in this country. People will open their front doors not on to a garden but straight on to the street. What about the pollution from diesel fumes? We are really degrading people's lives. Instead of having them living in a living city, we have them living in an industrial environment. This is an appalling situation. What they really should have done is put in an underground railway. I said this 30 years ago in this House and got very strong support from all sides. We were nearly there and then the Government lost its nerve at the very last minute but it is still not too late. An orbital underground system could be installed. I doubt if a message coming from this House to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport from his former senatorial colleague will carry a perfumed aroma but I would ask the Leader to transmit to Senator Ross that there is somebody in this country-----