Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----but the Minister seems to be spending far more time on judicial appointments and other matters, including Garda stations, than he is on his own brief of transport. Cycling is a positive activity for all of us. I want to acknowledge the death at the weekend of Shane Duggan, a 16 year old from Straffan. We must make our cycling infrastructure safer and spend more money on it. That would be to everybody's benefit, including car users as the more cyclists there are, the fewer motorists there will be. Cycling in this morning, I shaved one minute off my personal best time for the journey. Almost everyone who cycles is taking a car off the road which makes it easier for everyone else. It reduces emissions and fossil fuel use. It is important that the House has a discussion on cycling. We are about to spend €4 billion on MetroLink, about which Senator McDowell outlined many concerns. Cycling infrastructure is very cheap to provide and it delivers a great deal. I request that we have an urgent debate on cycling, including cycling safety but not only that aspect, possibly before the recess if that is possible.