Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

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Senator Feighan acknowledged the €53 million for greenways. I cannot comment on the case he made for the greenway he proposes but he has made a very fine case, and no doubt those who are adjudicating on the matter will take it into account. He talked about Roscommon and its difficulties. Ireland's Hidden Heartlands will promote areas such as Roscommon, target investment into tourist facilities in the area and provide an opportunity to highlight the scope for a hotel investment outside the more fashionable areas. Perhaps Senator Feighan would consider zoning a hotel site in the development plan. That might help.

I think I have addressed Senator Maria Byrne's plea about Shannon and Cork airports and the fact that Dublin has too much businesses. She addressed the N21 and N69 Foynes to Limerick road. Its estimated cost to the Exchequer is, I think, €462 million, which is fairly substantial. My understanding is that Limerick County Council is now preparing statutory documentation for submission to An Bord Pleanála. An environmental impact assessment report and statutory process will also be prepared. There is an estimated completion date of 2026. What she is saying is "Please hurry up". I will bear that in mind. I thank her for raising the matter.

Senator Reilly addressed the issue of cycle lanes being unsafe, which I think I have responded to elsewhere. I think we will be taking further initiatives to protect cyclists very shortly. That will not be very long coming. He also addressed the issue of communication in respect of BusConnects, which I have already dealt with.

To respond to Senator Buttimer, I will do anything I can to support Norwegian Air. It is in the interests of the nation, the consumer and the customer that it be encouraged. Sometimes we do not have enough competition coming in and out of Ireland. Ryanair has done an absolutely wonderful job on providing that, but the more we have, the better for the customer. I would like to see Norwegian Air operating on a 365-days-a-year basis. We encouraged it to come in and we will continue to encourage it to operate fully here.

To respond to Senator Horkan's speech, I thank him for what he said about BusConnects. There is an obligation on all of us, and I am not saying in any way that he is not doing this, to look at this very objectively and to assist people - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, everyone - to get over the difficulties they are encountering. I am sure, because Senator Horkan and I are both in the same constituency, that he is finding that one of the problems is that people do not understand, when they have been taking a bus for 45, 50 or 60 years, that it is now called the 44, for example, which goes through our constituency, and will suddenly be called the A-something else. That is the first mental block they must overcome and it is a very difficult one.They also have to deal with it taking a different route, which they automatically assume will be worse for them, although that may not necessarily be the case. It would be helpful if when they understand that the route they are used to travelling to get from point A to point B will not be the same, they are told there are lots of other places they will be able to go. This is happening throughout Dublin but people are not being told this. As I said earlier, they are backing the good bits, which is that there are lots more routes open to them, and, at the same time, complaining about how they are going to get from point A to point B when there is a simple solution.

Information will lessen the puzzlement and the resistance, if there is any. I appeal to everybody to co-operate with those who are promoting this project. It is a good scheme. I will urge the NTA to continue to engage with people to iron out the flaws, including in regard to the next stage, so that the public, if they are not happy, can discuss how the problems can be resolved to enable BusConnects to be a successful project which, when completed, will be in the best interests of everybody in Dublin.