Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. The Minister did not mention pedestrians in his speech. Our footpaths in cities and towns are in a horrendous state and are a serious trip hazard, not just for older people. We need to put that right. I know the quick glib answer is that footpaths are the responsibility of the local authorities and they need to invest in the maintenance of footpaths. The local authorities have not had the money in the past decade. We need a serious level of investment to ensure that our footpaths, junctions and pedestrian lights are up to a quality and standard that encourages citizens to walk more rather than use the car.

I, too, support the investment of 10% of the Department's annual budget in cycling infrastructure across all our cities and towns. The Minister mentioned the cost-benefit analysis. The return per euro on investment in cycling far exceeds anything put into roads or transport. Again I make the argument for increased funding purely on a cost-benefit analysis. It should be in and around 10% of the Department's budget and I ask the Minister to consider that seriously.

The Minister said that he would deal with BusConnects during his closing remarks. I wish to make a general comment because I do not think the Minister will be able to deal with the number of specific queries that everyone has. People who telephoned me from the Lower Kimmage Road were crying on the phone because of the information they were given. Whether the information is incorrect or misrepresented information, it does not matter. The consultation process has not worked as correctly as it should, and this has created anxiety and fear among the public. We have to examine it to see what has been done to create this anxiety. I spoke to a representative from the National Transportation Authority this morning and I was told that it was a consultation document. I accept that, but since it has created the spread of fear and anxiety among the public in the capital city, it has been done wrong. We must learn from that mistake because we will have a bus corridor consultation process in November. We need a clear analysis to ensure that we put out the information clearly so that it can be understood. What has become clear from the BusConnects consultation process is that there was no origin and destination survey done in respect of the design of the routes. That is showing up very clearly through the consultation process. People want to go to different places and not where the routes are designed for. We need to learn lessons from the BusConnects consultation process and make sure that we do not repeat those mistakes. I will deal with the National Transportation Authority on specific questions.

Senator McDowell covered MetroLink exceptionally well. Again, the papers and studies that came into the public domain show there was no origin and destination survey on the south side of the people travelling on the Luas green line. I travelled on the green line and conducted a minor origin and destination survey in Dundrum. I found that people were travelling great distances to use the green line to travel into town. We need to collect data on who is using the green line if we are going to spend vast amounts of money to make it a metro line. We do not know where the people are coming from or the distance of the radius from which they originate to travel on the green line, which causes capacity problems. I am a big believer that there should be a metro system on the south side. The location should be evidence based. Having been in government through the recession, what was said over and over again was that future decisions would be evidence based. There is very little evidence in respect of MetroLink on the south side.I would like to see an evidence-based decision making process on MetroLink on the south side of Dublin. If the evidence is there to support it, I will hold my hands up and admit that I got it wrong. What I see at the moment, however, is a waste of money in terms of the investment currently going into the green line which will be compounded by investment in a metro link. We do not have sufficient information to make an evidence-based decision and I ask the Minister to review that.

The Minister made brief reference to Dublin Airport which has a number of transport links. One must look at the passenger numbers going through and in that context, I think we are missing a trick. We are developing Dublin Airport as a hub but is the airport authority looking at connectivity for Irish people rather than just focusing on onward travel for passengers from America who are flying on to other capital cities? I have received many complaints from passengers going through Dublin Airport who have told me that services are diminished and that much of the connectivity to other European cities has been lost. The airport seems to be more focused on serving as a transatlantic hub rather than focusing on where people want to travel to and do business. Again, I have no hard evidence but it has been said to me enough times for it to merit examination. We must determine if that is a genuine complaint and if we are missing a trick in that regard.

Our main port facilities in Dublin and Cork face many challenges in the context of Brexit. We must make sure that the infrastructure is in place so that whatever form Brexit takes, whether it be soft or hard, does not have a major detrimental impact on how our ports operate. We need to be ready and to plan for the worst case scenario. In that context, I must give credit to the CEO of Dublin Port, Mr. Eamonn O'Reilly, who is trying to do just that.

It is very important that we invest in our top sports people. While I welcome such investment, I would also like to see a focus on sport for life, that is, investment in what are often minority sports that people can play well into their latter years. Such sports keep people active and healthy but many are not getting the funding that they need. The Minister must prioritise spending and I accept that. I will discuss the sports to which I am referring with the Minister at a later date.

On train infrastructure and commuting, Councillor Mark Wall has been running a campaign relating to the train fare from Newbridge to Dublin. If we want to get people out of their cars, we must recognise that places like Newbridge are now commuter towns. It must be economically viable for people to commute from Newbridge and other parts of Kildare into Dublin city. I ask the Minister to examine the fare structure for commuter towns like Newbridge. I recognise that I am dropping this on the Minister's lap without prior consultation and would be happy for him to come back to me on it at a later stage. I do not really expect an answer on it now. I will not be comparing the Minister to Joseph Stalin, as others did earlier. I do not think Deputy Ross looks anything like him. I much prefer Lord Churchtown. I will leave it at that and thank the Minister for coming into the House.