James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. The issue of transport is a very important as our population grows and our economy expands. I welcome the Minister's comments on the metro and the electrification of the DART service to Drogheda. However, in the interim, we could invest in hybrid trains that would deliver increased frequency before the line is fully electrified. That would be very welcome.

I do not need to remind the House that Fingal has the youngest population in the country, if not in Europe. It also has a good deal of land rezoned for housing. In the midst of a housing crisis, it is an obvious place to meet housing need quickly. However, we need infrastructure in terms of schools and amenities - sports amenities fall within the Minister's remit - as well as road and transport infrastructure.

I welcome the second runway and tower at Dublin Airport. I mention metro again because 30 million people will pass through Dublin Airport this year. Under a plan currently being considered, that figure would reach 50 million. This new connectivity with the city is crucial for the development of Dublin Airport and the country.

I welcome very much the Minister's comments on greenways. I have been a long exponent of the coastal greenway extending through Fingal from Sutton and Howth all the way to Balbriggan. This presents a tremendous opportunity for tourism, family activities and safe exercise.

That brings me to the issue of cycle lanes. Currently, one takes one's life in one's hands when cycling. Many people would cycle from Lusk into Swords but there is not one cycle lane that is safe. We need cycle lanes from Swords, Malahide and Portmarnock into the city centre. Many people would use them and, as others have pointed out, they would be environmentally friendly but also very good from a health point of view.

I raised the issue of BusConnects on the Order of Business this morning, as did the Acting Chairman. There is much that is good in this plan. There is no doubt that we need to plan ahead and develop a system that is more efficient than the current one. The consultation process is extremely important and we need to up the game in terms of communication around this issue. I met people in the Alex Hotel who pointed out that there are good aspects to the plan which will result in major improvements. Swords will have an improved bus service, which is good, and Dublin Airport will also have a better bus service and greater connectivity with the city. Against that, there is no proper coherent transport approach between Irish Rail and the bus service in Fingal. People in north County Dublin now have to take two buses to travel to Beaumont hospital. They will have to take three buses to make that journey if BusConnects proceeds without further proper consultation.

Under the plan, there is to be increased frequency in the DART service from Malahide, with a train to run every ten minutes. However, the schedule shows that on weekdays a DART train will run at 9.30 a.m. and the next train will not run until 10.10 a.m. There is a need for connectivity between buses and trains because I am sorry to say the experience has been that the buses and trains are not co-ordinated properly. Sometimes buses leave stops early and sometimes trains are late and people miss their connection. A good deal of work needs to be done around that, and I mention only some of the points.

Another major issue is the loss of the 33x bus service. While I am aware that this proposal is being reconsidered, this plan will fail miserably if the 33x, which provides an excellent service into the city, is not maintained.

Before I return to BusConnects, I will mention Donabate and land zoned in Fingal. There are plans to build 1,200 houses in Donabate and a new road has been developed. However, we still have a traffic jam on the M1. What is badly needed is a slipway onto the M1 directly from the road that exits the peninsula on which Donabate and Portrane are located. We need to keep the cost of transport at its current level. When the cost of transport goes up, the cost of everything goes up, especially for hauliers who are competing against their European Union colleagues. Any move to equalise the price of diesel and petrol would be a catastrophe for hauliers and put them out of business.

I refer to the proposed gas station at Dublin Port. People who bought and invested in gas lorries, with the encouragement of Government, cannot get the gas to run them in any meaningful sense.

The Minister must ensure that current services are maintained until the new services are up and running.That is particularly important when it comes to the new rail services upon which we will be waiting. There should be more buses, especially for rural link services. As north county Dublin expands, villages such as Naul, Ballyboughal, Oldtown and others need connectivity with the likes of Balbriggan and Swords so people can get onto the main transport routes. I look forward to the Minister's answer. I will have to watch it on screen because I have another meeting to attend. I thank the Minister for coming to the House.