Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and commend him on his stewardship of the Bill thus far, for his engagement and the quality of that engagement. I know Senator Horkan referred to the 2021 Bill, but the fact that the Minister brought amendments in the Lower House underscores the importance of this Bill.

We are committed to this legislation. My friend and colleague, Senator Boyhan, raised issues we should tease out further. He spoke about public liability and insurance, which we should look at and discuss again. This is much anticipated legislation. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, as is Senator Horkan. We went through pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill and had extensive engagement. It is not just about the regulation of e-scooters, quads and scramblers. As the Minister said earlier, it is about ensuring we bring improvements on our roads whether it is for motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians. We are competing for space on public roads. There must be a respectful conversation between everyone who uses public roads and footpaths. It is a shared space. Senator Horkan and I as motorists and the Minister, as a cyclist, or whoever, do not have the monopoly. I worry about road rage and the competitiveness I see on our roads in many parts of the country. We must support the RSA and the new road strategy. We cannot compromise on safety on our roads. At the joint policing committee meeting in Cork last Friday, the issue of scramblers was raised. I welcome the fact that we will target the antisocial use of scramblers. As we all know, it is not just about a certain part of the country; it is happening in many parts.

The Minister is a champion of BusConnects. I am now worried about BusConnects in Cork, which I regret because it is an ambitious and good initiative we should get behind. If we are to support that modal shift, and Senator Horkan will confirm this, I have asked the NTA to continue to engage after the conclusion of the public consultation. There are a number of bottlenecks in Cork. There was a conversation on local radio recently about the cherry blossoms in Ballyphehane being taken away. The residents of South Douglas Road, Ballincollig, Curraheen Road, Maglin and Douglas are concerned. These are examples of where there is concern, which I hope will not derail BusConnects, and that we can find solutions to, because we are all in need of that modal shift.

The Minister is dead right about the infrastructure for the charging of electric cars. We must make it easier for people to charge their cars. By way of a personal example, my husband and I bought an electric car during the October bank holiday weekend of 2021. We took possession of the car last Thursday, which was 11 months later. My concern is not just about the availability or lack thereof. It is about making it easier for people, in terms of public charging points, to make the modal shift from diesel or petrol car to an electric car. That is something we need to support.

On BusConnects and in the context of public safety and road safety, a number of people have expressed concerns to me about safety announcements on the Luas, the DART or buses. In some cases, drivers have moved off while passengers are not seated and elderly passengers have fallen and been hurt. I am concerned that this would not be allowed to continue. While this is not provided for in the Bill, we should consider a dedicated transport policing security authority. It is probably within the remit of the Minister for Justice but I hope we can look at that further.

The dynamic traffic management of the M50 is a measure we all welcome. Will the Minister engage with TII in the context of the works that are under way at the Dunkettle interchange? As one heads eastbound towards Glanmire, Little Island or the Dublin Road, there are extraordinary delays. I am not in favour of compromising road safety, but it beggars belief that at peak times, when there are inordinate delays, a speed-camera van is positioned at the mouth of the tunnel but there is no monitoring or regulation of traffic. The city manager said to me last Friday in City Hall that if there was a larger modal shift to public transport, we would not have such delays. She is right, but there needs to be engagement with TII and An Garda Síochána about the flow and management of traffic on the N40 in Cork. It may not be possible but I would love if the traffic-management approach to the M50 would be put in place for the Cork-Dublin motorway or the N40 in Cork. It would help the situation and, as the Minister said, it is part of the management of traffic flow that we need to do.

I commend Deputy Alan Farrell and former Deputy, Noel Rock, on their work on the Bill, as well as Deputy John Lahart. It is important legislation. It is about modernising legislation in respect of driving instruction, insurance and fixed-charge notices.

When Senator Conway comes back to the Chamber, I am sure he will-----