Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. A number of the issues have been outlined, specifically the issue of people with disability using our footpaths. As has been said, there are enough obstacles on footpaths. I was abroad over the summer and found it horrific to see scooters literally abandoned in the middle of the footpath. There has to be some way of forcing them off footpaths. Technology will have to be used to make that happen. Last summer I was standing at a set of traffic lights at Grand Canal Dock and I got the fright of my life when a scooter whizzed past. It was not really anything to do with having vision impairment, even though I do. I would imagine it can be daunting for any old person or anyone else who is standing at a set of traffic lights which are about to change, when the next thing, out of nowhere, a scooter just whizzes past them. I do not know if there is anything that can be done about that but I welcome the fact we are legislating.

It is good to see people using scooters and not using cars. I very much welcome the announcement in the budget of reduced fees for young people using public transport. However, there is an anomaly that the Minister may not be aware of. As the Leap card cannot be used on private transport, young people aged 17 and 18 cannot benefit from the reduced fee. I hope the Minister will look at that as a matter of urgency. I have had a number of people in touch with my office. One young man is paying €7 a day to go to college in Limerick using a private bus. I know that is an unintended consequence but it is a consequence nonetheless, and it needs to be rectified. I am not sure the Minister was aware of it but he is now, and I hope he is able to do something about it.

With regard to disability in general and the use of public transport, the NCBI is developing a centre at the IFSC called the Wayfinding Centre. I extend an invitation to the Minister to visit the centre. It will have real-life trams and trains, an aeroplane and other transport units, and it will train people who are blind and visually impaired to use them in an efficient and safe way. It is one of the first of its kind in Europe. The NTA, through the Department, is making a substantial amount of money available for it. As Minister for Transport , I ask Deputy Eamon Ryan to come down and see it at first hand because I believe he will be quite impressed with what it is trying to achieve.

With regard to transport in general, as the Minister knows, many young people now have to live at home because of the housing situation. I know of a young person who is in college in Cork and who wishes to commute from Ennis, but the earliest time this person can be in Cork by train is 9.45 a.m. Similarly, for young people living in Portlaoise, Thurles or close to Limerick Junction who wish to commute to Cork maybe three or four days a week, either for college or work, the earliest time they can be in Cork is 9.45 a.m., which is way too late.There should be an early morning train going from Dublin to Cork that can serve all the stations and facilitate people being in Cork for 8 a.m., 8.30 a.m. or 9 a.m. It is not realistic going forward that the first train into the second city in the country in the morning arrives at 9.45. It is not where we should be. Knowing how committed the Minister is to the train network in this country, I am sure it is something he might raise directly with the CEO of Irish Rail. I have done it and the transport committee has done so as well, yet nothing has happened. It cannot be just down to the annual timetable review. Irish Rail responded and put trains on when Garth Brooks played in Dublin. If we could have trains leaving Dublin at midnight to facilitate the concert, there is no reason in the wide earthly world Irish Rail could not review the situation and orientate its services accordingly to support people's needs. I call on the Minister to instruct Irish Rail to run an early morning service from Dublin to Cork in the next month or two. It should at least be trialled to see if there is a demand for it, which I believe there is. I have been contacted by several people on this matter and I have been campaigning along with colleagues such as Senator Buttimer, who is from Cork, on the transport committee, and others. I know people living in Ennis who would like to get the train to work in Cork three days a week. They are working from home remotely for two days and they would like to be able to get the train the other three days, but it is not possible. Because of that, they are using their cars because they know they are not going to be in work on time if they use the train.

I very much welcome the legislation, which updates road traffic legislation. It reflects the modern day equipment that is used on the road. We must think outside the box. One matter on which I would like to hear the Minister's thoughts is driverless cars. Does he believe that they will happen in the immediate future or is it something that is a long way down the road? I would love a situation where I would have a driverless car that would bring me from County Clare to Dublin. It would revolutionise accessibility for people who are unable to drive through no fault of their own.