Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the great work of ZEVI and the importance of working towards anything other than fossil fuels. It is important that the research from ZEVI is not just about e-cars. I may consider tabling an amendment on Report Stage. We should also research car-sharing of e-cars, not just sales. GoCar is working very well. I hope research expands into that area, and the fact that there is a big difference between a small Renault Zoe in terms of weight, cost, pollution and space, compared with a large electric SUV. It is not all about getting everyone out of cars which run on fossil fuels into e-cars.

As we well know, there is a huge challenge in terms of access to space for children and people who would like to walk and cycle safely. I hope the Minister could assure me that the research will not just be about how we get everybody switching from petrol and diesel to e-cars. If every car on the road in Ireland is changed from an e-car rather than one which runs on petrol or diesel, that will not solve any of the issues around space for our children to walk and cycle. We do not see the same level of research available for active travel, for instance. It is great to have ZEVI research on cars, but who will do research on active travel ? The NTA, local authorities, TII, the NRA and many State agencies deal with cars, but it is not the job of any one group to examine space.

ZEVI has a very clear remit to examine e-cars. I would like some assurance, through an amendment or otherwise, that there is a focus on modal shift, that is, getting people out of cars and using public transport and bikes and walking. I do not trust the current State agencies and local authorities as a collective to do that. It is everybody's job and it is nobody's job. That is my major concern.

There is no co-ordinated office for research and development for active and public transport. Transport researchers in technical universities do not have the same resources as ZEVI. We need to look to that and consider having proper researchers that are not biased because an agency has hired them to find a certain result. We need proper research, through universities, that is unbiased and promoted in the same manner in which we are doing now, that is, through legislation for ZEVI and e-cars.