Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. As he may know, we are in the middle of the Phoenix Park parking strategy, which is out for public consultation. I believe the Phoenix Park can, and should, be accessible and inclusive for all. The current commentary from the OPW is about how the popularity of the park is unsustainable, and the numbers have to be controlled. However, what we have seen over the past couple of years is a single-minded strategy that targets car users. We saw that with the attempted gate closures at strategic traffic points in the park. That did not go ahead, but it was attempted. There were also the introduction of the 30 km/h speed limit, parking restrictions and possible car parking charges. What we see is a focus on curbing use of the park by one cohort of park users, as opposed to introducing better and new ways of bringing people into the park. We have not seen the same energy put into that. The park can be a more welcoming place for people with simple as opposed to severe interventions. For instance, public transport has been talked about since 2019 and nothing has happened. The OPW has said there are 2,000 car parking spaces but they have not told people where they are. To be honest, there is a fine line with some of them between enforcement and a car parking space. There is, thankfully, more of a focus on accessible and disabled parking in the parking strategy. There is then toilet infrastructure, which is a key aspect of accessibility and inclusivity for people. There are toilets at the Phoenix Park visitors centre and the tea rooms in Farmleigh House. However, anyone who is a frequent user of the Phoenix Park goes to ramble and explore and those areas may not be suitable. Farmleigh House is seen as a destination in itself, rather than as part of the park. There has been a step in the right direction, with some portaloos that were introduced on a pilot basis. I ask the Minister of State for an update on that. The reason we have always been given is a lack of suitable water supply and wastewater infrastructure in the park. We do not actually need wastewater infrastructure. Other county councils such as Fingal have introduced eco-toilets. These are designed for areas that do not have a requirement for water supply, wastewater connection or power supply. Solar power is used for lighting. These are said to be designed for remote areas, which people frequent, such as beaches, car parks or places with monuments. Bird watching sites are another of the sites mentioned. Why are we not moving forward with this kind of infrastructure in the Phoenix Park? We also have a requirement for changing places in the park, and there are rapid build options for that. We also need better disabled toilet infrastructure. The Phoenix Park should be welcoming to everybody and this is a key aspect of making that happen.