Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Kinsale is really a special place. It is one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland. It is thriving because there is so much demand. It is famous not only for its restaurants but also for its beautiful buildings, its landscape, its bay and sailing. This is reflected in the demand for holiday homes and so on and the vast number of visitors. I certainly had some very nice holidays there.

I am delighted that the Senator has a vision for the town that involves fewer cars, more life in the centre and streets coming back to life. I take his point that there should be something like a roadshow. I will bring that to the attention of the Minister for Transport and discuss it with him. The Senator can contact me directly about it.

In my town, Dún Laoghaire, we went through a process called Living Streets, whereby we had a plan and vision for reducing the amount of traffic. The aim was that you would still be allowed to drive for A to B but that it would be easier and safer to walk, cycle and use a bus. It involves a lot of public debate. We had five public debates. There was considerable discussion and there were people for and against the proposal. At the end of the consultation, most wanted to make the change. There were those who doubted it and thought it might have been a fix. Then we had an election and the first two elected – the top two councillors – were the people who had supported the scheme. Now we have a very strong demographic movement in favour of it. It does not mean you steamroll over the people with concerns, because you have to address all the concerns. You do not want to divide your community. It is not an easy thing to do. The prize is that Dún Laoghaire is increasingly becoming a destination that people want to go to, hopefully not one that is congested with cars.