Sharon Keogan (Independent)

I welcome my Independent colleague from Cork City Council, Councillor Albert Deasy, and his wife, Anne, this afternoon.

To tell the God's honest truth, I am a little bit sick of Members coming in here asking for debates with the housing Minister when Sinn Féin Members' colleagues around the country are voting against housing developments. We had that this morning for 79 houses in Ashbourne in County Meath. I am sick of it. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Members can take the smiles off their faces because they also voted against it.

I express my deep concern over the ongoing decline in footfall in Dublin city centre, a decline that is not just economic but symbolic of a city losing its accessibility, vitality and common sense. Since 2007, footfall on Henry Street has dropped by 48% and on Grafton Street by 51%. These are not just numbers; these are livelihoods lost, shutters pulled down and communities hollowed out. However, we continue to pursue a transport policy that seems more ideological than practical. The National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council have reallocated road space in a way that punishes motorists, delivery drivers and tradespeople, the very people who keep this city functioning. We are told this is about sustainability but when electric vehicle users are treated no better than drivers of diesel vehicles, one has to ask if this is really about the environment or about control.

We now know that pedestrian data has been distorted by changes in how football is measured, with camera numbers doubling in 2012 creating the illusion of growth where there was none. Even the former Dublin city manager Owen Keegan acknowledged this when asked by stakeholders. How can we make sound policy with skewed data? Part of the issue is that we continue to see transport as a zero-sum game - cars versus buses or cars versus cyclists. The fact is that there are infrastructure options that can increase public transport without hurting motorists, such as the delayed metro plan. Sadly, the Government appears to lack the ambition for plans that can help all of our citizens and not just those who cycle in from the leafy suburbs of Dublin 4.

I am calling for a full debate in this House on the real-world impact of current transport policy, not just on our emissions but also on our commerce, community and common sense. Let us bring transparency, balance and the voice of people back into the room.