Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. Over the past few years and during my time as a councillor, there have been many changes to the roads in my area. It led me to ask the Minister to undertake a comprehensive review of the design manual for urban roads and streets, commonly known as DMURS. I appreciate the principles behind DMURS are good ones. We all want safer roads, lower vehicle speeds, where appropriate, better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and communities that are more accessible and more sustainable. However, while the policy objectives are commendable, there is increasing concern that the implementation of DMURS in some locations has gone too far and is creating unintended consequences.

These concerns are being raised repeatedly by residents in my area. For example, in Tallaght, Firhouse and Ballyroan, people are telling me that the road and junction narrowing has led to increased congestion, longer journey times and frustration on the part of motorists, while also making it more difficult for buses, delivery vehicles and larger vehicles to navigate safely. They are not isolated complaints. They are concerns that are being expressed consistently by people in my area. On Firhouse Road West, residents have raised concerns during the delivery of active travel measures that the narrowing of junctions creates delays and operational difficulties. The response they got was that the design complied with DMURS, the national guidance, and that the narrowing was intended to reduce speeding without affecting capacity. Independent road safety audits were also carried out. I looked at one particular junction where cars were constantly overshooting white lines. It was very confusing and difficult for motorists.

The proposed removal of village car parking under DMURS creates significant challenges. We have just gone through a Part 8 public consultation process in Tallaght where the Tallaght village on-street car parking is being removed. Many villages have limited on-street car parking already and public transport is not really up to scratch to facilitate people's needs. People rely on convenient parking to support local businesses, residents, older people and visitors. Reducing parking without providing practical alternatives risks harming accessibility, weakens village centres and places unnecessary pressure on local economies.

While I acknowledge the council's position, many local people's lived experience has been different from what has been said about DMURS. We are seeing queues building up at peak times, greater difficulty accessing side roads and a road network that is becoming less efficient for everyone who depends on it. The issue is not whether we should provide safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists; we should. It is not about reversing active travel investment. It is about ensuring that road design is proportionate, flexible and responsive to the needs of each community.

At the moment projects are continuing to be rolled out in Tallaght. It is important that we evaluate what is working well and where adjustments are needed. The time has come for a review of DMURS. We need to examine whether excessive road narrowing is contributing to congestion, the impact on emergency services, buses and commercial traffic, whether local authorities have sufficient flexibility to adapt designs to local conditions and whether post-construction views should become standard practice so that schemes can be amended where genuine problems arise.

I reiterate that the removal of car parking is causing huge difficulty. People are frustrated and annoyed. I am seeing what I would say is a waste of money in some locations. Footpaths have been changed and there are potholes in roads. Something needs to be changed.