Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer.

Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Buttimer, atá anseo chun plé a dhéanamh ar shábháilteacht ar an mbóthar N20 idir Corcaigh agus Mala, go háirithe ag an bpríomh-chrosbhealach ag Mainistir na Móna.

As he is from Cork, the Minister of State will be very familiar with the N20 national primary road between Cork and Mallow and the difficulties faced by local residents in many communities along the route in crossing the road safely. Residents of Waterloo, Whitechurch, Grenagh, Rathduff, Burnfort and Mourneabbey, the latter of which will be the main focus of this Commencement matter, all face similar dangers and challenges crossing the road and going about their daily business, going to work and bringing children to school.

These safety concerns have been exacerbated by the significant increase in the volume of traffic on the road in recent years. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has stated:

The existing N20 is not designed for the volume of traffic it is now carrying. The annual average daily traffic reached nearly 18,000 in 2025, an increase from 15,000 in 2016.

The parish of Mourneabbey, south of the town of Mallow in County Cork, is one of the communities that are dissected by the N20. The majority of the community's facilities in the parish, such as Clyda Rovers GAA club, Mourneabbey Community Centre and the local crèche are located on the western side of the N20, while a significant proportion of the local community live in the Burnfort area, on the eastern side of the road.

Local councillor Liam Madden, who raised the issue with me recently, was interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1's "Drivetime". He highlighted the dangers faced by local residents multiple times each day in crossing the road. He described the road as having traffic volumes similar to those of a motorway but without any of the safety infrastructure, such as overpasses or underpasses, that we would associate with our motorways. We are told we have a hierarchy of road users in an effort to protect the most vulnerable when it comes to road design and safety provisions. At the top of this hierarchy we are supposed to give priority to pedestrians, who have no protection whatsoever in the event of a collision. Then come cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists. Below these we have car and van drivers, who have the protection of their vehicles in the unfortunate event of a collision, and finally bus and lorry drivers.

According to an article by Geraldine Herbert in the Irish Independent in May 2024, "The purpose of the hierarchy of road users is to give greater protection to pedestrians and cyclists and to highlight that those who can do most harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce risk to other road users." As traffic volumes have increased on the N20, it seems insufficient consideration is being given to the hierarchy of road users and to the needs of pedestrians and local residents in relation to their own safety.The difficulty with the Mourneabbey junction compared with places like Rathduff, New Twopothouse and Buttevant, which are also on the N20, is there is no town or small village in the parish directly on the road that would require a lower speed limit to be observed and make an intervention such as a pedestrian crossing or other traffic calming measures viable options.

We are all well aware of the progress being made between the Department of Transport, TII, Limerick City and County Council and Cork County Council on the delivery of the M20 Cork-Limerick motorway, but even the most optimistic forecasts indicate that delivery will not happen for at least nine or ten years. I am also aware of the ongoing contact between Cork County Council and TII on the more immediate concerns and the possibility of an intervention prior to the delivery of the M20, even if it is temporary in nature, to make the road safer for the local community. This is what Councillor Madden and community groups in the Mourneabbey area are looking for, but for these talks to result in a positive outcome a commitment to enable a solution to be delivered is needed. I sincerely hope such a provision can be made either directly in budget 2027 or through TII to deliver safer road infrastructure for the community of Mourneabbey.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an ní iontaigh agus thábhachtaigh seo maidir leis an mbóthar M20 agus na bóithre máguaird a phlé sa Seanad. I thank him for raising the M20. He is right that the safety concerns are real. The volume of traffic has increased and there is a real fear on that road. I commend the Senator on working with Councillor Liam Madden on raising the matter here and being advocates for it. Councillor Madden met me at the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, conference last week and spoke about it as well. The points the Senator makes are very important in the context of the advancement of the M20 motorway. I wish to use this opportunity to highlight the important work that has been undertaken so we can develop, as the Senator said, safe pedestrian access and egress on the road as well as cycle infrastructure across the country and more specifically at this place in Cork.

I confirm the Government's strong commitment to active travel. There will be €360 million a year until 2030 for a €1.8 billion investment between now and the end of the decade, which builds on over €1 billion invested since 2021. This means we have had almost 1,100 km of new walking and cycling infrastructure. That has been in many different guises, but in particular the safe routes to schools initiative. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, cannot be here and sends his apologies. He has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding for active travel. The planning, design and construction of individual active travel projects is a matter for TII.

It is important, as the Senator said, that we all work together to ensure we make this road safer. On that safe pedestrian and cycle infrastructure to enable local people to safely cross the N20 road, he is right there is no big settlement pattern like a village in the place he spoke about. I have been advised the population settlement of Mourneabbey has been included within the preferred route option for the N20-M20 road upgrade project. This road upgrade project includes provision for a shared use active travel facility that is expected to primarily run alongside the road. The route will be separated from the road via a substantive verge or barrier to provide a safe and segregated corridor for pedestrians and cyclists. This walking and cycling infrastructure will provide communities, including those of Blarney, Rathduff, Mourneabbey, Mallow, Buttevant, Charleville, Banoge, Croom and Patrickswell, with a safe and accessible means of sustainable travel. However, a transport hub for Mourneabbey has been proposed and is welcomed. Mobility hubs are where people can change mode and integrate with public transport via park-and-ride car and bike parking facilities. The Senator is right that is a bit of time away so there is a need for urgent action on the point he has made here.

The N20-M20 road upgrade announced three years ago is at design and environmental evaluation phase. This is expected to conclude later this year with the submission of a business case to the Department of Transport. It will go for Government approval under the infrastructure guidelines and then An Coimisiun Pleanála. However, in the timeframe the Senator speaks about, it is important we see TII and Cork County Council look at short-term measures. I believe there has been engagement between the two bodies on available budgets so we can improve active mobility in the region and I am told that work is ongoing. I am very conscious this is an important and a well-used road where there have been fatalities and near misses and accidents involving pedestrians and motorists. I highlight to the House that Cork County Council has been allocated just under €20 million from the NTA and TII to support over 70 active travel and greenway schemes this year.

For me as a Minister of State in the Department, it is about ensuring we work with the Senator and Councillor Madden. What we have outlined here are prime examples of where intervention can join those dots in the interim and improve the lived experience of the residents and local people who use this road daily. I assure the Senator of my ongoing support. I will take his remarks back to the Minister and TII. We must continue to ensure we have not just connectivity and sustainable transport choices but safe roads. There is huge concern along the N20 at the moment and it is in all of our interests that we do what the Senator has asked and put in place a suite of measures to improve that point.

Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Going back to the "Drivetime" section that included reference to the issue we were discussing, there was a lady on who was living on the Burnfort side who said some mornings it can take up to ten minutes for her to take the right hand turn towards her place of work in Mallow. That results in people taking risks, so I welcome everything the Minister of State said. The crux of the issue is what is being looked for is a short-term solution prior to the delivery of the M20. Nobody is looking for a commitment of funding to a prohibitively or excessively expensive project that would only be short term in nature. I reiterate there is ongoing communication between Cork County Council and TII about providing the funding to enable them to come up with a temporary solution that will allay concerns and make the road safer for users in the Mourneabbey area prior to the delivery of the M20.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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The point the Senator made is that in the short term we have to intervene. He is right and I concur with him in a personal capacity. The timeframe for the delivery of the new Cork-Limerick motorway is long and the timeline is perhaps uncertain. In that sense, we have to work with the residents who are facing real and urgent issues on the road. I thank the Senator for his advocacy. It is not the first time he has raised this matter with me. I commend Councillor Madden, who has been very proactive on this. He is right to articulate travel issues and the risks and the Senator is 100% correct that people take risks on the road. As a consequence, we have had accidents and loss of life. In the overarching scheme of things, Government is committed to the delivery of an upgrade of the N20. It is a key priority with €3.5 million allocated to the project this year, but this is about more than connecting Cork and Limerick. In the short term, we cannot allow the people of Mourneabbey or Burnfort to continue to be afraid or to take a risk in crossing the road. I will sit with the Senator again. I will advocate for this to the Minister, National Transport Authority, TII and Cork County Council to ensure we prioritise it in the short term, because a short-term measure is needed. Anybody who does analysis of roads will recognise this road is critically important but also that it is very dangerous. I commend the Senator on raising it.

Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State very much for coming to the Chamber and addressing that. We will pause for a moment to allow the next Minister of State to enter the Chamber.