Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Transport the action he proposes to deal with the situation arising from the fact that the port tunnel is unable to accommodate larger trucks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36269/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The planning, design and implementation of national road improvement projects, including the Dublin Port tunnel, is a matter for the National Roads Authority and the local authorities concerned. It is the view of Dublin City Council and the NRA that the Dublin Port tunnel will facilitate almost all of the HGV traffic using Dublin Port. The issue of routing vehicles unable to use the tunnel through the city will be addressed in the context of the heavy goods vehicle management strategy being prepared by Dublin City Council.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Transport the way in which it is intended to divert heavy trucks from the N11, N9, N7 and N4 to the port tunnel in view of the severe traffic congestion on the M50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36270/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Traffic management in general is a matter for the appropriate local authority and the traffic management and control arrangements that will apply following the opening of the Dublin Port tunnel are a matter for Dublin City Council. In parallel with the opening to traffic of the Dublin Port tunnel, Dublin City Council will introduce a heavy goods vehicle traffic management strategy to ensure maximum traffic benefits are secured from the Dublin Port tunnel.

My Department's formal role will be to put in place the necessary regulatory framework relating to traffic and parking management and road signage to support the strategy. In addition, my Department will continue to liaise with Dublin City Council as the strategy is finalised, so that I may be assured that the primary objective of the Dublin Port tunnel — to provide a high quality access route to Dublin Port for heavy goods vehicles — is achieved in a manner which maximises the overall traffic benefit of the tunnel.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Transport the conventional wisdom for opting for extra toll roads in view of the cost and congestion at the M50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36271/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Transport 21 envisages that a proportion of the national roads programme will be implemented by means of public private partnerships, PPPs, which will involve private sector funding, remunerated in part by user tolls. Through PPPs, private sector innovation will be harnessed in the areas of scheme design, construction and long-term operation and maintenance and will ensure earlier delivery of vital national road infrastructure. User tolls are now in widespread use throughout the developed and developing world and are particularly favoured where rapid expansion in major road networks is required.

The National Roads Authority's current PPP programme comprises ten projects. There is limited capacity over and above the projects already identified to support viable tolling arrangements. Nevertheless, the cost of the national roads programme, combined with the demands of the other sectors which limit the capacity to allocate more Exchequer funding, require that all possibilities for generating additional funding to accelerate the implementation of the national roads programme be considered. The NRA considers that new tolled roads will deliver time-savings, journey time certainty, and an overall high level of service to users for the toll charge levied. Users will therefore derive identifiable benefits from their use of the tolled road, but at all times will continue to have available the existing untolled route. The provision of tolled routes will be an expansion of current route choice options.

I am informed by the NRA that a strict performance regime is provided for in current PPP contracts — for example, the M1 and the M4-M6 Kilcock-Kinnegad projects — to ensure compliance with requirements, including level of service provisions. Defaults in performance by the PPP company lead to the imposition of a financial penalty together with the award of points under a penalty points system which may trigger increased levels of monitoring at the PPP company's cost and ultimately contract termination. These provisions incentivise the PPP company to maintain high service levels. With regard to the West Link toll bridge, the service obligations contained in this agreement, which date back to the 1980s, are not as developed or as comprehensive as those contained in current PPP contracts.