Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has proposals to include new projects to relieve urban congestion in Transport 21. [41677/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Transport 21 provides funding for measures to relieve urban congestion in a number of ways through the provision of increased public transport services, through investment in improved traffic management systems and through the construction of urban bypasses and relief roads schemes. Each element of the programme will contribute to easing congestion, both in Dublin and in our other urban centres.

Transport 21 will transform the public transport system in the Greater Dublin Area through the development of an integrated network of light rail, Metro, heavy rail and buses running on an expanded Quality Bus Network. This will lead to almost a doubling of public transport passenger journeys by 2015. This together with the upgrading of the M50 and new traffic management systems will make a major contribution to reducing congestion in the capital. The establishment of a Dublin Transport Authority will provide a coordinated approach to the issue of traffic management and will, therefore, result in improvements to traffic flow.

On a national level, Transport 21 provides funds to develop public transport in provincial cities and to provide for traffic management schemes including bus priority measures and park and ride facilities. The roads programme includes provision for the bypassing of many towns which greatly reduces congestion. Already the benefits of the bypasses are being enjoyed by towns such as Monaghan, Fermoy and Cavan. With the continued completion of projects under Transport 21, I expect congestion in urban areas to ease on a gradual basis.