Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Transport and the Marine his plans to introduce legislation to allow local authorities introduce parking bans on heavy goods vehicle cabs in certain residential areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17485/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Road authorities already have power under article 38 of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 to apply restrictions on the parking of large vehicles. This power is applied through the provision of a regulatory prohibition on parking signs specifying a weight threshold at the entrance to an area.

Any large vehicle, whose unladen weight exceeds the weight specified, is restricted from parking in that area except for a period of time not exceeding 30 minutes from the commencement of parking while goods are being loaded or unloaded.

No road authority has been in contact with my Department to convey any indication that the current legislative provision is not ample to prohibit the parking of heavy goods vehicle cabs in any residential area.

The RPA has received many, and sometimes irreconcilable requests, from residents along the route of Metro North. On 15 June, RPA wrote to over 2,000 residents setting out the current status of work and committing to follow up with an analysis of other tunnel alignment options that would make greater use of green space. When these options have been further developed, RPA will write to all affected residents again enclosing details of the options and seeking comments on them. It is important to note that whichever route is chosen will pass beneath houses, businesses and other buildings.

A programme to address concerns expressed about the location of the DCU stop has also been put in place by the RPA.

The comments of residents will feed into the overall environmental assessment of the options so that the detailed tunnel alignment and stop locations for this portion of Metro North can be finalised in order to make a Railway Order application to An Bord Pleanála.