Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

583. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to allow electric vehicles to use bus lanes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29401/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Bus lanes were introduced, at some expense to the Irish people, to provide on-street priority for bus-based public transport. They are intended to make bus transport faster and more reliable, therefore attracting more people out of their cars and onto public transport. Greater bus use reduces congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions and must remain a strong focus of our drive to make transport cleaner and less carbon emitting.

In addition to buses, taxis are permitted to use bus lanes, as they are available for on-street hire by the general public. The emergency services are also entitled to use bus lanes, as are cyclists, on the basis that they are inherently vulnerable road users.

My Department has received many requests over the years to allow other classes of traffic access to bus lanes. These have included hackneys, limousines, motorcycles, multi-occupancy cars, and animal ambulances, as well as electric vehicles.

All of these requests have been rejected as allowing additional categories of traffic to use the lanes would undermine their efficiency for their original purpose, which is to facilitate bus transport. In addition, if a concession were made on one of the many classes of traffic for which access to bus lanes is regularly sought, it would be difficult to justify refusing access to the others. Furthermore, it is far from clear how enforceable such a concession may be.

Keeping bus lanes for small and large PSVs and vulnerable users such as cyclists ensures efficient use of road space, a better quality public transport service and, accordingly, plays an important role in reducing emissions. It is also safer as it reduces conflicts between different kinds of users. I am committed to exploring mechanisms to encourage increased take up of electric vehicles but, in this instance, I believe that alternatively fuelled vehicles are better encouraged using other measures.

I therefore have no plans to allow electric vehicles to use bus lanes.