Written answers

Tuesday, 5 April 2022

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Road Network

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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208. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has engaged with the National Transport Authority in respect of plans for the roads network that link the areas between the M4 and N7, M7 in north County Kildare; his plans to improve this network of roads in view of the high level of use by heavy goods vehicles; if he has engaged with the Minster for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Transport Infrastructure Ireland in the context of the increasing level of residential planning permissions and builds under way in areas such as Clane, Straffan, Maynooth and Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he has initiated a review of the designation of roads in these areas in the context of regional and-or national road status. [17833/22]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Individual local authorities have statutory responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of public roads, in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland in the case of national roads, under the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993.

In relation to broader policy decisions, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), including county Kildare.

The Deputy will be aware that the NTA published a draft revised Transport Strategy for the GDA 2022-2042 last November for public consultation. The public consultation process ended on 10 January. The development of the strategy and the need for it to be reviewed every six years is a statutory function of the NTA and the process relating to that development and review is set out in section 12 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 (as amended). Ultimately a draft strategy will be submitted to me this year for approval as provided for in the Act.

The approved strategy will set out the framework for investment in transport infrastructure and services, including road investment, in the GDA over the next two decades to 2042. The strategy will reflect the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the Climate Action Plan, and the commitments in the National Development Plan.

My Department is actively working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to strengthen the policy links between land use planning and transport planning. In line with an action in the Government's Housing for All plan, a working group has been established to consider opportunities for transport-led development in major urban centres. The working group is made up of my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the NTA and the Land Development Agency. The group is tasked with identifying potential areas that can be developed off the back of previous and further investment in transport infrastructure.

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