Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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219. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will amend section 81 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 to allow for the use of CCTV evidence in cases of parking in bus lanes, parking in cycle lanes and driving in bus lanes, which are currently prohibited under various statutory instruments issued by previous Ministers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53029/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Bus and cycle lanes are created to facilitate bus-based public transport and cycling. They are intended to facilitate the incentivised modal shift of private car occupants to the more efficient and sustainable travel modes. It is therefore in the travelling public's interest to abide by the statutory regulations governing the use of bus and cycle lanes and to ensure that they are not obstructed or misused in any way.

This is why it is an offence to either park or travel in contra-flow bus lanes at any time of the day or night, or in with-flow bus lanes during their displayed hours of operation. I understand that the statutory instruments relating to the offences referred to in the Deputy’s question are made under section 35 of the 1994 Road Traffic Act and that section 81 of the 1961 Road Traffic Act applies to this section and the regulations made under it.

Separate to the use of fixed CCTV camera evidence to prosecute offences such as the illegal parking or driving in bus lanes as provided for in section 81 of the 1961 Road Traffic Act, the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 includes an action to investigate the possibility of also using bus-mounted cameras for enforcing the law in relation to the illegal use of bus lanes.

Specifically, Action 122 of the Strategy will “Examine the feasibility of utilising bus mounted cameras to detect and enforce illegal parking in bus lanes and if appropriate make recommendations for implementation.”

The National Transport Authority is the lead agency for this Action, and I look forward to considering any recommendations which may arise as a result of their considerations.