I am aware of the level of increasing car ownership and my Department is working in liaison with the Dublin Transportation Office in planning to meet the city's transport needs. The Government is committed to implementing the necessary measures.
The Dublin Transportation Office has reported that car ownership in 1997 was 317 per 1000 population, outstripping the original DTI forecast of 288 for the year 2001. It is acknowledged that car ownership rates are steadily pushing towards the European average of 450 per 1000 population. The DTO short-term action plan, published in September 1998, recommended a number of measures to address the faster than projected growth in traffic and slower than anticipated implementation of key elements of the Dublin transportation initiative. I immediately responded to this plan by approving a total investment of over £80 million in buses and suburban rail. These measures form part of an overall package designed to increase peak hour capacity by 37,000 trips.
My Department is currently considering the detailed public transport investment proposals proposed by the Dublin Transportation Office in its Dublin Transportation Blueprint 2000-06, as well as proposals from the CIE companies, as part of the preparatory work for the national development plan. I expect that the plan will set out a comprehensive strategy and investment programme for public transport in the years 2000 to 2006.
