I move:
That Seanad Éireann welcomes the National Road Needs Study published by the NRA as an important blueprint for the future; and requests the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to make a statement on the matter.
The House debated the relationship between road accidents and the road infrastructure a few weeks ago. I welcome the National Roads Authority's report. It provides a blueprint for discussion and planning for the future. Through its seminars at regional level the NRA has stimulated much debate on the proposals in the study.
A more focused approach to road improvement is long overdue. Criticism can be levelled at our past failure to have sufficient forward planning. The report covers the period 1998-2019 but I wonder if that period is sufficiently long. I advocate planning the road infrastructure to the middle or the end of the next century — we should adopt a 50 to 60 year perspective. If that were done we would arrive at a road network commensurate with the requirements of a modern economy.
It is important for a trading country such as ours that we have a distribution system which is sufficient and cost effective. Many of our roads bear witness to a lack of investment over many decades. This is a pity because the payback to the economy from road investment is significant. About 16 or 17 years ago when the Naas dual carriageway was built economists estimated that it would give a 15 per cent return per annum to the economy.
At that time I was vice president of the Irish Road Hauliers Association and at various meetings with the then Minister for the Environment we articulated the need for an accelerated programme of motorway and dual carriageway construction. Had impetus been put into the programme at that stage we would have motorways or dual carriageways between our major centres today. Such investment would bring benefits to the economy and would also have a beneficial effect in terms of road accidents. We should accelerate the programme outlined in the NRA's study. However, I wonder how realistic this call will be given the current position on regionalisation and that much of the country will probably be in transition in the next round of Structural Funds.
The significant contribution made by the European Union to the road network must be acknowledged. However, I will be critical and argue that more should have been done and that it was in the early 1980s that we lost out. I recall speaking with representatives of the EU Commission whom we had invited to speak at road seminars along with Ministers. They pointed out that they were prompting the Government to come forward with progressive plans to improve the road infrastructure. Unfortunately, such investment did not occur on the necessary scale. It is regrettable that much of the significant Government borrowing at that period was channelled into current expenditure rather than into a capital programme which would have paid back the economy.
This study is a framework which is likely to be reshaped. It is an important starting point but it should be underpinned by the necessary funding to activate any of its proposals or amended proposals. There will be a need for more innovation in sourcing investment in our road infrastructure, particularly the national roads. In the past two years the Minister has made significantly improved contributions to county roads which were in need of repair and improvement. However, we must bear in mind that at least 90 per cent of passenger and goods vehicles use the national roads. Those arteries must be improved and maintained.
Last week the House discussed traffic congestion in Dublin, the need for investment in Luas and bus corridors and the need to bring about a culture shift away from private cars to public transport. There must be an integrated plan to take account of regional roads and the convergence of traffic on the cities. Many of our towns that have not been bypassed are still the source of significant delays at certain times of the day and at particular times of the year. The cost of transport is significant and most of it is imported. Vehicles, spare parts and fuel are all major components of road transport, which are imported. Therefore, it makes good economic sense, apart from the necessity to the economy, to make sure we get the best return from and use of the vehicles as cost effectively as possible.
While we talk about an integrated plan, we must look at our cities and the bottlenecks around the country. That is already happening but it needs to be accelerated. We must also examine the rail network which is an integral part of our transportation system. Because of the size of the country there will always be a difficulty in transferring any significant volume of freight or passengers on to our rail network. However, any shift will be contingent upon good rolling stock and investment in the railways. An overall strategy plan needs to be developed. It is probably fair to say that many of the reports which are now coming to Government, and much of the focus by various Ministers, are going in that direction.
Private sources of financing for road development should be examined much more enthusiastically than heretofore. We have some prime examples of it in the Eastlink and Westlink bridges, both of which have made a major contribution to traffic flows both in and around Dublin.
Such private financing could be made at a more indepth level. Many of our pension funds are seeking investment opportunities and they take a long-term view of such projects. There are also many tax breaks for investment in business expansion schemes and holiday homes. Is there scope to refocus some of the investment into road infrastructure and other public services such as drainage and sewerage?
Roads is one area where we can copy what has occurred in other countries. We should examine foreign models of practice to see how they could apply to our needs. Demographic changes in society and a significant increase in traffic will give rise to a need for more and better roads. Within the next ten years there will be a 60 per cent increase in car registrations and if there is not a commensurate improvement in the road network the current gridlock will appear insignificant.
There is a great need for a concentrated effort in this area. The Minister, Deputy Dempsey, and the Minister of State, Deputy Dan Wallace, deserve credit for the increased concentration of investment which will be made next year, compared to this year. I understand that the Book of Estimates shows an 18 per cent increase in spending on national road improvements, which is welcome. We need that kind of emphasis and I hope it will continue at a faster pace than in the past.