asked the Minister for the Environment if in view of the recent increase in the number of road traffic deaths and injuries he will indicate what special programme has been prepared to inform and advise road users of their obligation to one another over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Private Notice Question. - Road Safety.
I am glad that the Deputy's question has given me the opportunity to express my exhortation to all road users to exercise every care and consideration during the holiday period and in particular to advert to the danger of mixing drinking and driving. I intend to develop this message in appeals on radio and television. In addition, the National Road Safety Association have organised a winter campaign which will extend over Christmas and the New Year, the principal features of which highlighted pedestrian and cyclist safety and the menace of drinking and driving.
Since I last asked this question a number of weeks ago there have been quite a number of road traffic deaths and injuries. Can the Minister assure the House that there will be something other than exhortation to bring people to their senses in relation to their obligations to one another, not just during the Christmas and New Year period but generally? Would the Minister agree that people simply are not listening?
I hope the Deputy is incorrent in saying that people are not listening. Exhortation is one of the most powerful weapons we have. I would like to ask every Member of this House, particularly over the next weekend when we will be speaking to our parties and issuing scripts, to make the point of bringing home to people the dangers of drinking and driving at the same time, particularly over the holiday period. That would be a very positive contribution which we could make.
I intend going on radio and television next week to make the same appeal. I have been very graciously invited to speak on the Mike Murphy Show one day next week to make the same appeal, but one voice is not enough. It needs the voice of every concerned person continuously making the same appeal and I hope I will have the co-operation of the House.
I appreciate the Minister's attitude to this very serious question but nobody seems to be listening to us or to the agencies invloved in road safety. The Minister might have seen a recent RTE programme, "Today Tonight", which set out the continuing horror story on our roads. Is there any possibility of approaching RTE with a view to making this video tape available to organisations and individuals who might want to see it?
I did not see the programme but I will certainly do as the Deputy suggests. I will ask RTE to make this tape available to senior classes in schools because that would be a very useful move. I should also have said that part of the campaign will be to have stickers on buses and I must thank CIE for making the space available free of charge for the next month.
There is a fund of goodwill, and everybody wants to avoid road deaths but people continue to kill and injure each other. Is there any reason, psychological or otherwise, why we continue to do this?
I am not competent to give the reason, but the fund of goodwill obviously does not extend to everybody or we would not have these accidents. People who are concerned about the carnage on our roads should extend this goodwill to everybody. That will eliminate road accidents completely. I am not saying "as far as possible" because that is not good enough. As long as one person is injured or killed on our roads I am not satisfied with the campaign. We must eliminate completely death and injury on our roads.
The Minister said he was considering setting up a traffic corps. What has he done in this area? Will there be a sufficient number of gardaí to enforce the traffic laws over the Christmas period? Is the Minister satisfied there are enough taxies available between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. to provide transport for those who might like to leave their cars at home? I am not satisfied there is sufficient public transport between these hours and transport of some kind should be available.
I did not want to do anything that is purely cosmetic; whatever is done must be effective. I am having the question of a traffic corps examined but I must admit the people I have spoken to are not very enthusiastic about it. They feel the message should be passed to each individual road-user, whether he be a pedestrian, a motorist, motor cyclist or pedal cyclist. Whether there will be a sufficient number of gardaí on duty over the Christmas is a matter for the Minister for Justice, But I am sure he is as concerned about this matter as I am.
The Taxi Owners Association would hold — and this is something I would want more notice of before I could answer it adequately — that the number of taxies in Dublin per head of population exceeds that of many cities of a similar size in other parts of the world.
Anybody residing in this city recognises that there is a grave shortage of taxies at specific times — lunchtime, teatime and between 11 p.m. and between 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. Special provision should be made to allow extra taxies to operate between those hours.
I would like to pay a tribute to RTE and NRSA for their co-operation in providing information on road safety. RTE provided the time free and the NRSA, with a very limited budget, have done a superb job.
I accept what the Deputy said. As I said previously, we have divisions in this House frequently but on this subject we are united. There are 166 Deputies and if each Deputy could speak to two or three people and ask them to take care over the next ten days, that would be very effective.
It goes without saying that I support the sentiments expressed by the Minister that an all-party approach to make people realise the seriousness of this problem would be very desirable. In view of the unanimity on this issue would he consider suggesting to the organisers of the Mike Murphy programme that Deputy D. Andrews should join him on that programme? That would be a unique situation where two people from opposite political parties would be on one view in getting this very important message across to all drivers at Christmas-time. Would the Minister make that suggestion to the organisers?
I would have no objection. Deputy Andrews' concern has been manifest in this House for many years and I would be very pleased if he would avail of any platform offered to him to spread the message. The Deputy will appreciate I am a guest on this show and I cannot issue invitations.
The suggestion could be made.
Would the Minister agree that many of the accidents in the Dublin area are caused because of frustration experienced by drivers who have the onerous task of driving through the city at peak hours? Today there seems to be a build up of traffic all the time. Much of this build up is caused by irresponsible and illegal parking. Are there any steps the Minister can take to ensure that this illegal parking is reduced over the Christmas and New Year period? A great deal of this traffic build up is caused by the ripping up of streets, some of which might not be necessary at this time of the year. I could mention three places I passed today where new digging is taking place. Would the Minister use his influence with Dublin Corporation to reduce illegal parking and postpone the filling in of these holes for the next two or three weeks?
I suppose that frustration because of the delays in traffic is a contributory factor but, again, like Deputy David Andrews' question about the psychology of the driver who brings about accidents, I am not competent to judge that. However, I will bring Deputy McMahon's remarks to the attention of Dublin Corporation. Double parking is illegal, it is breaking the law and it is the duty of the Garda to see to it that those who do that are brought to court. But in the end; no matter who double parks or what streets are dug up, the final responsibility rests with the individual. Individuals are the cause of accidents whether they are pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motor cyclists or drivers of mechanically propelled vehicles. It is only by those four groups exercising continuous care that accidents will be avoided.