It gives me great pleasure to extend my congratulations to my close friend and colleague, Deputy Wallace, on attaining his first ministerial post to which I am sure he will apply the total commitment he has demonstrated over the past ten years in other positions he has occupied on committees and so on. It is indeed a great honour for us to have had Deputy Wallace elevated together with two of our other colleagues.
I might say to Deputy Kavanagh, now that we have come to the starting blocks at the Cabinet table, we would need to change the rules somewhat. On the occasion on which he opened the two bridges in Cork there were five of his colleagues there. We will be expecting the same criteria to be used in the share out of funding, but perhaps we will have a little more bite at Cabinet table and elsewhere than heretofore. I extend my congratulations to the Minister and I am sure he will do an excellent job. It is time for celebration in Cork.
The Roads Bill has been before us during the past year. I was shocked to see a major headline in a national newspaper which was accredited to a Deputy speaking in the Chamber. It was stated that the Bill, if passed, would be a road builders' charter. Quite frankly, that statement is nothing other than emotive nonsense. The same Deputy was reported as saying that the Roads Bill would not fill one single pothole, repair a set of traffic lights or reinstate a single footpath. I hope he is correct in the latter statement because we are not setting up a national roads body to do that type of work.
The Roads Authority which will be set up following the passage of this Bill will have overall responsibility for planning and supervising the construction, improvement and maintenance of national roads and for the principal ports and airports. As Cork is the only port that provides a 24 hour service practically all the year round, we have a particular interest in access to the ports. This body will have responsibility also for the preparation of medium term plans for the development of national roads and of arranging for the preparation of road design, maintenance programmes and schemes for the provision of traffic signs on national roads. These are all separate but complimentry functions and many of these things are happening at present.
The provision of traffic signs is done on an ad hoc basis and there is an obvious wastage of public funds. There is a need for cohesion and for co-ordination of effort.
The Authority will have responsibility also for allocating and paying grants for national roads and, most important, for promoting the case for EC assistance and for the tolling of national roads. I should like to ask the Minister, who was wearing another hat for the past 12 months as the delegate from Cork Corporation on the monitoring body for southern region funding under the European Regional Development Fund regional programme, if the stated programme of funding for road development will remain in place? We have identified for approximately the next five years, our needs under the different categories of roads and have allocated funding to them. Will this body have a veto over that, or will the present figure remain in place as a minimum? Others have adverted to the fact that 9 per cent transport costs is a very high additional cost to our manufacturing base. We must do everything possible to reduce that. Total investment from regional funds is expected to result in a reduction of only 25 per cent, making a differential of 45 per cent over the rest of Europe.
Deputy Kavanagh, who has much experience in this area, raised an interesting point regarding the possibility of allocating funds from the Regional Funds to routine maintenance. Up to now when we sought national financing the local engineers informed us that because of the different ratios of support given — 50 per cent, 75 per cent and 100 per cent for the different categories — we could not use the central funding for maintenance of urban roads. Criticism is coming from the taxpayer, the people who are footing the bill. I would like to see local authorities being given discretion to use all their funding in whatever way they wish. I would like to see us making a very strong case to Europe for funding for such works. One of the impediments up to now has been the question of additionality and that is the reason funding has gone to the national routes rather than elsewhere. I would like to see us making a case to Europe based on our needs, and that matter has been well documented by other contributors. We are unique in that our small population is spread over such a large area. I would ask the Minister to formulate a case for Europe based on those facts.
The idea of setting up a National Roads Authority was first articulated over 20 years ago. I am delighted it has been decided at long last to appoint such a body. I warmly welcome the Bill, despite having one or two reservations which I will make known as best I can. We have heard much recently about the desirability of devolving as much as possible powers to local government.
We all subscribe to that argument. But the construction and design of roads demands exactly the opposite. For too long we have had a mish-mash of standards in road design and construction from county to county and even from one portion of a county to another. This has arisen because of various factors, including the availability of finance, differing views on design and different decisions and priorities as far as road expenditure was concerned. This has led to a situation where when driving on a high standard road, one is suddenly confronted by a narrow, substandard road simply because of crossing the county boundary. I do not mind being parochial and giving a specific example of a road I have travelled twice in the past week. I am talking about the road from Cork county into Kerry county. When crossing the Cork-Kerry boundary it is most frustrating to find a four lane carriageway on one side of the county boundary and little more than a boreen on the other side. Unfortunately, the substandard road is on the Cork side of that county boundary. That is a scandal. Those of us who are used to traversing the road can understand it and allow for it, but it is crazy and would not arise in any other country in Europe. I am sure every county can provide similar examples which could probably be quoted here for the rest of the day. That is what I am talking about when I say we need a co-ordinating body. It is ludicrous to have a portion of a road built to a four lane standard in one county, when perhaps ten years later the corresponding side will be done in the neighbouring county. This can result in grave danger and unfortunately there have been tragic accidents on such roads.
When discussing a previous Local Government Bill, Deputies from the Dublin area complained vehemently and vigorously about the lack of co-ordination and the lack of joint planning between the various authorities — Dublin County Council, Dublin Corporation and Dún Laoghaire Corporation. In Cork a co-ordinating body attempts to deal on a professional level with public representatives where road works are involved. That co-ordinating body is working very well within the greater Cork area. How far can that voluntary co-operation be carried across different county boundaries? The National Roads Authority will have power to eliminate the problem by setting down standards for national roads which traverse a number of counties. Regardless of the priorities within that county, they will continue with the programme as laid down. Because of our system of electoral districts and so on priority for any given road can depend on the wishes of a local or chief road engineer. I hope the necessary work can be done without placing undue strain on the finances of local authorities so that they in turn can proceed with the improvement of local roads, as and when necessary.
Under section 10 the Minister will have power to classify roads under the various headings of national, regional and Euro routes. Deputy Kavanagh referred to this matter. I am sure the Minister will take the recommendations of local authorities into account in coming to a decision on this and that the Authority, in turn, will be open to suggestions from interested parties.
There are always arguments about the classification of roads but these usually relate to the availability of finance and the question of maintenance. It is made clear in the Bill that national roads should be of a standard comparable to standards in other countries and that they will be either motorways or protected roads with limited access from adjoining roads. I do not know what the intention is in relation to regional roads. Will the Minister clarify this for us when replying?
In the past too much emphasis has been placed on the necessity for a good road network between Dublin and certain large centres of population. It is as important that we have a road network of high standard linking Cork with Tralee, Limerick with Waterford, Sligo with Galway and other major towns in the west and north-west. I trust these roads will be of high standard and comprise four lanes, where practical, so that there will be an end to what Deputy Kavanagh described as "funerals"— a couple of articulated trucks with a long line of frustrated car drivers behind them. If one motorist loses his patience it could have disastrous consequences. I had such an experience on Monday night on what is supposed to be a good route, the main Killarney road, when a low-loader carrying a massive machine belonging to a State body was trundling along at 20 miles an hour in bad weather with 50 to 60 cars travelling behind it. It is crazy that one should have to put up with this in this day and age.
In relation to road design, two issues should be taken into account, an efficient transport system and safety. Of the two, safety is by far the most important. A large proportion of serious accidents are caused by a combination of high speed and poor road conditions. I am not satisfied that speed limits are being properly enforced or structured either in built-up areas or on the open highway. We are too casual; it is ludicrous to impose a 30 mile an hour limit in housing estates. It may be necessary to introduce new limits which could be as low as 10 miles an hour. On the other hand, the speed limit on some national primary roads should be raised by between 10 miles and 15 miles per hour.
At present the Garda, the Department of the Environment and the local authorities are involved in this matter but it seems no one knows how to make the right choices. Indeed, it can take a couple of years to have a speed limit sign moved just a few yards. This matter must be looked at without further delay. If the reason speed checks are not being carried out by the Garda is a lack of personnel we should try to remedy this. I hope the new speed detection equipment which has been made available to Garda will be of help. Indeed, we are seeing the results of this already.
We must also examine the question of speed limits in built-up areas. The Garda Síochána make recommendations on where speed limit signs should be located but it can take up to two years to have a decision handed down by the Minister and the Department. Under section 17 the Minister may transfer some functions from the Garda Síochána to the National Roads Authority. Given the rapid development of housing in some aeas I hope a way can be found to have speed limits enforced and sign posts provided.
I would like the question of speed control ramps examined once again and to see more of these constructed at the entrance to housing estates. To a large degree our attempts to do this have failed. In the recent past a series of plastic lines were placed on the ground to indicate to motorists that they should slow down but these have only proved to be a nuisance to local residents because motorists are certainly not slowing down. On the other hand, a huge ramp can be a hazard. Other countries are coping well in this regard. I would like the Department to carry out some research and hand over responsibility to someone who will take action.
I go further and strongly recommend that provision should be made for speed control mechanisms when planning large housing estates. Too often we react to incidents which range from the minor to the very serious resulting in the loss of life. Those of us who are members of local authorites become very frustrated fighting such cases. Engineers inform us it may be necessary to construct speed ramps on every street in a city or town. However, they should be looking at it in the context of planning.
The second aspect that should be taken into account in relation to road design is an efficient transport system. The greatest handicap imposed on the manufacturing industry is the cost of transporting their goods either internally or for shipment abroad. According to the survey carried out for the British-Irish interparliamentary tier, to which Deputy Kavanagh referred, 99 per cent of our exports are exported via roll-on/roll-off ferries or direct shipping from our ports.
At present our transport costs at 9 per cent are double the European average of 4.5 per cent. This makes it almost impossible for companies to compete. We also must take the time factor into account. Some of the Deputies who contributed to this debate are not too worried about that aspect of the Bill. They, at times consider anyone conducting business to be a legitimate target for criticism. It should be remembered, however, that they are the people who are trying to create the jobs which are so badly needed. We should help them in every way to overcome the handicap of poor infrastructure.
The section on transport in the European programme on peripherality was an attempt to reduce the differential between Irish and European transport costs. Unfortunately, the total investment will reduce it by one quarter. However, if this money is spent wisely we should be able to reduce it further.
Section 65 deals with cycle ways for the exclusive use of pedal cyclists and pedestrians. I warmly welcome this provision and hope it will be implemented soon in as many places as possible. In my younger days I competed in cycling races and did all my training on public roads. That is a few years ago but at that time it was relatively safe to do so. It was also safe to take as many as 20 young people out training. There was never any difficulty in doing this and we never felt in any danger. However, the motorist is now the king and the attitude seems to be that cyclists and pedestrians have no rights. I have seen this in regard to people who I thought were very civilised but their respect for pedestrians and cyclists leaves a lot to be desired. I hope the Bill will provide a new charter for pedestrians and cyclists. In many cities and towns the needs of pedestrians are simply not recognised and it is the duty of local authorities to listen to people who want to walk or cycle in safety. Doctors tell us how important it is to walk on a regular basis and when roads are constructed this aspect must be taken into consideration. Up to now, many local authorities had no regard whatsoever for the rights of pedestrians or cyclists. I hope that will change as a result of the Bill.
There are many other archaic practices which must be dealt with. I am glad that a section in the Bill deals with overhanging trees and similar hazards. The bottom line — literally — of the section states that if the Authority see a structure, a tree, shrub, hedge, etc., which presents an immediate and serious hazard to people using the public road, they may, notwithstanding the provisions of earlier subsections, take immediate action to reduce or remove the hazard. We have all driven on roads where overhanging trees are an obvious and immediate danger but, heretofore, trying to get action nearly meant going to the Supreme Court.
It will be many years before we complete the programme outlined in the Bill and meanwhile there are many highly dangerous sections of roads throughout the country. We are all very familiar with the sign warning us about an accident black spot. I can understand why such a notice must be put in place immediately after one or two accidents but I cannot understand why several years can pass without anything being done to eliminate the danger. About two months ago newspapers and television reported a horrific accident near Dundalk in which four young people died. In each report the scene of the accident was described as a well known black spot. It is sickening that such a situation can be allowed to continue and it is an indictment of Members of this House. Perhaps the reason is lack of funds but, in many cases, the cost of eliminating or minimising the dangers would be quite low. We were told by engineers that they have a long term plan for the area and that it would be unwise to spend money on what they describe as a patching up job. I reject this because there is no limit on the value of a human life. We have been side-tracked on issues like this in the past and I hope that there will be speedier reaction in relation to such matters in future.
The improvement, management and lighting of public roads are being handed over to the Authority with responsibility for public lighting, which was previously the function of a sanitary authority rather than a road authority. I am never sure which is which in many cases, but I have been campaigning for the past couple of years to get a portion of the town of Ballincollig upgraded. It is a huge town, spreading rapidly, but parts of it are like the black hole of Calcutta. The portion to which I refer is on the fringes of the town and is ignored even though the area near it is built up. I hope the Bill will allow for speedy action in that kind of situation, where a local or sanitary authority decide that it is a low priority. No matter how many accidents occur they seem to get away with it.
Deputy Kavanagh referred to driving on dual carriageways and the problems caused by motorists. If we intend to compile an educational programme for the public we should include a section on roundabouts. I have invariably found that at a crossroads with a roundabout a person turning right fails to indicate his or her intention to do so. They seem to have the idea that they have the right of way — which is obvious — but they should still indicate as the whole purpose of a roundabout is to keep traffic moving. There is a need to instruct people on the use of roundabouts as even good drivers do not seem to know how to use them properly.
During the last few months I put a number of questions to Cork County Council regarding one mile of a dual carriageway link road which was laid in 1986 and which was dug up to lay a gas main. I regarded this as the extreme in the abuse of public funding and I asked who had responsibility in regard to it. Time and time again, in my own local authority, I have said that up to 50 per cent of potholes, particularly in urban areas, are a direct result of excavation and resurfacing. It is virtually impossible to do proper resurfacing to the original standard on any route, even if a professional says otherwise I will argue that there is subsidence at different levels and other difficulties. It is a total and utter waste of taxpayers' money and frustrating for those who have to drive on the roads. The Minister should consider a prohibition, except in emergencies, on digging up roads which have been laid within a stated period, perhaps five or ten years. Every State or semi-State body and public utility service group should be compelled to examine their plans for a given period to ensure that if water mains electricity cables, gas mains or any other service needs to be provided, this should be done when the road is being constructed. The present practice is a scandal and a waste of taxpayers' money. It is very frustrating because if I complain about it, people will say that I am making excuses for the lack of funding from central funds, as if that was provided by the Minister and not by the taxpayers.
Up to now there was a great waste of professional expertise by duplication of work from county to county and area to area. I hope that the co-ordination of all that effort under this plan will lead to a national saving. I am not saying that we should make people redundant but I hope they will be used in more productive areas in local authorities.
Earlier I asked if the present funding under the European fund which is specifically for the roads programme for the next four or five years will be maintained. Even though there was no Minister from County Cork, we fought very hard for a fair allocation under the regional plan, which we got. I should like the Minister to say if this level of funding will be maintained or if the new Authority will have the right to shanghai all the funding and decide the priorities. We have worked very hard to get funding for certain projects — roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. These are included in the five year plan. I hope these are left in place and that additional funding will be provided.
I welcome the Bill. Hopefully, it will be a charter for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. I commend the Bill to the House.
