I thank the Minister of State for enabling me to raise the issue of the extension of the Luas light rail system to Bray as it is a matter of urgency in terms of decisions being made by his Department. Currently, the extension of Luas to the Cherrywood development at Loughlinstown has already been decided and made public by the Dublin Transportation Office. The DTO is considering the possibility of connecting the Luas and the DART line in the vicinity of Shankill. However, it is clear from correspondence from the DTO that all options are open for examination and assessment.
The opportunity exists to extend Luas to Bray and, thereby, maximise fully the potential of light rail. It would not be the first time such a link between two public transportation systems was made at Bray. Previously the town was serviced by the old Harcourt Street line as well as the coastal rail line. Population growth in the Bray-north Wicklow area has changed dramatically since the demise of the Harcourt Street line. Already our roads are seizing up as a result of the increased car traffic. New roads, recently built, are already under pressure. Protesters are in the trees of the Glen of the Downs fighting future road expansion plans. It is becoming increasingly clear to all that simply building more roads will not solve the problem of traffic congestion in what is "commuterland" for thousands of people.
The main artery in east Wicklow, the N11, has reached capacity and any new work to develop it will not provide for the ever-expanding need. The population growth of Wicklow has been considerable and is set to grow at an even faster rate. In a few years the population of Bray will reach 35,000 and that of Greystones will reach 22,000. Much of the new development is made up of housing, but there is an industrial and commercial element which has requirements in transportation terms. A major industrial complex is already planned close to the N11 near Bray. It is envisaged that 7,000 jobs will be created there. In the town itself multinational corporations have established enterprises that are significant employment providers, such as Dell, Lucent Technologies and Schering-Plough Limited.
Public transport links between key destinations, such as the airport, Sandyford industrial estate and Cherrywood, would have great business benefits but other important links are absent. There is no hospital in County Wicklow – the nearest is St. Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, and it does not have a paediatric service. Parents with children must travel to Tallaght Hospital or Crumlin. When Harcourt Street hospital was available to them it was at least close to major public transport links. That is no longer the case for parents of sick children who must depend on private transport to an unacceptable degree.
For the purposes of work, entertainment and services, the people of Bray are poorly connected with south-west and west Dublin. Existing public transport links go back to the early to mid-19th century and are primarily radial to Dublin city centre. Conversely, the facilities in Bray are inaccessible by way of easy public transport to many in the greater Dublin area. Historically Bray has been a day-trippers destination for Dublin people. Now that the city has grown and extended westwards, it makes logical sense to ensure that there is a public transport link to and from the west of the city. The people of Tallaght, for example, should have the ease of access to the seaside enjoyed and availed of by thousands of city people travelling by DART to Bray.
The DART has made an enormous improvement in public transport to and from north Wicklow, but already it is experiencing overload at peak times. Commuters nearer to town, for example, at Monkstown, are forced to use private transport because they are unable to access the DART at rush hour. When Greystones is finally opened up to the DART – perhaps the Minister of State in his reply will indicate when that new day will dawn – it will put additional load onto the service. This in turn adds further weight to the case for extending Luas to Bray.
The strategic planning guidelines, which were published earlier this year, include Bray in the transportation corridor for the greater Dublin area. In this document Bray and Greystones are part of the area defined for consolidation. If extended to Bray, Luas would provide a sustainable transport option for future and existing residents. If Luas is planned now it will be relatively easy to put down the lines on the old N11 from Shankill to Bray as there is capacity on that road which would not unduly affect motorised traffic because there is little traffic on it. At the termination point of the Luas a park and ride site at the station could be provided and this would enable people travelling to Dublin from Wicklow to access Dublin by public transport. There are a number of possible routes and end points, and these should be assessed. I am glad the Minister of State, who represents County Wicklow, is taking this debate. I ask him to take on board the fact that Bray Urban District Council unanimously supported the proposals to extend Luas to Bray. I look forward to his reply.
