Vol. 575 No. 1
182 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which he has required local authorities to produce plans to alleviate traffic congestion in towns and villages throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28026/03]
As the Deputy will be aware, traffic management in towns and villages is a matter for the local authorities concerned. However, in recognition of the role that good road design and effective traffic management can play in alleviating congestion, the Dublin Transportation Office, in conjunction with my Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has prepared and published a manual setting out traffic management guidelines.
The purpose of that manual is to provide guidance on a variety of issues, including traffic planning, traffic calming and management, incorporation of speed restraint measures in new residential designs, and the provision of suitably designed facilities for public transport users and vulnerable road users. It also focuses on how those issues must be examined and implemented in the context of overall transportation and land use policies. National, regional and local strategies set the objectives for transportation and traffic management schemes, and the manual outlines the techniques and tools available to assist in the delivery of those objectives.
It is intended that the manual will provide assistance to a wide range of people, including local authority officials, developers, voluntary organisations and the general public, as well as Departments and their agencies. In particular, it provides guidance for engineers, planners, architects and policy makers working on behalf of local authorities, developers, Departments and also for the Garda Síochána.
