Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Dec 2006

Vol. 629 No. 3

Private Members' Business.

Public Transport: Motion.

Ms Shortall

I move:

"That Dáil Éireann,

concerned at the serious traffic problems facing the Greater Dublin Area and the inadequacy of the current public transport system;

conscious that even if the metro and rail proposals contained in Transport 21 are delivered on time, it will be many years before these services become available to the public; and

believing that in those circumstances the Dublin bus service will remain the principal provider of public transport in the city and surrounding areas for many years to come;

calls on the Government to ensure relief for hard pressed commuters by:

the expansion of the Dublin Bus fleet by 50% (500 buses);

the introduction of a flat fare of €1 for adults and 50 cent for children;

the completion of all quality bus corridors and the construction of additional QBCs; and

the construction of a network of park and ride facilities on the outskirts of Dublin with express bus services to central areas."

I wish to share time with Deputy Burton.

Dublin traffic is on a knife-edge and recent experience has borne that out all too clearly. With average speeds of 10 mph, we live in a city that grinds to a halt when it rains and cannot handle even minor road works and road traffic collisions without serious congestion. Average peak time bus speeds have reduced to 8 mph. Even on some quality bus corridors, QBCs, the average peak-time speed can be as low as 6 mph, and as low as 3 mph at pinch points. With a population increase of 250,000 in the greater Dublin area, GDA, over the past ten years, half of it in the counties bordering Dublin, more commuters are travelling ever longer distances to work. As a result, journey times have become unbearably long. According to the latest available journey time figures, from Finglas to the city centre, it takes 54 minutes; from Howth, 56 minutes; from Malahide, 61 minutes; from Donabate, 63 minutes, from Stepaside village, 64 minutes; from Dunshaughlin, 75 minutes; from Loughlinstown roundabout, 76 minutes; from Kill 86 minutes; and from Saggart village, 99 minutes. Many thousands of commuters, whether in private or public transport, spend more than three hours per day on the road on a good day. If they were unlucky enough to be caught on the M50 during one of its recent monster tailbacks, they spent up to seven hours in a car. That is the scale of the problem facing commuters in the GDA and, by any standard, it is a crisis.

The fundamental problem is our utterly inadequate public transport system. Dublin remains a heavily car dependent city. Annual traffic surveys show that cars represent more than 80% of the traffic crossing the canals into Dublin city centre, whereas buses represent only 2% of that total. At the time of the 2002 census, more than 60% of us travelled to work in the GDA by car, lorry or van. The latest Dublin Transportation Office survey figures indicate this trend is continuing. That figure is more than 70% for the three counties in the mid-east region. We are counting the cost of all this congestion in our pockets and in our lives. First and foremost, there is the incalculable cost to people's lives in the loss of significant family and leisure time, increased stress levels, reduced job and social opportunities and the ongoing degradation of the environment. Business groups suggest the annual cost of congestion could be in excess of €2 billion, while it is estimated congestion costs Dublin Bus €60 million annually.

The Government response to this crisis has been bewildering. Incredibly, despite all the congestion, the Government has spectacularly failed to meet the demand for public transport services. Its belated strategy is the €34 billion Transport 21 plan. It remains to be seen the extent to which this plan will ever be implemented, given the complete failure to deliver on the earlier Platform for Change plan. The public transport element of Transport 21 essentially represents a long-term plan to expand rail services in the capital, little of which will come on stream within the next five to ten years. However, the Government has no short to medium-term strategy to deal with the congestion crisis facing commuters now. Dublin commuters cannot wait for Transport 21.

Mr. Quinn

Hear, hear.

Ms Shortall

It does not have to be like this. Congestion is not a problem of prosperity but of poor Government. The Government has deliberately starved Dublin commuters of additional buses, with no increase in the Dublin Bus fleet between 2001 and late 2005. Transport 21 only delivered 17 new buses in 2005 and 15 this year and, in both cases, the buses were not operational until November or December. QBCs without adequate bus services and bus services without adequate QBCs remain a problem.

The only short to medium-term solution to the traffic chaos in the GDA is to provide commuters with the option of reliable public transport through improved bus services. The Government's approach to bus services has been lethargic and incompetent. No serious attempt has been made to develop them to the point to where they are seen by the public generally as a realistic, reliable or attractive alternative to the private car. There are lessons to be learned from the experience with Luas. When commuters are given the option of a transport system which they can depend on, which is fast and which ensures reliable journey times, they will make the switch. Many of the characteristics of Luas can be replicated across the GDA if a strategic approach is adopted to bus services. There is an urgent need to vastly expand bus capacity, speed up journey times and make bus travel financially attractive. Only then will significant numbers of people leave their cars at home.

The first part of this motion calls for the addition of 500 buses to the Dublin fleet. At a time of great demand for public transport, Dublin has been starved of buses. Under the current national development plan, NDP, the Government promised to provide Dublin Bus with 275 additional buses by the end of 2006. This promise was never kept and, astonishingly, at a Dáil committee last week the Minister suggested that the buses were not provided because they were not needed. How far removed are the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, from reality? It is hard to believe the Minister has any understanding of his area of responsibility or has any regard for the thousands of commuters stuck in traffic on a daily basis.

Incredibly, in spite of population growth and increased numbers in employment between 2001 and late 2005, the Government refused to increase the size of the Dublin Bus fleet of 1,062. Late last year, there was a minor increase and the same occurred this year and we are told the figure will rise to 1,182 by the end of next year.

There is a vague Government promise to provide a further 100 buses from the private sector and this is supposed to be overseen by a Dublin transport authority that we have yet to see. Not only will this not meet demand, the issue is when, if ever, we will see these promised buses. The Dublin transport authority has yet to be established, does not even have an interim chief executive officer and no Bill for its establishment has yet been published by the Minister for Transport, let alone passed by the Dáil. In addition, reform of bus licensing law which dates back to 1932 is required, although legislation is not expected to be available until the end of 2007 at the earliest.

The Government's proposals are hopelessly inadequate. In its network review of 2005, Dublin Bus set out the need for an extra 425 buses, primarily to service areas of expanding population and to increase bus frequency along quality bus corridor, QBC, routes such as Tallaght, Rathfarnham, south Clondalkin, Malahide, Blanchardstown and Lucan, all of which badly need more buses. It is inexcusable that the Government continues to deny commuters decent public transport and it is particularly frustrating for commuters to see bus lanes without buses.

The Labour Party accepts the figure of 425 extra buses that Dublin Bus proposes, but we also want to extend expressway and limited stop services from outside the M50 and from park and ride sites. We want to expand orbital and feeder services and we want more local services for centres of population, work and commerce. To do this, Dublin Bus would require 500 additional buses in its fleet.

Mr. Stagg

Hear, hear.

Ms Shortall

The second part of this motion calls for the completion of quality bus corridors. At 13 km/h, the average speed of Dublin buses is almost the slowest in Europe and, apart from Paris, no other capital city has a slower peak time bus speed. Our average speed compares to Reykjavik at 28 km/h, Helsinki at 27 km/h, London and Prague at 26 km/h, Rotterdam at 23 km/h and Venice at 22 km/h.

The Labour Party wants to put the quality back into quality bus corridors. QBCs have contributed enormously to Dublin's transport system. A 50% increase in bus passenger numbers on these routes in the past nine years shows that they are popular with commuters and they can work. However, QBCs have the potential to be much more effective in terms of shorter journey times and achieving much greater efficiency from the bus fleet. To do this, we want the following steps taken.

We want to see the existing bus corridors completed. In six of the current 13 QBCs less than half the route is actually a bus lane and, overall, only 52% of the road space on QBC routes comprises bus lane. The Howth Road, Tallaght, Rathfarnham and north Clondalkin QBCs all have bus lanes on less than 40% of their length. There are particular shortages on outbound routes with only four of the existing QBCs having bus lanes on half or more of their routes. Overall, only 42% of outbound QBC kilometres are actually covered by bus lane.

It is this lack of bus priority that impacts drastically on bus journey times and operating costs. It makes buses an unattractive alternative for motorists because of the uncertainty relating to journey times and, in many cases, the minimal time advantage of travelling by bus. It also makes the system unmanageable for bus operators.

Bus speeds on part of the Swords QBC where bus priority is not in place can be as low as 4 km/h. Some Blanchardstown services now have journey times lasting up to a gruelling 130 minutes. A Labour Party survey in March 2006 of the Granby Row and Dorset Street junction at peak time showed that outbound buses were waiting an average of 22 minutes, and up to 31 minutes in some cases, to travel around a block, a distance of one eighth of a mile. That junction is critical and serves most buses on the north side of Dublin. More QBCs must be commissioned on the main arteries and we need to give much greater priority to buses at junctions. In addition, we need the early introduction of real-time information at bus stops. Certainty of journey time is an important factor in the minds of commuters as it allows people to plan a journey. People need to know a bus will be along in five or ten minutes time when they arrive at a bus stop rather than standing waiting for 25 to 30 minutes not knowing if a bus will ever come as is the case at present.

The third part of this Labour Party motion deals with fares. There is a need to totally revamp fare structures because, at present, fares are too high, too cumbersome and add to delays. There are strong arguments, on grounds of convenience, for a flat rate €1 fare. If one examines the current Dublin Bus fare structure, the lowest adult fare of 95 cent takes at the very least four coins, the €1.35 fare takes at least four coins, the €1.55 fare takes three coins and so on up the scale. This change relates to convenience, but the Labour Party believes there is a strong argument for a flat €1 fare to provide a financial incentive to convince commuters to switch from private to public transport. Later I will discuss how the cost of such a simplified low fare system can be recouped tenfold.

The Labour Party is calling for the introduction of a standard €1 per trip fare across the entire Dublin Bus network, similar to the London model, and on all public bus services within 25 miles of the city centre. Outside this zone, fares should be tapered according to distance, ensuring simplicity and fairness in the fare structure.

We want to place particular emphasis on child fares by providing a standard 50 cent fare and extending eligibility to all children under 18 years of age. This is critical as the school run adds considerably to morning congestion and it is important to encourage the use of public transport from an early age. In addition, there is no logic to the current system which dictates that 16 and 17-year-olds pay adult fares.

The Labour Party also wants to make tickets more accessible by ensuring that on-street ticket machines for buses, similar to Luas, are available to the public at key city centre bus stops, suburban stopping points and, if necessary, on buses themselves.

In addition, the Labour Party wants to extend the Dublin Bus network and the €1 fare zone to major residential areas within a radius of at least 25 miles of the city centre, including towns and villages like Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Clane, Kill, Naas, Prosperous, Ratoath, Sallins, and Straffan. We want to reduce fares on a scale related to distance beyond this zone, which will result in a more affordable and simplified fare structure throughout the region. While Bus Éireann may continue to operate the service, it will become the overall responsibility of Dublin Bus and the latter's fare structures will apply. This will address a serious anomaly in fare structures, whereby a commuter can pay 127% more on a one way adult fare and 58% more on the equivalent of a weekly ticket over comparable distances. It will also end the public bus rip-off of areas of south County Meath, about which I have received a number of representations.

Finally, this motion calls for the early commissioning of park and ride facilities. The logic of bus-based park and ride has been discussed for many years but no action has been taken. As a result, there is no permanent bus-based park and ride facility in the greater Dublin area. In 2004, the Department of Transport paid a paltry €800,000 to local authorities for park and ride facilities in the greater Dublin area and, in 2005, the even smaller sum of €289,000. It is not as if there has been a massive expansion of rail based park and ride. Transport 21 provides for at least six park and ride sites around the M50 in conjunction with planned rail improvements. Metro north is due to have two park and ride sites providing parking for over 2,000 cars at Lissenhall, north of Swords, and at Metro Park, north of Ballymun. In the past two weeks, a planning application was made to Fingal County Council for a separate 1,386 park and ride site beside the NCT centre to serve Dublin Airport. If there is a need to facilitate parking at the airport, the need must be all the greater to serve commuters to the city centre. The Luas extension from Sandyford to Cherrywood will have a park and ride site at Carrickmines providing 300 spaces. Why not provide those spaces now? There are also park and ride facilities planned for the junction of the N11 and the Luas extension from Cherrywood to the Bray area and the junctions of Metro West and the N2, N3 and N4. Again, why wait for a project that will take more than ten years to complete? A serious need exists for park and ride facilities in order to relieve the city's chronic congestion problems and the sites have been identified, so why not provide the facilities now? If these are real proposals and not just stunts, there is no excuse for not proceeding with them. Once in Government, the Labour Party will establish these park and ride sites immediately and will service them with express bus services to the city centre. We will also develop additional park and ride sites on approaches to the city as identified by the local authorities. The proposals being made by the Labour Party on bus services are achievable, cost effective, deliverable in a matter of months and represent the only viable alternative to the daily car commute endured by many thousands of people.

Of course, there are further issues to address in terms of congestion. In particular, urgent action is needed on the West Link toll bridge. Next Wednesday, the Dublin Port tunnel will open, spilling thousands of trucks on to an already congested M50. The West Link is a major congestion point on the M50 and for traffic in general in the greater Dublin area. A minimum of 2,500 additional trucks will use the West Link on a daily basis, the equivalent of 6,500 cars in terms of road space, making an already congested road impossible to travel during the day.

It is not as if this situation has arisen overnight. The Government has known for the past ten years that the port tunnel would open and that these additional trucks would spill on to the M50, yet it has done nothing to prepare for it. It could have put in place a system to allow for barrier-free tolling or, in the context of its negotiations with NTR, taken early control of the toll bridge to ensure it will be in a position to manage the chaotic situations which are likely to arise once the port tunnel opens. It could have managed the situation by lifting the toll barriers whenever congestion and tailbacks became unbearable or by varying tolls to allow for greater use of the West Link and the M50 during non-peak hours. Incentives such as free tolls could have been offered at certain times of the day. However, the Government has no scope to take such actions because the best it can offer is that something will happen in two years time. Given the record it has set in terms of missing deadlines and targets, there is no reason to hope that matters will ever improve. There is no excuse for the lack of preparation for the opening of the port tunnel. The Government has utterly failed to develop a system which would have improved conditions at the West Link. Further measures should be introduced to ensure the city's traffic moves reasonably freely, such as more policing or a year-round version of Operation Freeflow.

It is important that the costs of my party's proposals are put in their proper context. The chamber of commerce has estimated that congestion costs the business community some €2 billion annually. Dublin Bus estimates the costs it faces in terms of congestion at €60 million annually, a figure which entirely consumes the subvention provided to the company, while Bus Éireann estimates its congestion costs at €35 million annually. Dublin, at 26%, has the lowest subvention rate for bus services out of 16 European cities. It compares terribly with, for example, Athens at 62%, Brussels at 67% and Luxembourg at 78%. The principal expenses in Labour's plan will be 500 buses at a mere €300,000 each, or €15 million on an annualised basis and €50 million to complete the quality bus corridors. The estimated loss to Dublin Bus arising from the proposed €1 incentive would be approximately €25 million. We have to bear in mind that it is estimated that the additional income from the increased numbers of passengers would be €17.5 million. Given that thousands of commuters are spending more than three hours on the road each day, it is clear that considerable social and economic savings can be made by shortening journey times. The Labour Party estimates that the number of bus passengers who travel during the morning peak period can be increased from the current 115,000 to 180,000. If these plans can save people an average of just 15 minutes on their journey times, it is possible to quantify the financial savings in terms of time saved. Over €1 million will be saved each day — €250 million will be saved per annum — if 180,000 commuters save a total of 30 minutes each every day. That estimate is based on average wage costs of a conservative €12 per hour. In addition, those who have to continue to use their cars would enjoy time savings worth an estimated €60 million per annum. It is clear that the cost benefit of the Labour Party's proposal would be quite substantial, in terms of economic, social and personal costs. The Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, needs to show some leadership, vision and political will to solve the problem. None of those characteristics is evident from him tonight, sadly.

Ms Burton

I commend my colleague, Deputy Shortall, on proposing this motion, which outlines a most imaginative plan for tackling the short-term difficulties which are causing gridlock in Dublin.

When the Taoiseach opened the National Aquatic Centre in west Dublin a couple of years ago, he famously declared to gasps from the locals who were present in the audience that it was great that Blanchardstown was just 20 minutes away from the GPO. He can dream on. It might take one just 20 minutes to make such journey if one has a State car and a Garda driver who is legally allowed to use the bus lanes. The average bus journey time from Dublin 15 to the city centre for the ordinary commuter is 111 minutes. When the M50 clogs up, as happened last week, it can take three hours to make an eight-mile journey. It took longer to get from Blanchardstown or Lucan to the city centre last week than it would have taken to travel by train from Dublin to Belfast. That is what we are talking about. I expect that new novels, films and other works of art or rage will start to emerge some day soon when people outline the details of their experience of commuting from places like Blanchardstown in the west of Dublin.

The Government, which has encouraged the construction of tens of thousands of homes in west Dublin and similar areas in Dublin and other cities, is indifferent to the plight of people who use public transport. A significant number of people, particularly young people, who are moving into new homes in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford would love to be able to use public transport — buses or trains — but they cannot do so. Such services are either not available or, in the case of bus services in particular, are not available reliably. If extra buses were made available immediately, I do not doubt that up to 20% of car users who currently make direct journeys in and out of cities like Dublin would transfer to public transport services like buses and trains.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to find a European capital city that has traffic congestion that is as bad and public transport that is as poor as Dublin and other Irish cities. Deputy Shortall cited some statistics in that regard. We know how fast the economy is growing, although it seems to come as a surprise to the Government. We know where houses, factories and offices are being built. The provision of appropriate transport infrastructure at an early stage is standard government practice in the rest of Europe, but not in Ireland.

Mr. Quinn

That is right.

Ms Burton

The Government is incapable of making the right decisions about transport, or of making such decisions in a timely fashion. Traffic levels on the M50 reached that motorway's design capacity some years ago. It was obvious for the previous two or three years that it was about to happen. The decision to widen the M50 and to improve the junctions leading to it should have been taken in the late 1990s, rather than last year. We will have to endure roadworks for the next four years on an orbital city motorway that jams up every morning and afternoon because it is carrying traffic at almost twice its design capacity. The same thing can be said about the toll barriers on the West Link bridge. It famously took the Taoiseach and his Ministers three years to make a decision on the new terminal at Dublin Airport. However, the Government is able to make decisions on tax breaks for the property developers who fund Fianna Fáil in a matter of days.

New towns have been developing since the 1960s in the greater Dublin area, in places like Blanchardstown, Lucan, Clondalkin, Tallaght and Swords. It is pretty obvious that high capacity rapid rail and bus links to the centre of Dublin are needed in such towns, many of which have populations in excess of that of Limerick city. Good local transport links between the outlying areas and centres of such towns are also needed. No such facilities are available at present. People have to walk up to two miles to town centres, or are forced to buy two cars for each household. The level of traffic congestion in the areas I have mentioned is notorious. It takes at least an hour and a half to travel into the centre of Dublin from the outlying areas of these new towns by car or by bus in the mornings and evenings. Working in the city centre can involve a three-hour commute for people who want to see their children, particularly their young children, before they are fast asleep in bed.

The cost to business of the transport difficulties I have mentioned is substantial. The lifestyle of many young workers is being affected by these problems. People who have children are unable to spend as much quality time as they would like with their families. The Minister for Education and Science famously said last Easter that parents should spend more quality time with their children. She gave us all a lecture about the matter, as if parents were unaware of it. I hope she will have a word in the ear of the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher. As a member of the Government, the best thing the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, could do to improve the ability of parents to spend quality time with their children would be to help to reduce the exceptional amount of time that parents have to spend commuting. The citizens of no other city in Europe have to endure such time consuming journeys for such relatively short distances. It is totally unprecedented in this country for an eight-mile journey to take three hours.

The Government needs to recognise the scale of the transport crisis throughout Dublin. Suburban towns are expanding rapidly without additional transport infrastructure being put in place. Dublin is expanding not only into counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, but also into counties Carlow and Kilkenny. It takes those who live in a small place like Paulstown, which is ten miles from Kilkenny city, a great deal of time to travel into that city. Commuters from west Dublin are at their wits' end because any minor crash or obstruction anywhere along the M50 is guaranteed to lead to a morning of hell for them, regardless of whether they take public transport or drive to work in their cars. Local bus services, such as the 39 route, are supposed to be served by bus lanes or quality bus corridors, just like the 46 route, which passes RTE. The bus corridor in that part of west Dublin is a fantasy, in practice, because buses use dedicated bus lanes for just 22% of their journeys. The crisis in journey times cannot be allowed to continue.

A commuter recently sent me a letter about commuting from Clonsilla. The letter states that the train arrives seriously overcrowded with approximately three carriages — half a train. He is then faced with pushing, shoving and, on occasion, people fainting beside him. He states that he could not face this journey daily because of the claustrophobic conditions. Unfortunately, he would rather face a one hour 30 minute plus journey on the bus than travel on a train for 25 minutes. He states that in the evening he has to rely on a lift from the train station which allows him to get home at a reasonable time to ensure some kind of life. He further states that the option of affording a house on a train line is not possible due to the extortionate price of houses beside decent transport services.

Deputy Shortall listed the imaginative and simple steps the Labour Party would take. Transport is key to our competitiveness and to the quality of life of our young, well-educated people whom we hope will stay in this country. We do not want them to emigrate to London where they will be able to afford a house and get a decent commuter service that allows them have some quality of family life. Transport is essential for business.

I noted with concern the famous ambiguity of the Taoiseach this week as he hinted that the lorries may not be taken off the streets of Dublin when the port tunnel is open. The Taoiseach is famous for being like Janus — facing in every direction. Having spent all that money, if there is not a total quality bus corridor all along the north and south side of the quays, the Taoiseach, who represents the constituency that covers most of central Dublin, ought to resign before the people show him the door.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Mr. Gallagher)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"—commends this Government's very substantial levels of investment, both capital and current, in the expansion of the transport system in the greater Dublin area over the past ten years and the consequential significant increases in public transport and roads capacity arising therefrom;

welcomes:

the outstanding success of the Luas which will carry over 25 million passengers in 2006;

the doubling of DART capacity and expansion of suburban rail services;

the significant expansion of bus services and supporting quality bus corridors and the delivery of a further batch of 100 extra buses for Dublin Bus by the end of January 2007; and

the opening of Dublin Port tunnel next week which will enable almost two million truck trips annually to access the motorway network directly, in place of passing through the city centre streets and residential areas;

commends:

this Government's investment of €34.6 billion in Transport 21, including the unprecedented investment under Transport 21 of almost €13 billion in public transport, which will see:

a 60% increase in bus capacity and a doubling of the quality bus network;

the development of metro north and metro west;

a major expansion of suburban rail services, including the construction of the interconnector; and

a substantial extension of the Luas network;

resulting in an integrated public transport network carrying almost double the current passenger numbers."

Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht thábhachtach seo faoi thrácht i gcathair Bhaile Átha Cliath.

I wish to share my time with Deputy O'Connor. I am disappointed but not surprised by the terms of the motion. The Labour Party seems to be of the view that proposals such as a €1 fare represent the best way forward in terms of building an integrated approach to meeting the transport needs of the greater Dublin area. The headline-catching €1 fare proposed is uncosted and it is not clear whether it would apply to some or all services in the Dublin metropolitan area. The motion is evidence, if that was needed, of the weak foundations on which the Labour Party's policy for public transport in Dublin is based.

The Government has a very proud track record of delivery. Since 2000 we have invested almost €3.5 billion in public transport, unprecedented in our history; more people are switching to public transport as we expand capacity; and major projects have been delivered, more are almost ready for delivery and more are at planning stage.

Traffic has grown nationally and in the Dublin area in line with the population and the growth in employment and the economy. The success of our economy has created new and more complex mobility and accessibility needs. This is demonstrated by comparing the total number of motor vehicles registered in the country in 2000 to 2005, which shows an increase of 27% to some 2.1 million vehicles. Average daily traffic flows on the M50 adjacent to the N4 junction increased by over 11% between November 2003 and November 2005, while traffic on the M4 increased by almost 9% in the same period. That level of traffic growth clearly reflects population and employment growth on the back of a thriving economy.

The Government has responded to these needs and is continuing to do so. There has been major investment in transport in the greater Dublin area since 1997. I wish to take this opportunity to put some of the benefits and achievements of this investment on the record of the House.

On the bus service, the Dublin Bus fleet and its capacity have been significantly increased. In 1997, it stood at just over 900 buses. By the end of January next it will have increased to approximately 1,182, taking into account the 100 additional buses currently being purchased by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann has also deployed additional buses in commuter services to the Dublin area.

As well as those additional buses, there has also been significant bus replacement. Over the period since 1997, and including the 100 additional buses currently being delivered, Dublin Bus will have purchased a total of 1,095 new buses of which over 280 are additional, which is in line with our NDP commitments.

In terms of capacity, both seated and standing, I understand the capacity of the Dublin Bus fleet at the end of 2005 was, at over 98,000 passenger spaces, 30% greater than in 1999 due to the purchase of additional buses and the replacement of smaller buses by double deckers.

This increase in the fleet of Dublin Bus has been reflected in the increased subvention paid to Dublin Bus. The annual subvention paid has increased from €8.8 million in 1997 to almost €70 million in 2006. Over that period almost €440 million has been paid in subvention to Dublin Bus towards the cost of loss-making services.

The increased bus fleet and bus capacity has benefited from major investment in quality bus corridors and traffic management systems. Since 2001, a total of over €130 million has been allocated to bus priority measures. As a result, the current length of quality bus corridors in the greater Dublin area comes to 139 km, of which 72.3 km comprises inbound bus lanes and 52.5 km comprises outbound lanes. There are also a further 20 km of non-QBC corridors with bus priority measures.

Eleven QBCs are now in operation in the greater Dublin area. They are south Clondalkin, Swords Road, Blanchardstown, Tallaght via Rathgar, Rathfarnham, north Clondalkin, Finglas, Stillorgan Road, which includes an extension to Bray, Malahide Road, Lucan Road and the western orbital.

In January of this year, the Dublin Transportation Office reviewed the bus priority programme in the context of the goal set in Transport 21. As a result, extra capacity will be delivered by the end of 2007 by projects that are currently under construction. These include the Blackrock QBC, Snugborough Road, Kilmacud QBC, South Clondalkin QBC — phase 3, Pearse Street bus priority scheme — phase 2, Dunshaughlin, Bracetown, Earlsfort Terrace-St. Stephen's Green, Naas Road QBC — phases 2 and 3, and Waterloo Road bus priority scheme. In addition, the tender process is under way for schemes at Santry Avenue and Coolock Lane-Oscar Traynor Road.

As part of the overall effort to improve bus services, the Dublin Transportation Office undertakes an annual monitoring exercise of bus services. This helps to pinpoint where bus priority measures are constrained by pinch points. These are particular locations that need additional work to protect bus operations from the effects of traffic congestion. The results of this monitoring is taken into account by the DTO in the bus priority scheme programme. I understand that a significant portion of the quality bus network office's 2006 programme addresses urgent needs at such pinch points.

The rail service has also been dramatically improved since 1997. The DART fleet has been increased from 80 to 156 carriages and the DART upgrade project involving track renewal, upgrades of stations, etc, has been completed. Peak hour capacity on the DART increased from approximately 14,000 to 27,000 when refurbishment of the original fleet was completed.

The Maynooth line has been upgraded through the doubling of track between Maynooth and Clonsilla and 143 new diesel commuter railcars have been brought into service. More than 90% of the 180 commuter railcars are new or less than ten years old. Capacity increases of approximately 25% have been achieved on the Maynooth line, more than 40% on the Dundalk line and approximately 30% on the Gorey line.

The completion of the Heuston Station redevelopment project including, inter alia, the provision of four additional platforms and the upgrading of track and signalling has improved services. The beneficial impact of this investment is reflected in the overall passenger numbers on the DART and suburban services, which have grown from 20 million in 1997 to approximately 25 million today. In overall terms, numbers being carried on the Irish Rail suburban rail network are at an all time high.

The completion of the two Luas lines has taken public transport services to a new level. Luas has been an unprecedented success and is indicative of what is to come in terms of the quality of public transport services to be developed under Transport 21. Luas is providing high quality, high capacity and frequent services. The existing Luas network is expected to carry in the region of 25 million passengers this year, an increase of more than 13% on last year's carryings, and the expanded Luas and metro networks provided for in Transport 21 are expected to add an additional 80 million passengers per annum when complete.

The success of the Luas has already demonstrated that light rail is an essential and popular component of the public transport infrastructure for Dublin and augurs well for the continued success of the major expansion under Transport 21. This will make an important contribution to achieving more sustainable transport solutions through reducing congestion on the road network.

The investment I have outlined in public transport is only part of the picture. Since 1997, the Government has driven the upgrade of the national roads network in the Dublin area with major upgrades completed on the M1, the N2 to Ashbourne, the N3, the N4 to Kinnegad and beyond, the N7 to Portlaoise, the N11 to Arklow and the completion, and now the upgrade of the earlier sections, of the M50. The opening in the coming days of the Dublin Port tunnel will remove thousands of trucks from the city streets and will be another milestone in the upgrading of our roads infrastructure.

All of these investments have helped tackle major traffic bottlenecks in the Dublin area and greater Dublin region and helped in coping with the vastly increased volume of traffic attributable to our economic, employment and population growth. Progress has also been made by the director of traffic for Dublin in improving traffic management and control while the growth in the number of taxis has improved that service dramatically.

Transport 21 will build on these achievements. The Transport 21 strategy for the Dublin area includes the transformation of public transport in the greater Dublin area through a major expansion in rail based public transport infrastructure, a 60% increase in bus capacity and a doubling in size of the quality bus network. Transport 21 recognises that the bus will continue to play a crucial role in Dublin's public transport system. Accordingly, it provides for major investment of more than €500 million in the bus service with a greater focus on the development of orbital, feeder and local services. In addition to funding for the 100 additional buses, my Department has also approved funding of €12 million towards the cost of replacement buses for Dublin Bus in 2007. As announced by the Minister, Deputy Cullen, in September, it is intended to secure the next tranche of additional buses for Dublin from the private sector.

Transport 21 also provides for major improvements in the suburban rail service through the Kildare line project, the opening of a new station in Docklands, the provision of rail services to Navan on a phased basis and improvements to city centre resignalling to increase the number of trains per hour through the city centre. All these improvement works are progressing well with the Docklands Station due to open in four months' time in April next and work due to get under way shortly on the Kildare project and the signalling project in 2007.

The key to unlocking the full potential of the suburban railway network in the Dublin area is the interconnector and electrification project. Irish Rail has commenced the planning of this project. With the interconnector in place, a major expansion in services will be possible. New DART services will be available on the Kildare line, to Drogheda on the northern line and to Maynooth. On completion of the Transport 21 programme, the suburban rail systems will be able to carry an extra 80 million passengers per annum.

The Railway Procurement Agency is making good progress on the roll-out of the Luas and Metro projects provided for in Transport 21. Projects for early delivery include the extension of the trams on the Luas red line, the Tallaght line, from 30 m to 40 m, which will provide an additional 40% capacity. The first 40 m trams will be delivered early in 2007 and all tram extensions will be completed in 2008. Additional trams will be purchased to increase capacity on both Luas lines. Subject to approval by my Department of the business case, an additional eight trams will be ordered early next year and will commence service early in 2009, providing an additional 15% capacity across the existing system.

Subject to an enforceable railway order, the Docklands extension to the red Tallaght Luas line should be completed in 2009. This extension will add an additional 2 million trips to the Luas network and remove over 1 million trips from the road network. Subject to the provision of a railway order, the Citywest extension to the red Tallaght Luas line should be completed in 2010. It will serve the residential and commercial centre of Citywest, including the National Digital Park. The project will also serve the communities of west Tallaght, including Fettercairn and Cheeverstown. Additional patronage is estimated at 3.5 million per annum.

The Minister, Deputy Cullen, signed the railway order for the Luas extension to Cherrywood on 14 August 2006. Additional patronage on this extension is expected to be 8 million passengers and over 5 million car trips will be removed from the roads. In early October, a third party sought leave in the High Court to challenge the grant of this order by way of judicial review. This matter is now before the courts. The completion date for this project is now dependent on the outcome of the High Court proceedings.

Good progress is also being made on other major metro and Luas projects. The RPA has completed a comprehensive public consultation process on four potential routes for metro north and the preferred route was announced on 19 October last. Metro north will have 15 stops between St. Stephen's Green and Lissenhall. An estimated 34 million passengers a year will travel on this service, with trains every four minutes, increasing to 90 seconds as the demand builds. The journey time from the city centre to Dublin Airport will be 17 minutes and the journey to Swords from the city centre will be 26 minutes.

The RPA is on target to submit a railway order application in summer 2007. The procurement phase will start shortly with the prequalification of consortia to finance, build and maintain the metro. The Minister launched the public consultation process for metro west on 22 November last. Some 50,000 newsletters will be circulated to households and other interested parties along the proposed routes as part of this consultation. It is expected that a preferred alignment will be identified in 2007. A feasibility study on route alignments for the Lucan Luas line is ongoing and public consultation on the further extension of the Luas from Cherrywood to Bray was launched on 14 August 2006.

Under Transport 21, the quality bus network will be doubled over the ten-year period of the programme. This will result in a more consistently reliable set of services than is possible with existing congestion levels. QBCs will allow for more efficient use of buses resulting in enhanced levels of service. Priority projects being targeted by the quality bus network project for an early start and for which funding has been provided include south Clondalkin QBC — phase three; Malahide super QBC upgrade; Howth Road; Blanchardstown Road north and south; Foxrock to Dún Laoghaire, Blanchardstown super QBC; north Clondalkin; Tallaght QBC; Lucan QBC enhancements; and city centre priority measures.

Transport 21 also provides for substantial investment in park and ride facilities. As the Minister has made clear on previous occasions, we regard the provision of appropriate park and ride facilities as having an important role to play in persuading people to move from their cars to public transport. This in turn will have obvious benefits for congestion relief, for the wider economy and for the environment.

In 2005, a Dublin Transportation Office strategy for rail-based park and ride facilities was approved. This envisages facilities at 22 locations on the existing and proposed rail network within the greater Dublin area. These sites represent a combination of strategic and local sites. The DTO strategy emphasises the importance of developing park and ride facilities in line with expansion of the rail network, rather than ahead of it. This is because there is no point in building park and ride facilities where the public transport network is not yet ready to absorb additional capacity. Accordingly, additional park and ride facilities are being provided as part of rail improvements, such as the Kildare route project at Hazlehatch, Fonthill, Kishogue and Adamstown, as well as the metro.

Ms Shortall

Has the Minister ever heard of bus-based park and ride facilities?

Mr. Gallagher

The Labour Party is proposing in this motion that the problems of Dublin might be solved if we constructed a network of park and ride sites, fed by what it calls express buses. Perhaps the Labour Party has not had time to do much homework on this topic, but I am only too happy to help. Its members may be surprised to know that the DTO commissioned a study on bus-based park and ride facilities and their potential solution to traffic problems in Dublin, which was published in 2002 and is available on its website. This study, conducted by the British firm TAS, looked at the suitability of bus-based park and ride facilities as a solution to congestion in Dublin. The study explains the appropriate conditions in which bus-based park and ride solutions work on a large scale. These include a maximum travel distance of 5 km from the park and ride facility to the urban centre, a maximum journey time of 15-20 minutes, and notably concluded that bus-based park and ride facilities are ideally suited to urban areas with a population of less than 200,000.

This does not mean that there may not be specific bus-based park and ride projects on specific corridors which could be very successful. The study noted that a role existed for small parking facilities close to bus stops in the outer regions, where access to bus services is poor because of the low density of the population and where existing bus services have capacity to take more passengers. In this context, South Dublin County Council has indicated that it may seek funding for a pilot park and ride service and has selected two possible sites, one on the N4 and one on the N7 near the Citywest interchange. We remain open to proposals for such projects.

From the TAS study, it is clear the idea that strategic park and ride sites served by buses can be a magic bullet for the problems of congestion in Dublin is objectively not the case. Certainly, bus-based park and ride facilities can play some role in solving Dublin's problems, but not a decisive role. Iarnród Éireann has park and ride facilities at the majority of the railway stations throughout its network, ranging from small on-street facilities to large pay facilities at major stations. All commuter parking at Iarnród Éireann stations is currently free, while Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council operates a pay car park at Salthill. Connolly and Heuston Stations both have dedicated pay car parks for intercity users. Iarnród Éireann plans to expand a number of these park and ride facilities next year. There are currently four park and ride sites along the existing Luas network at Red Cow, Sandyford, Stillorgan and Balally. The RPA proposes to open a new park and ride facility adjacent to the Tallaght Luas stop within the next two years, with an anticipated capacity of 450 spaces.

It is clear that we have made substantial progress in addressing the weaknesses in our transport infrastructure. It is also clear that the fast pace of growth we have experienced is straining our infrastructure at peak times, and that this can be exacerbated to intolerable levels when accidents or incidents combine with poor weather to cause major delays and tailbacks. The challenges we face are to manage our transport system better and to take measures in the short term to improve the system, while ensuring that the major projects necessary for a well functioning transport system in the medium and longer term are rapidly advanced. The Government is dealing with these challenges. It has committed the funding and it is taking action now, while at the same time keeping a clear focus on the integrated transport system necessary to underpin Ireland's competitiveness and growth. The amendment to the motion sets out our commitment to providing Dublin with the transport system appropriate to its status as a thriving capital city and states our record of significant progress in pursuing this objective. I commend the amendment to the House.

Mr. O’Connor

I thank the Minister of State for allowing me to share his time. I was going to make a national speech, but as the Minister of State has mentioned Tallaght several times, I should be allowed to mention Tallaght a few times. Before Deputy Shortall heckles me, I compliment her on her initiative in this area. It is good that she has given us an opportunity to air our different views. I am sure different political points will be made and that is fair enough. I have often praised Deputy Mitchell, but it suits Deputy McEntee to sit in the Ceann Comhairle's seat.

This is an important debate and we all know the challenges for public transport. I drive into work some days and I use the Luas other days. There are difficulties and challenges involved. Tallaght is the third largest population centre in the country and the Luas has been a great success. However, there are still public transport problems in the area. The people of Tallaght are being let down by Dublin Bus. New estates and communities have been established in Tallaght in the last few years, with many people coming from different parts of the city and elsewhere. Many of the estates in Ballycullen, Firhouse, Westbrook and so on have huge populations, yet Dublin Bus has decided not to cater for them.

Ms Shortall

Then why not support the motion?

Mr. O’Connor

The buses are there, but there are other issues.

Acting Chairman (Mr. O’Shea)

I ask the Deputies to address their remarks through the Chair.

Mr. O’Connor

Thank you, Chairman. I hope you will protect me.

Acting Chairman

I will protect the Deputy if he does not encourage interruptions.

Mr. O’Connor

I will look at you in order not to attract any attention. Dublin Bus should not be putting the blame on Luas. Dublin Bus management has never stated that the company has not enough buses, but it is using the success of Luas as an excuse for not developing services in parts of my constituency. As someone who does not have a marketing degree, I say that it does not take quantum physics to figure that out. There are many opportunities for the development of public transport in the Tallaght region. I will continue to make the point about my town and its surrounding communities. Every day people from urban and even rural parts of my constituency raise public transport issues with me.

In his fine address, the Minister of State outlined the Government's actions on public transport in the greater Dublin area. Other colleagues are entitled to hold different views, but it is a fact that the Government has invested in public transport improvements since 2000. The DART fleet has practically been doubled. New eight-car peak services have been introduced, providing for 30% more passengers. For the outer suburban lines, passenger-carrying capacity was increased on the northern line to Drogheda by 50%, on the south-east line to Arklow and Gorey by 30%, on the western line to Maynooth by 66%, and on the south-western line to Kildare by 130%. Some 117 km of quality bus networks are in place in the greater Dublin area, including my own constituency. Peak capacity has been increased on all main routes into Dublin, as the Minister of State said. I recall various adverse comments made in this House and indeed, the media, about the Luas. The Luas is a tremendous success on both lines. It is used by many people coming and going to Tallaght. Now that we know that the extension to Citywest is to take place, it is kind of the Minister of State to mention the various estates and it is good to open them up. I have been pointing out to the RPA that stops must be included at Fettercairn, Brookfield and out towards the west. It is important to take every opportunity to make that point.

Transport 21 will entail enormous investment over the next ten years. It will include in excess of €13 billion being spent on transport, here in the greater Dublin area, and also in our major cities and on bus fleets countrywide. We have all been pleased to see progress over the last 12 months, with the railway order for Cherrywood Luas being signed in August. Public consultation of the extension of the Luas from Cherrywood to Bray also began in August. The Minister for Transport will shortly decide on the railway order for the Docklands Luas.

This is a very important debate. We are all entitled to our political views and perspectives. It is good, too, that we are able to share information and fight for our constituencies. I hope the Minister of State will let the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, know we are doing that.

Ms O. Mitchell

I wish to share my time with Deputy McEntee, with the agreement of the House.

I am very happy to support this motion. In fact, it deals with issues about which I have been appealing, virtually like a broken record, since the early 1990s.

When I spoke in the House nearly ten years ago of impending gridlock, I was laughed at, dismissed and considered guilty of hysterical exaggeration. However, no one is laughing now or accusing me of exaggeration. It is almost impossible to find words to describe just how difficult traffic conditions have become for people who live in and try to do business in Dublin. Already, in the last two weeks we have seen two examples of genuine gridlock. In both cases manageable incidents resulted, very quickly, in unmanageable chaos because of the sheer volume of traffic and the absence of public transport. I warn now, with no fear of being proved wrong, that if we think congestion is bad but will not get worse, we are very wrong.

It is inevitable that matters will worsen. Economic growth will be followed by population growth and the simple passage of time will mean more traffic. When those traffic volumes are superimposed on existing congestion, gridlock incidents such as those we have witnessed, will become commonplace. The tortuously slow travel times will become the norm. Only five or six years ago, travel times of half the current levels were thought to be outrageous. It shows what we are putting up with, as each year the congestion gets worse.

It will not stop there, however. Into this chaos must come the diggers, the JCBs, the tunnelling machines, the trucks and the machinery that will provide the metro, the extended Luas and the upgrade on the M50. These are the ingredients that will give zest to the cocktail of traffic congestion that already exists. No matter what we do now, or what ameliorative measures are taken, these works, albeit absolutely necessary, will bring street conditions from hell to Dublin. It is pointless for the Minister of State to talk about developments that will come about in five years time. That has nothing to do with what people will face next Monday and the week after.

All we can hope and plan for now is some way to manage the hell that faces us. It does not seem to be an overambitious target for a Government with endless resources just to try to keep the mayhem at bay. Yet, the Minister of State does not seem to have any conception of the depth, severity or urgency of what is facing us.

The Minister, the Minister of State and indeed the Taoiseach seem to think that simply announcing big capital projects is the end of the story; that somehow we can all put the need to move around on hold for the next five or ten years. It is not until then that we will see the benefits from the investment in public transport. Meanwhile, the construction of the proposed projects superimposed on congested conditions, will simply make matters worse. Promises for the future, welcome as they are, must be accompanied by short-term actions to manage the mayhem. That is all we can hope for.

On behalf of Fine Gael, I have consistently and persistently called for more buses. Lowly, uncool and hard to hype buses they may be, but despite their poor and sometimes unloved image, they are the only form of transport that can be provided quickly and the sole option for taking a proportion of cars off the road. We know that buses are not the whole solution but that does not mean we should just sit on our hands and do nothing. Doing nothing is not an option any more. Instead of growing the bus fleet and consequently the bus market, and responding to the calls of despairing populations going into these new isolated estates all around the M50 and further out, the Government has instead operated an entirely perverse policy of a zero increase in the fleet. At the very time when they are most needed, suddenly the coffers were dry and no buses were available. The result of this is that a static bus fleet is being spread over an increasing population and the ever growing geographic area Dublin Bus is serving. In turn, this has resulted in a poorer service for people who are forced to take buses and an actual drop in the numbers travelling at peak times into the city centre.

Simultaneously, more than €117 million has been spent on bus lanes, which have removed valuable road space from car drivers who have no alternative means of transport. Where buses were made available, they were taken from other areas so that people who had services found themselves deprived of them. Commuters fume at the sight of underutilised bus lanes — and in some cases bus lanes that have no buses at all, despite the money that was made available to build them. Buses are not the whole solution, but they can in sufficient numbers make a genuine and quantifiable contribution by removing at least some cars from the road. There is enormous unmet demand from commuters who have no hang-ups about using public transport. If it is available and reasonably frequent and reliable, people will use it; indeed they are clamouring for it.

Bus services must reflect the new polycentric city, not the limited single destination city of 20 years ago. It must serve where people live, where they work and where they recreate. The latter is becoming increasingly important. Around Dublin and throughout the country people need to socialise and the new drink driving ban demands a safe public transport response. Opening up the bus market could provide that response and at least partially serve the needs of those who have no scheduled bus services.

The figures released today about the transport contribution to carbon emissions are enough to generate a crisis response in terms of buses instead of private cars. Fine Gael has called for a liberalisation of the bus market in Dublin so that the private sector can, in conjunction with Dublin Bus, begin to respond to unmet demand. We have called for a regulator to manage the network and ensure standards, but primarily we need the extra capacity, consumer orientation and the additional efficiencies competition can bring to this crucial problem in Dublin.

There is no co-ordination or sense of urgency from Government. Unless there is a press conference in prospect, the Minister is not involved. The proactive finding and implementing of solutions, as well as responding to emerging issues is of no interest to the Minister. He had the nerve to tell Members he was dismayed there had been no response to the money he had made available for park and ride facilities. There has been no response for several years and the Minister did not feel any obligation to be in any way proactive or to wonder why people did not provide such facilities. While the local authorities have expressed an interest in providing parking facilities, there is not much point unless people have something on which to ride when they park. The Minister simply sits on his hands as though it had nothing to do with him.

At present, the management of the road network is permanently on the brink of collapse and attention to immediate measures is vital. Buses are one solution while traffic management is another. This area has been completely neglected and it is beginning to show. The traffic corps is overwhelmed by the demands made on it and even with Operation Freeflow, it is unable to cope. The critical junctions and heavily trafficked areas are still unmanned. The traffic corps must be supplemented with mobile, specially trained and patrolling civilian traffic managers or with similar teams drawn from the Garda Reserve. As traffic congestion becomes more acute, traffic management becomes all the more vital.

As for communications, more traffic lights should be attached to the SCATS system in the city centre. Of course, there is no point in so doing if no one is looking at them or if no one communicates to those on the ground who could do something about problems. Far more attention and focus on traffic management is required. More buses, more focused bus services and a liberalisation of the bus market in order that there can be a response to local demand is also needed.

The city is now so close to chaos that we must assiduously manage our road network or face recurring gridlock incidents, such as those which have been experienced recently, as well as ever higher levels of stress among the hapless commuters of Dublin. Ultimately, the economy will collapse as it becomes ever more difficult to conduct business in the capital city.

Mr. McEntee

I thank my colleague, Deputy Olivia Mitchell, for sharing her time and I support this motion. No one wishes to be negative regarding the country's growth and everyone is proud of the new roads and dual carriageways that have been opened. I was on such a road in County Westmeath last week and it was great to see it.

Given the introduction of Operation Freeflow for the Christmas period, I did not anticipate the number of telephone calls I have received from my constituents. This was also the case for Government Members as everyone received calls regarding commuters who were caught in traffic for three or four hours for the past two weeks, when the problems were meant to have eased.

Members recently had a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, on road safety. I recall making the point that there is no co-operation whatsoever between the different bodies in Dublin or in the country. I visited the Minister of State's native County Donegal two weeks ago with Senator McHugh and the position there does not differ from that in County Meath or in Dublin. While the problem may be on a smaller scale, there are times of the day when one experiences massive chaos outside schools or whatever. In counties Donegal and Meath, as well as in Dublin, one experiences chaos outside schools and when entering or leaving towns.

Someone must take the bull by the horns and admit that while Ireland is a great country and while roads are being built, it is not working. Until a collective decision is taken by all the bodies involved in transport, there is no point in blaming the present Government and then facing the same issues when Fine Gael is in Government.

Last week, I met hauliers' representatives who informed me they are about to go out of business because of the gridlock in Ireland, as well as the foreign hauliers who come and put them out of business. This will be the case until Dublin becomes a city like others, in which one begins to create jobs outside the major urban centres. Not everyone should be obliged to go through the same gap every day like sheep. This point annoys me when travelling to the Dáil on a daily basis. In the morning, two free traffic lanes come out of the city without anyone on them. Moreover, everyone sits in one lane, while an empty traffic lane lies to one's left. It would be a simple matter to notify commuters better that one can travel on some bus lanes at certain times; they should be opened to traffic more frequently.

As for the M50 and tolls, the day has come when the barriers must be lifted. If the authorities wish to continue collecting their money, people who do not throw in their toll money can be fined. However, the barriers should be lifted and this has proved possible in other countries. The registration numbers of those who try to break the barrier can be picked up, they can be fined and traffic can flow freely.

My colleague's comments that jobs are suffering were true and thousands of hours are lost due to traffic chaos. This happens not only in Dublin, but in every town in Ireland. For example, the town of Navan is a nightmare. Those in business suffer as people refuse to enter such towns because they are unable to leave them. With regard to co-operation between the different bodies, I believe the Minister of State commented that people find it hard to agree. Someone strong must make the decision as to what must be done in respect of transport. Everyone must pull their weight and individuals must consider what is best for the people, rather than for their particular organisation because people are at breaking point.

Members of all parties will agree that the telephone calls last week were raw and abusive, and rightly so. People were stuck in traffic for three and a half hours on the M50. They could not get off the motorway and were unable to get to work, simply due to an incident involving a single car. Having met representatives of the National Roads Authority, NRA, I am confident we have the money and people to increase the number of possible projects. The NRA has stated it has the capacity to carry out more projects if it received funding. Members must anticipate the position in 2020 and must accept there will be an additional 1.5 million people. As Irish people love to have their own cars and do not wish to be confined to buses, there will be an additional 600,000 or 700,000 cars.

We must have the will and foresight to spend the money and broaden our infrastructure as otherwise this issue will destroy the country. I recognise the top-class work that has been done. As I noted last week, the Tyrrellspass project was one year ahead of schedule and everyone there, regardless of their party affiliations, was proud of it. Hopefully, Fine Gael will be in power next year as someone must state that while the money spent heretofore has been spent well, the manner in which we conduct our business is not good enough.

Every bus lane must be full in the morning. People have asked me why there are not three inbound lanes and one outbound in the morning. This could be changed in the evening to have three outbound lanes and one inbound lane. At present, commuters are like sheep who all go through the same gap in the morning and evening. It can take two and half to three hours to return home in the evening. I live 40 miles away and can leave my house at 7.45 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. It then takes until 10.30 a.m. to get to Leinster House. However, I could leave my house one hour later and would still arrive by 10.30 a.m. Something is wrong in this regard.

I wish to raise an issue pertaining to transport safety that concerns Leinster House and someone should pick up on it. Leaving Leinster House from the back gate to try to get out on to the road is a serious problem. One has no vision, cyclists pass by and there will be an accident. While I do not know who will pick up this issue, it is serious. Perhaps the Minister of State will ask someone to examine this matter, which has been raised by many people.

Ms Shortall

The front gate is as bad.

Mr. McEntee

I only drive in the back entrance.

Ms O. Mitchell

There is no visibility on to the road at the back entrance.

Mr. McEntee

I hope the interchange between the M50 and the port tunnel will work from the road hauliers' perspective. We will find out in a few weeks time. Fine Gael Members do not want to complain it is not working. All Members hope it will work because the number of lorries travelling through the city is too high and until they are removed from the city, matters will not improve.

I return to the business of jobs. Jobs are being lost because of the failure to be able to move freely, be it in Dublin, Kerry, Donegal or Galway. Representatives of Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, the metro and the various rail organisations must sit down together, but we must have a Minister who is prepared to bang heads together to ensure that our transport system is one of which everybody is proud. If they can have successful systems in other European countries, I do not see why we cannot have them here.

Debate adjourned.