Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2015
2. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to address the increasing capacity problems on the M50 and the need for a proposed additional ring road to deal with the high demand on the part of motorists. [45431/15]
View answerWill the Minister outline his plans for addressing the increasing capacity problems on the M50 and the need for a proposed additional ring-road to deal with the high demand from motorists? The idea of an outer ring road has been on the table for many years and I want to hear the Minister's views on this. He was a member of Dublin City Council, where we had many presentations over the years. Are there any measures on the outskirts and the commuter belt that can help?
As I indicated in my answer to Deputy Dooley's question, I am very conscious of the pressures on the M50 but I do not see the provision of major new road infrastructure as a solution at this time, nor is it feasible to do this in the context of our new capital plan. The upgrade of the M50 was completed as recently as 2010 at a cost of €1 billion and the extra capacity is under pressure already. In the short term to medium term, the objective has to be to optimise the operation of the M50 as currently designed and enhance other options, such as public transport.
In respect of public transport, alternatives include the reopening of the Phoenix Park tunnel for some services on the Kildare commuter rail line from next summer. The new Luas cross city line, which will be in operation in late 2017, providing the capacity for an additional 10 million journeys on the Luas network each year, will also be of significant help in this regard. The new capital plan also envisages significant ongoing investment in the replacement and enlargement of the PSO bus fleet. Next year alone, we are providing an additional 100 buses.
The National Transport Authority's draft transport strategy envisages the development of a core orbital bus network to ensure that more trips within the area can be undertaken by public transport in a convenient and efficient manner. These services would be operated at a matching frequency to the core radial services to ensure that they offer an attractive alternative to private transport. Six orbital routes were proposed under the draft strategy, namely, Dún Laoghaire to Dundrum, Dundrum to Tallaght, Dundrum to Finglas, Ranelagh to Drumcondra, Tallaght to Blanchardstown and Blanchardstown to Kilbarrack. Following the conclusion of the public consultation process, the NTA is now in the process of finalising the strategy. Implementation of proposals in the strategy will be subject to approval of business cases and availability of funding.
I acknowledge that it is only five years since the major upgrade, when the road was widened and various junctions were tackled. This cost more than €1 billion. However, it is quite clear that some of the measures being proposed will not be sufficient in the long term. The Minister is talking about lowering speed limits and the possibility of tolling at various off-shoots of the M50. That would probably add to the problem but I would like to hear whether he has ruled out multi-point tolling altogether. A great deal of revenue is generated by the M50. The Minister has said €110 million is taken by the toll and €50 million goes to pay the original owners. I am assuming all that money is ringfenced or put back into the system to deal with the congestion issues, which seem to be multiplying. I use the M50 and it seems to be getting worse.
In respect of the implementation of multi-point tolling and what that would mean, I have made very clear that such a proposal should only be implemented if we have very substantially increased public transport capacity to provide an alternative to the M50. The congestion study done by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in April 2014 indicated there was potential to reduce the volume of traffic on the M50 by up to one fifth.
The Deputy asked about the safety of the aircraft and the materials being transported on board. As I have indicated previously, flights transporting dangerous goods that are granted exemptions are generally carrying munitions such as cartridges, ammunition and some categories of explosive devices and fuses. These must also be packaged securely and on passenger aircraft, they must be stored in the hold to ensure they are inaccessible during the flight.
