I strongly welcome this motion. Let me be perfectly clear; the vast majority of families and workers in counties Carlow and Kilkenny cannot get through their day without a car. This is not a lifestyle choice. It is the direct result of policy failure by consecutive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. The Government has failed to provide public transport that is either viable or effective and it has failed to put in place adequate transport infrastructure. Every week, I speak to workers who commute to Dublin. They all raise similar concerns that taking public transport is just not viable if they want to get to work on time. Instead, they drive for hours each day, adding to worsening congestion, and for this they face a triple lock of financial pressures, namely, sky-high fuel prices, spiralling insurance costs and now fresh toll hikes. It is cut after cut for them with no let-up. These are people doing their bit for society, and they never get a break. I recently spoke to a young apprentice - one of those ordinary people doing everything right. He has learned a trade and is going to work and contributing, but the cost of running his car - his only way to get to work - is pushing him into debt. Our apprentices earn around €300 per week. Between insurance, the cost of diesel and petrol and now these planned toll hikes, it is suffocating. It is death by 1,000 cuts. This week, I heard of a couple who moved to Thomastown because they were priced out of Dublin. They commute up and down to Dublin to work each week. They are enduring worsening traffic congestion and now they are facing increasing costs to simply get to work. There are thousands like them across rural Ireland. Public transport is simply not an option. There is no Luas or DART in Kilkenny. Upwards of €10 billion is to be spent on a metro for Dublin, while Carlow and Kilkenny are just left with measly crumbs. As always, it is one story for Dublin with another story for rural Ireland. Every year, this Government gives a green light to suck every last cent from those just trying to work and live in rural Ireland. It is just not good enough. They have no choice. We live in the countryside. To get my kids to school, I need a car. To go to the shop, I need a car. There is no bus that comes by us and we, like many others, have to have a car.

Sentiment score: -0.10