There is huge demand for proper and reliable public transport. Homes are being built in my area without adequate parking. The idea is for the residents to use public transport but it is simply not there or it is not reliable. I am one of the commuters in my area who would love to get the bus and public transport in here every day but I cannot rely on it. Will the Minister give me the reasons for the delay in certain critical public transport infrastructure despite having all of the necessary planning permission in place?
Sentiment score: 0.01
There are another couple of issues that I would like to raise. Major transport projects are at risk of being delayed due to the huge demand already placed on the energy grid, and we have seen reports this week in the newspapers. The Government's support for building more data centres will put more pressure on the energy grid. As we stand, 25% of all electricity in Ireland is consumed by data centres and this could increase to a minimum of 31% under the Government's plan. Putting data centres before the national interest is pure folly. Let us get all the other infrastructure in place first. The Minister mentioned the MetroLink expansion, the expansion of the DART, the Luas services and Luas to Finglas. There was also meant to be a Lucan Luas since 2000 and it has not been delivered yet. Dublin Bus, for example, has nine depots across Dublin and only two of these have the capacity to charge electric buses. A lack of electricity in the grid is going to seriously delay this much-needed transport. I would like to know how the Minister is going to address these, in particular some of the things he mentioned earlier, especially the extension of the DART and the Luas.
Sentiment score: 0.10
Speaking of things we want in Dublin Mid-West, I would like to touch on DART+ South West. There was some commentary on that this week. That DART service will bring passengers through Clondalkin, Adamstown and Lucan. It was first granted permission in 2024. Construction was expected to take place this year but has been pushed out to 2030 at the earliest. This project would enable 20,000 passengers to travel each way every hour. That will be absolutely fabulous for the people of Dublin Mid-West if it is delivered. We are in dire need of public transport as the Minister mentioned. I mentioned the 9,000 homes that are being built in the Clonburris strategic development zone, SDZ. This is a project the Minister's colleagues on South Dublin County Council did not support at the time. There was a further 4,000 homes in the Adamstown SDZ being built and this train line was part of that. I do not know if the Minister is in breach of the SDZ at this stage in relation to that. In Dublin Mid-West we are not surprised to see these things delayed. The Lucan Luas was delayed in 2000. The date for this was 2015. This was pushed back and we still have no date for the start. On DART+, the service is going to bring passengers to Clondalkin, Lucan and Adamstown. Will the Minister reverse his decision and bring the necessary funding forward?
Sentiment score: -0.02
I agree with the Minister that last year was an absolutely terrible year for road deaths in our country. The number of road deaths has been steadily increasing. What steps is the Minister of State taking to reduce road deaths and improve road safety?
Sentiment score: 0.18
I join the Minister of State in extending thoughts and deepest sympathies to the 190 families whose loved ones lost their lives on Irish roads last year and the three people who have died so far this year. These are not just statistics and numbers; they are real families who had real lives and it has a big impact on entire communities. There is a crisis level of fatalities and collisions at the moment. I commend the Garda roads policing unit on its work on detection and enforcement but it needs proper resourcing. It is as simple as that. There are issues with driver behaviour and drivers making conscious bad decisions about what they do and how they get behind the wheel. Drug driving is becoming a real problem. The substances and drugs people take before they get behind the wheel are ever changing. As drugs and people's behaviour are always changing, does the Minister of State have any plans to amend the Road Traffic Act to include other substances for roadside testing?
Sentiment score: -0.17
I will return to drug driving. A number of people have contacted me about people driving cars while inhaling nitrous oxide through balloons. This behaviour is idiotic and dangerous. The people doing that need to cop on. Nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas. It cuts oxygen to the brain and is an extremely dangerous substance generally; behind the wheel, it is absolutely lethal. I was on a debate on "Prime Time" with a colleague of the Minister of State recently and we heard of the death of a young man by a hit-and-run driver. The driver was suspected of being under the influence of nitrous oxide. There have been a number of deaths across Europe associated with driving under the influence of nitrous oxide. I wrote to the Minister of State last week and got the answer this week. I asked him to amend the Road Traffic Act to include nitrous oxide on the list of intoxicants for roadside testing. His response was he has no plans to do this. Will he reconsider this position?
Sentiment score: -0.15