Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Oct 2022

I am honoured to bring the Bill before the Seanad. It is a substantial Bill that addresses a wide range of necessary areas of legislation and meets a number of commitments in the programme for Government. The Bill will contribute a great deal to improvements on our roads and, above all, to greater safety for all road users.

In the programme for Government, we committed to legislating for e-scooters and e-bikes. We also committed to addressing the menace of the anti-social use of scramblers and other vehicles. The Bill will address all of these issues. It does a great deal more as well. Among the major issues addressed are necessary legislation to underpin delivery of the BusConnects project and to enable the introduction by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, of dynamic traffic management on the M50. It also has measures which address uninsured driving by significant and necessary amendments to existing legislation on the database of insurance policies. It updates the law in areas such as driving instruction, medical fitness to drive and the system of fixed-charge notices issued by traffic wardens.

I wish to acknowledge the role and contribution of the many people and organisations who have contributed to the development of the Bill. In particular, it benefited from the work of the Oireachtas joint committee through the pre-legislative scrutiny process, and from the debates in the Dáil. I note the very constructive advice received from the Data Protection Commissioner in our efforts to ensure that measures such as those on the motor insurance database comply with data protection requirements.

All road traffic law is ultimately intended to contribute to safety on our roads. We have made great progress on road safety in the past 25 years. In 1997, the last year before our first national road safety strategy, 472 people died on Irish roads. In 2021, there were 137 deaths, the lowest on record. Inevitably, there have been ups and downs. Some years have seen increases on the preceding years and it is getting harder to reduce deaths further. Last December, we published our new road safety strategy, covering the years from 2021 to 2030. In line with the programme for Government, this strategy has a focus on vulnerable road users in particular, and is committed to Vision Zero, the EU target of zero deaths and serious injuries on European roads by 2050. The strategy aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% by the end of the decade.

I mentioned vulnerable road users. This applies particularly to people who are walking and cycling. We want to encourage active and healthy modes of travel, which are not only better for general health and well-being but are also more sustainable as we face the great challenge of climate change. If we are serious about encouraging active travel, we have to make sure that it is safe. There is no doubt that one of the biggest deterrents to people switching to active travel is concern about safety.

As regards the contents of the Bill, first, it seeks to deliver micromobility and legalise the system in respect of powered personal transporters. Road traffic legislation covers a multitude of issues and no Bill can address everything, but anyone who has examined this Bill will agree that it is ambitious and addresses a wide range of issues. Micromobility options such as e-scooters and e-bikes have an important role to play in a future sustainable transport mix. E-scooters have become very popular in recent years, both in Ireland and abroad. As a new mode of transport, they have inevitably raised legal questions.

The questions revolve around, first, where they fit into current road traffic law and, second, how we want them to fit in in future. The answer to the first question is simple. Under current law, electric scooters meet the definition of "mechanically propelled vehicles". This means they cannot be used in a public place without tax, insurance and an appropriate driving licence. Since it is not possible to tax e-scooters because they are not type-approved, and as there is no appropriate category of driving licence for them, e-scooters are currently illegal for use on the public road. We want to change that. We also want to take into account the possibility of other related forms of micromobility options appearing in the future. To do this, the Bill will establish a new vehicle category, called powered personal transporters, PPTs. This new category not only captures e-scooters but also allows for other new and innovative micromobility vehicles that may need regulation in years to come. To be clear, these provisions will not apply to mobility scooters and the existing legislative framework for those vehicles will not be affected.

The Road Traffic Acts provide definitions of various types of vehicles and provide powers to regulate their construction, equipment and use. As with other classes of vehicles, the creation of the new PPT class will allow for the regulation of their construction, equipment and use. Amendments to a number of provisions in existing road traffic legislation will clarify where those provisions do or do not apply to PPTs. Senators may wish to note that, in some important respects, PPTs will be treated similarly to bicycles. As with bicycles, registration, licensing, taxation and insurance will not be required. Once the Bill has been enacted, regulations governing technical standards and use of e-scooters will be made. The provisions in this Bill relating to e-scooters will be commenced in tandem with the completion of those regulations. This will ensure a full legislative framework governing e-scooters can be implemented from the day the regulations are signed into law. Until that time, use of e-scooters in public places will continue to be illegal.

The regulations will set out minimum vehicle standards for e-scooters to ensure they are safe to use and environmentally friendly. When technical standards are introduced in EU member states, a minimum 12-week standstill period is triggered to allow the Commission and the other EU member states time to assess the national draft rules in light of EU competition rules. This process prevents regulatory barriers to the free movement of goods and information services in the Union. This necessary and binding delay allows Ireland to meet our EU obligations under the Single Market transparency directive but also means regulations cannot be introduced immediately after the passage of the Bill. My Department is committed to progressing the regulations to publication as quickly as possible. I am of course aware there is interest in the legislation around e-scooters. There have been many views expressed on such questions, such as where the use of e-scooters should be permitted, whether there should be an age limit, and whether the use of helmets and other personal protective equipment should be required. These are all matters that, in line with the way such matters are addressed for other vehicles, will be addressed in the regulations governing e-scooters and not in primary legislation in the Bill. I add that it is our intention that regulations will provide for e-scooters to be for use by one person only and they will not be permitted to transport goods. This is a matter of safety for people using them and for others in their vicinity. Other issues that have raised interest, such as regulation of e-scooter rental schemes, are not appropriate to road traffic and roads legislation. The Department of Transport has no function in regard to such commercial enterprises. Instead, the governance of any such schemes would be a matter for the local authorities in question.

In addition to addressing the regulation of e-scooters, the Bill will also provide much-needed legal clarity for the growing cohort of e-bike users in Ireland by defining the requirements for low-powered e-bikes and high-powered e-bikes. Low-powered e-bikes, also known as pedelecs, are assisted by pedalling and can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h. We will continue to treat this kind of e-bike in the same way as an ordinary pedal bicycle, and the rules of the road for bicycles will apply accordingly. This type of e-bike will not require registration, taxation, or licensing. High-powered e-bikes, which are those that can be used without pedalling or those that can reach speeds in excess of 25 km/h, will be treated in the same way as light mopeds and therefore will need to be registered, taxed and insured, and used only by an appropriately licensed driver. This is because these e-bikes are capable of speeds up to 100 km/h in some cases and present much greater danger to the user and to other vulnerable road users. This approach allows us to take advantage of the existing legislative framework for mopeds and motorbikes in the Road Traffic Acts and in other legislation in respect of registration, driver training and licensing and so avoids the need to establish new bodies to carry out these vital functions. It also aligns our national rules for e-bikes with the approach taken in other jurisdictions and with the type-approval framework established in Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013, which sets out the rules for two- and three-wheeled vehicles. As we already have a legislative framework in place for bicycles and for light mopeds, the provisions governing e-bikes will come into effect as soon as the Bill is signed into law and subsequent regulations will not be needed.

We also committed in our programme for Government to address the antisocial use of scramblers, quads and other similar vehicles. This is a longstanding problem that can range from a nuisance to a serious danger to health and to life. People who use these vehicles in shared public amenities can ruin the use of those amenities for the communities the amenities are meant to serve. We can all agree we want to put a stop to any such behaviour. Getting the legislation right has not been easy, and I acknowledge the personal input of the Attorney General in arriving at the measures we are proposing. What we will do operates on three levels. First, there will be a new power to specify in regulations that certain types of vehicles are banned from certain areas. This will allow the flexibility needed to deal with this problem on an evolving basis. Second, there will be a new Garda power to seize and dispose of vehicles, whether at the scene of an offence or at the location where the vehicle is kept. This is important because it is often the case that gardaí cannot actually intercept a scrambler or quad where it is being misused without risking the safety of bystanders, or indeed of the rider. Third, we will be amending the offence of dangerous driving so it will apply in all locations and not just in a public place.

I do not have time to go through the entirety of the measures I have in my speech. Suffice to say the legislation is important to give us the powers to give us BusConnects projects around the country. As I said at the outset, it allows us to introduce enhanced traffic management systems for our motorway operating services, especially variable speeds on the M50, and to put up displays in that regard. The Bill has significant provisions linking driver licence and vehicle ownership records that will again be of huge benefit in the efficient Garda use of our traffic management and regulation systems. It will deliver completion of a national motor insurance database that will be hugely significant in reducing the cost of insurance, getting greater certainty and ensuring we operate within the general data protection regulation. This is significant legislation and I commend it to the House.

This is a great day for road traffic in Ireland. This is badly needed legislation, especially given the increased use of e-scooters, e-bikes, etc. I congratulate the Minister and his team on the work to date.

There are a few different points I wish to raise around the Bill itself. Section 56 of Part 15 relates to zero emission vehicles Ireland, ZEVI. I looked up the website and it looks good and is impressive, but all the information there is about e-cars. I spent more than 14 years on the modal shift and working with schoolchildren in rural and urban areas throughout Clare, Galway and Limerick. To think we are going to focus on e-cars replacing petrol and diesel ones deeply upsets me. We must give space back to people. It does not matter what a car runs on. It is not the Green wish. We are being accused of trying to get everybody into e-cars, but that was never our wish. The figure of 1 million e-cars was thrown out there way before we got into Government and it is really important to look at what it means to have an electric vehicle and what ZEVI's role might be.

I live in the middle of nowhere in rural Ireland but I do not think e-cars are the only solution we have, even in rural areas. In urban areas especially it is madness because the more urban the area, the more you are fighting for space. It therefore makes much more sense to think about other things like e-cargo bikes for deliveries. Outside my office I see DPD has copped on to that. It has given up on driving trucks around to deliver and is using e-cargo bikes. This is a game-changer. That is great in Dublin but in Ennis I still see trucks driving through the small narrow streets. We have those sorts of streets in most towns and villages and so we need to look at the whole e-cargo bike option. I see it in some places in Dublin, perhaps in better-off areas and really built-up ones, but we need to look at how we see EVs as part of the solution. It is not just about cars.

If we have staff in - and with everything else, this I presume, will be increased - it is important to ensure that any work, staff resources and financial supports applied to electric cars are also applied even more so to work on e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and adapted cycles. The information on the grants we currently give for e-bikes is not even given on the bike to work scheme. It is very important that people who are working are included if we are to take this seriously.

If one looks at engine-idling, for instance, outside of schools; that would be solved by having EVs but it does not solve all of the other issues. There is still a danger with cars no matter what they run on. There is the pollution from tyres and the lack of space for children to be able to walk beside their friends because the cars, even if they are electric, still park on footpaths all the time. There is such a significant issue there around road traffic and no matter what size car a person has, or what the car runs on, one also has the issue around speed. We very much need to look at that issue. Many people ring me all the time saying that they need a speed limit in their housing estate. When I go to the engineer and say that that makes sense as there are 50 children living there, the engineer says they cannot act because legislation would be needed around it. If a car is travelling at 60 km/h and hits somebody, nine out of ten people will die. If a car is travelling at 50 km/h, half of them will die. That is the current speed limit that we have in our towns, villages and housing estates. This is just insane but if we had a 30 km/h speed limit, then one out of ten people will die. That is not to mention all of the terrible and severe injuries that also come with these accidents.

As somebody who lives in the middle of nowhere, we have many rural roads which I believe would be safe enough to use an e-bike on. For older people, this might also be a choice. In other countries we see that there are incentives to swap one’s car and switch to an e-bike, as well as incentives to buy an e-bike in the first place. This has a very significant part to play in transport and the transformation we need will not be just in respect of e-cars but it will also be e-bikes.

We see very significant issues of air pollution from the tyres themselves. There is also, of course, the affordability issue, as not everybody can afford an e-car. I want to dispel that myth that the Green Party members are all upper-middle-class and that we will all buy e-cars. None of us has ever said that. That is just a nice populist thing that has been thrown out there. We believe and know, however, as does our transport spokesperson, Deputy Leddin and the Minister himself, that it is not all about cars, whatever they are being run on, even if they are run on hemp oil.

We want to get people moving. We have very significant health issues and we are moving like the 51st state of America in respect of our obesity levels. One quarter of our nine-year-old children are overweight. This is because of cars which is the number one cause; I am sorry but that is just a fact.

We need to take this seriously; there is almost this cars versus bikes thing, but it is not about that, it is about people. It is about people moving and the space we share, whether that is a truck, a cyclist, or an old person with a disability aid; we have to learn how to move around together. Speed is one of the biggest things we can address to make it safer. Then it is about having respect for the space we have given over to cyclists, bikes and walkers, and not to be parking on their spaces, as I regularly come across that. We have new laws and fines but we do not have enforcement.

One other issue I wish to mention relates to a great company in Shannon, which the Minister and I visited, that is making autonomous vehicles. We are looking to allow the company to test drive them, which is necessary, and these will bring some benefits with them. If they are going to be test driven on public roads, it is important that we insist and ensure that there is a human in the car because this is only at test stage. Testing means we are unsure as to whether it will definitely work. The bottom line is that there must be a human in the car because if anything goes wrong, which it could do because this is at test stage, we need a person to be able to grab the wheel, press the brake, or whatever is involved.

I have been going around the country doing guerrilla road signs with parents all over Munster with a #30 km/h, love-30 campaign. This should not be an outside-of-the-system kind of campaign any more. Many parents have made signs asking people to slow down as their children want to walk to school. We have to put children, people with disabilities and older people at the centre of this whole debate as to how we move around. I know that the Minister understands this but we have to get this message through to the National Transport Authority, NTA, to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and to the National Roads Authority, NRA. There are many groups but we have to get them all together to agree that it is time to stop putting car as king and to put people first, because we are doing a disservice to our children, to our older people and to our people with disabilities.

I thank the Minister for his work today and I look forward to a day when I can get on my e-bike, travel down my country road, put my bike on the bus, get the bus to the train, and get the train to Dublin. At the moment I am forced to drive to the train because we do not have that connectivity there. That is what the reality of rural dwellers is now. Buses connect but it is not just about buses. Both pedestrians and cyclists must be connected with the bus and with the train and this is a very good first step in getting there because I believe that e-bikes and e-scooters have a very significant part to play. It is good, then, that we have some rules and regulations around them now. Gabhaim míle buíochas.

I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming to the House to set out this important Bill of his. I am generally supportive of the content of the Bill. We will need to tease out one or two issues and I will flag them to the Minister rather than tease them out now. This can be done later on in the process.

I also want to thank the Oireachtas Library and Research Service which has done quite an extensive review of and commentary on the Minister’s Bill, which is very helpful. I would urge everyone who has not had a chance yet to have a look at it. One of the great things about the Oireachtas Library and Research Service is that it gives us independent analysis and pulls the bits together, but it also gives a commentary on the legislation. Some of the comments are particularly interesting and the Minister’s own Department might take the time to have a look at this material, if it has not already had that opportunity.

I will focus on three issues. First, I welcome the idea, where we know and the Minister has stated this before, that the road traffic offences account for most criminal cases now in the District Court and that they are clogging them up. That is crazy. We have a situation in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, which I am familiar with and is where I live, that in the Dún Laoghaire District Court, the judge has to make time for these. The court is now bringing in all of the parking attendants and they are sworn in together. A certain judge is of particular interest there because she first asks people that if they accept that they have responsibility for this offence they can pay their additional fine because she does not want to put these defendants into the box, does not want to cross-examine, does not want them to be wasting her time or for her to be wasting their time. That is pragmatism and it does not happen in all District Court locations. We are seeing courts being clogged up, particularly around the country.

The Minister’s proposal under this Bill is to have three opportunities to pay a fixed charge notice, if I am correct. One is that it is paid within 28-days of the issue of the notice. With the second, one pays the charge plus an additional 50% within a further 28-days. Third, one pays the charge plus a further 100% when issued with a summons to court. This should then result in fewer cases being prosecuted in the court as the road traffic offences account for most offences. That is progressive, pragmatic and makes complete sense.

Another issue I raised before is the issue of disabled parking bays. I believe I have been told before that this can be done in primary legislation. We need to send a very clear message, however, because all over Dublin city and county, and I am sure all over the country, we have people who are parking in these designated disability bays. Indeed An Garda Síochána did a major sting in Dublin about two years ago which was featured in a special RTÉ programme of investigation. We heard that there were very well-to-do people driving in and using disability badges who were not at all disabled. An Garda put a considerable amount of resources into this and identified a number of these bays in this sting. It approached the people at the end of the week, and said that it had noted that the person's car was parked there at a particular place.

If we are committed to people with disabilities, and I know that the Minister is, and if we have clearly designated these spaces as disability parking bays, I would go as far as to say that there should be penalty points for offenders in such instances. I know that we have had a discussion on this in the past, and that the Minister or his officials are somewhat reluctant to consider this, but we need to send a very strong message out. We talk about disabilities, being advocates for people with disabilities, and we talk about supporting and providing different modes of transport for different sets of circumstances. We need to look at how we can ensure that these places are kept for the many people who have these designated cars and are genuinely disabled. We must then have a major penalty for people who abuse disability bays because these bays are very important.

Perhaps this can be done in the regulations, but I would like to see a stronger message than that and I would ask the Minister to look at that.

I am somewhat concerned and am interested in these powered personal transporters, PPTs, that the Minister talked about and the PPT class. It might be helpful that a briefing note might be provided to us on the PPT class. I do not know much about it but I know of it. There is not a day passes but people stop me to ask what these crazy people are doing driving up and down in our cycleways, on our footpaths, in our parks, and everywhere.

The thing has gone crazy. We have to be always mindful of public safety in the public realm and on our transport corridors. I have got off buses in quality bus corridors and have been banged into by these guys who hop up from the roads to the footpaths and through parks. It is simply not good enough. I would like to hear from the Minister or tease it out with him at some stage. The Road Safety Authority, RSA, has a huge remit. This is about public health and safety, not about loonies spinning around the place going up and down and around and not necessarily going anywhere. I see them in public car parks racing around the place. In the case of anyone on the road with some sort of vehicle that has an engine or is propelled in some way, there must be a licensing system. It is not a free-for-all and citizens have responsibilities. More importantly, and I say this respectfully, as someone responsible for transport, the Minister needs to send out a message that we are not going to permit anybody with a motorised two-wheeler, three-wheeler, four-wheeler or whatever it is, out and about with no insurance. Who is paying? It is public liability and local authorities are being stung all the time with claims. Irish mutual bodies are picking up the tab on insurance. Who is paying? Who is responsible for the insurance for the next guy who bangs into the side of someone's car in one of these vehicles or e-scooters? What engagement has the Minister had with An Garda Síochána and its traffic division, the Road Safety Authority and other bodies? I seek his assurance in this regard because I will not be in a position to support this particular aspect of the Bill if the Minister or anyone else is suggesting these people can go along our roads without insurance. While I am open to correction from the Minister, no way should we tolerate it. I accept it is a form of transport. I respect that and the point the Minister has made about it being a way of getting from A to B. It is a relatively cheap one, once you buy your wheels or your vehicle but we must face up to the fact that there are public liability and insurance issues.

Those are the three issues. Can the Minister provide more detail about the PPT and the class he envisages? Can he share with Members his consultation with the RSA regarding this particular matter? Will he tell us what engagement he or his Department has had with An Garda Síochána? It would be helpful.

Finally, there has to be a severe penalty for people who abuse our designated disability bays and deny people with disabilities the opportunity to park in a safe and designated space that has been provided.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive outline of the Bill. As a member of the transport committee, I have seen quite a bit of activity on this issue. A number of the potential scooter operators have made presentations to the transport committee and have outlined their views as to where it goes next. Scooters have been used in many cities, in some cases in a better way than others. It has not always worked well but equally, it has and they have learned a lot from their mistakes. I welcome this particular Bill. As outlined by the Minister, some of the measures were contained in the programme for Government. There was strong emphasis in Fianna Fáil from people like Deputies Lahart and McAuliffe and others on scrambler bikes and the damage they can do, both in the public realm and in parks and to individuals, where very serious accidents and fatalities have happened as a result of the misuse of scramblers, maybe not even to those using the bikes themselves but to people who have been injured by others who were using them. I welcome that very much.

As I was cycling in today, the speed limit notification sign noted in red that the car in front of me was doing 52 km/h and as I was cycling past, I was doing 29 km/h. I did not realise I was doing 29 km/h but the e-bikes will be limited to 25 km/h. I do not know what will happen as ordinary cyclists are all okay to travel at 29 km/h but the e-bikes will be limited to 25 km/h. I am not sure whether 25 km/h is the right maximum limit for an e-bike. I certainly share the thoughts of Senator Garvey who was with us earlier, in respect of a modal shift. I hope scooters are a modal shift from cars as opposed to a modal shift from walking on footpaths. Every car off the road is a benefit to everybody. It is of benefit to the person who is doing more active travel and to the other cars because there are fewer cars on the road to congest and clog up the space for those who are still willing and wanting to drive or in some cases need to drive because they no longer have the mobility to engage active travel.

I have known Senator Boyhan for almost 20 years and I know he is not being-----

Indeed.

It is fair to say there is a bit of scaremongering going on with scooters generally. I do not mean Senator Boyhan as such but many people are saying it. We have had this about cycle lanes before. You would think we were getting the Tour de France arriving into a housing estate when there is talk of a cycle lane being put somewhere. We all need to realise that they are going to be a part of the mix. E-scooters are actually illegal, as the Minister outlined, and yet we have people using them all the time. I do not see people being pulled up for it. I saw two of them on the way in today. I was keeping an eye out for them because I knew I would be talking on this and they are out there. The people using them need to realise that we must make sure they are limited in terms of their speed and this geofencing thing that ensures they can only work in cycle lanes or on roads or they cannot work on footpaths. I am not averse to them in parts of parks, no more than I am averse to bicycles or e-bikes being in parts of parks. Some of our parks are gigantic. Obviously people have to have due care for other road users, particularly pedestrians but it would be harsh to say that a scooter has to be on the road when there is a lovely park they could be going through instead. There is a balance. It is an evolving technology and area and none of us is all that familiar with them. I tried them out in a confined space with Zipp Mobility in University College Dublin when they offered us the opportunity. Senator Buttimer tried them down in the Cork with another operator. I think I am happier on a bike actually. Bikes give me a feeling of being more solid, if you like, and having a better sense of balance but that does not mean I would not occasionally want to use an e-scooter. I was in Brussels back in March and I saw some e-scooters on the ground that were broken and damaged. I would not like that to be the case. Whichever operators we bring in need to be well managed, well supervised and well regulated and that is what their intention would be as well.

The Title of this legislation is the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021. It has already been renamed at one stage. We are nearly at the end of 2022. It is possible it will be 2023 before we get it through. Then, as the Minister alluded to, that is only the start of the journey in terms of these licensed operators because there must be by-laws and local authorities and that will take time. When does the Minister think we might see licensed operators? I know that is a matter for the local authorities but does the Minister think it will be in 2024 or 2025? There is a role for them and if they take people out of public transport that sometimes has capacity issues, or people out of cars, that is all a positive. I was at the launch of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, ZEVI, which the Minister launched at the Aviva Stadium back in July. Electric vehicles will do an enormous amount, particularly for air quality in cities. Maybe as a cyclist one appreciates it a bit more but I do not think we appreciate just how much pollution and how much heat, particularly in the summer time, come out of cars. EVs will be very beneficial for that but were everybody in a diesel or petrol car to move to an electric car, it would not solve congestion. It would improve air quality and reduce our fossil fuel consumption and dependence on fossil fuels but what of the modal shift? As somebody who did not cycle for 20 years and then started cycling again over ten years ago at this stage, the more people we can get to try a bike and feel that it is okay, the better.

I am going to mention a bugbear of mine. At the moment, leaves are the issue but I refer to the amount of broken glass that is lying around the place. It only takes a very small bit of glass to get a puncture. I get a text from my bike repair people every time and I can see that I have had one per month from December to about May. I lost a tyre about a month ago and again, it was all due to glass and punctures. The more traffic wands we have, the harder it is for the road sweepers, though there are mini sweepers that do it. We need to make sure that the public realm for cycling is suitable for people who are less comfortable cycling, as they start on their cycling journey, possibly after 30 years not doing it. The Minister knows this better than me. You get comfortable with it and you move faster. I could not get to Leinster House in anything like the time I do on a bike, in any other way, whether it is on public transport or in a car. Possibly I could get here more quickly in the middle of the night in a car or with zero traffic and getting all the lights. Cycling in urban built-up areas is absolutely the fastest way and you can get from door to door, as opposed to driveway to car park, which is a good distance from where you are trying to get to.

The modal shift is very important. This is important legislation. It relates to BusConnects, uninsured drivers, and the management of the M50. Senator Buttimer and I visited the M50 Dublin tunnel operation in terms of cameras for TII. All of this is positive.

I welcome the Bill, but we should do everything we can to facilitate a modal shift. Getting people out of cars and ideally onto personalised public transport is great, in particular bikes and e-bikes, if they are able for it. I have not got an e-bike yet; I feel it is cheating. I am sure a time will come when e-bikes are what I will use. Every person who is not using a car is improving the situation for those who are still using a car. Motorists, of which I am one, do not appreciate that and they say, "Look at that bike", when, in fact, that bike is reducing the congestion on roads. I thank the Minister for being in the Chamber. I ask that he comes back to us on the timeline for licensed operators in the cities and towns.

I welcome the Minister to the House and commend him on his stewardship of the Bill thus far, for his engagement and the quality of that engagement. I know Senator Horkan referred to the 2021 Bill, but the fact that the Minister brought amendments in the Lower House underscores the importance of this Bill.

We are committed to this legislation. My friend and colleague, Senator Boyhan, raised issues we should tease out further. He spoke about public liability and insurance, which we should look at and discuss again. This is much anticipated legislation. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, as is Senator Horkan. We went through pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill and had extensive engagement. It is not just about the regulation of e-scooters, quads and scramblers. As the Minister said earlier, it is about ensuring we bring improvements on our roads whether it is for motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians. We are competing for space on public roads. There must be a respectful conversation between everyone who uses public roads and footpaths. It is a shared space. Senator Horkan and I as motorists and the Minister, as a cyclist, or whoever, do not have the monopoly. I worry about road rage and the competitiveness I see on our roads in many parts of the country. We must support the RSA and the new road strategy. We cannot compromise on safety on our roads. At the joint policing committee meeting in Cork last Friday, the issue of scramblers was raised. I welcome the fact that we will target the antisocial use of scramblers. As we all know, it is not just about a certain part of the country; it is happening in many parts.

The Minister is a champion of BusConnects. I am now worried about BusConnects in Cork, which I regret because it is an ambitious and good initiative we should get behind. If we are to support that modal shift, and Senator Horkan will confirm this, I have asked the NTA to continue to engage after the conclusion of the public consultation. There are a number of bottlenecks in Cork. There was a conversation on local radio recently about the cherry blossoms in Ballyphehane being taken away. The residents of South Douglas Road, Ballincollig, Curraheen Road, Maglin and Douglas are concerned. These are examples of where there is concern, which I hope will not derail BusConnects, and that we can find solutions to, because we are all in need of that modal shift.

The Minister is dead right about the infrastructure for the charging of electric cars. We must make it easier for people to charge their cars. By way of a personal example, my husband and I bought an electric car during the October bank holiday weekend of 2021. We took possession of the car last Thursday, which was 11 months later. My concern is not just about the availability or lack thereof. It is about making it easier for people, in terms of public charging points, to make the modal shift from diesel or petrol car to an electric car. That is something we need to support.

On BusConnects and in the context of public safety and road safety, a number of people have expressed concerns to me about safety announcements on the Luas, the DART or buses. In some cases, drivers have moved off while passengers are not seated and elderly passengers have fallen and been hurt. I am concerned that this would not be allowed to continue. While this is not provided for in the Bill, we should consider a dedicated transport policing security authority. It is probably within the remit of the Minister for Justice but I hope we can look at that further.

The dynamic traffic management of the M50 is a measure we all welcome. Will the Minister engage with TII in the context of the works that are under way at the Dunkettle interchange? As one heads eastbound towards Glanmire, Little Island or the Dublin Road, there are extraordinary delays. I am not in favour of compromising road safety, but it beggars belief that at peak times, when there are inordinate delays, a speed-camera van is positioned at the mouth of the tunnel but there is no monitoring or regulation of traffic. The city manager said to me last Friday in City Hall that if there was a larger modal shift to public transport, we would not have such delays. She is right, but there needs to be engagement with TII and An Garda Síochána about the flow and management of traffic on the N40 in Cork. It may not be possible but I would love if the traffic-management approach to the M50 would be put in place for the Cork-Dublin motorway or the N40 in Cork. It would help the situation and, as the Minister said, it is part of the management of traffic flow that we need to do.

I commend Deputy Alan Farrell and former Deputy, Noel Rock, on their work on the Bill, as well as Deputy John Lahart. It is important legislation. It is about modernising legislation in respect of driving instruction, insurance and fixed-charge notices.

When Senator Conway comes back to the Chamber, I am sure he will-----

I apologise. He deserves credit for the role he has played with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland in educating us and for showing us how we should actively listen to the concerns of visually impaired members of the public who use our footpaths. Despite what Senator Horkan said about scaremongering, some people are genuinely concerned about e-scooters on paths.

I thank the Minister for his work and engagement. I wish him well and I look forward to Committee and Report Stages to further discuss the Bill. It is good legislation that is long overdue. The Minister deserves credit for listening to and engaging with us.

Tá áthas orm go bhfuil an deis agam labhairt sa díospóireacht seo. It is always good when we are all in agreement in the Chamber on what needs to be done and in welcoming legislation that will hopefully get us there. I welcome the measure that scramblers will be dealt with. Deputies Seán Crowe and Dessie Ellis were the first to table Private Members' Bills on that issue a number of years ago.

We all agree there needs to be a modal shift and every car we can take off the road is to the benefit of everyone. We have to make it the case that no one is forced to have a car. The current situation in Ireland is that there is forced car ownership; people have no other choice, particularly households in rural areas with two-car ownership that might be able to reduce to one car. It is important that we put in place anything that helps people who want to give up their car.

Much of the focus of the Bill is on personal powered transporters, including electric scooters and bikes.

I do not see electric bikes as cheating, although the Senator is the second man I have heard say that in recent weeks. I say that because I am somebody who has recently got an electric bike. I am not a cyclist or a very confident cyclist, and I live 12 km out. Cycling is not something I would normally do for exercise and I much prefer to run. However, I did try cycling on the regular bike and it is just that little bit too far as it is uphill. Having the electric bike now, I am using it far more, first, coming into work every day because even if I am late leaving, I am getting home that bit quicker but, equally, I am able to use it for doing those other trips. We are all trying to get people out of their cars to do those short trips, such as going to do the weekly shop, where they normally would have needed a car. Again, with cycling, the weight was a bit too much, but with the electric bike, it is possible to do that. Electric bikes have opened cycling to a whole range of people, and I include myself in that, because it is much more accessible. Again, they are gentler on the body and people who are older and who might not physically be able to cycle a manual bike are able to cycle electric bikes.

With regard to e-scooters and the scaremongering about people whizzing past on them, e-scooters are again very good for people who have mobility issues. We have heard concerns about the exercise benefits and that if we encourage cyclists or people who walk to shift to electric bikes or electric scooters, they are not going to be cycling or walking as much. That is a bit of a red herring. As I said, anything we can do to get people active and out of their cars is a good thing.

Under the current law, there appears to be some confusion about the classification of e-bikes and e-scooters as mechanically propelled vehicles, which would make the riders liable for insurance, tax and a licence. However, contrary to what we heard earlier from Senator Boyhan, it is a good thing that e-bikes and e-scooters will be exempt from those obligations. There are other concerns about the dockless e-scooter sharing apps. I spent a lot of time in Brussels and I can testify to the negative consequences they can have for pedestrians on footpaths. As I said, I like to go running but that city is littered with scooters from multiple companies. I know it is worse for certain people and that the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind issued a paper outlining their concerns in that area. They identified the parking of e-scooters as an issue that will be a huge challenge. We have to get that parking methodology right. Different European countries have approached it differently and the Brussels model is definitely not the one to go for. They cannot be allowed to become trip hazards and obstacles for those with disabilities. Navigating the city is challenging enough for visually impaired people without us throwing scooters all over the city, so we must introduce them very carefully.

Local authorities will have to introduce those schemes cautiously. The issue of parking has come up. We need to be much more proactive on illegal parking on footpaths. Clampers are to the ready when people do not pay their car parking fee. I would like to see much more proactivity around people who park on footpaths or in disabled parking spaces, rather than just the ones who are not paying their fees.

Another issue that has come up in the public discourse and has been referenced here is the use of geo-fencing. It is possible with current technology to create a zone around high pedestrian areas like schools and hospitals that automatically forces e-scooters to slow down. This is a good idea but it begs the question of why we are stopping at e-scooters. Should we not be looking for geo-fencing on our roads for all road traffic? Speeding is so common that it seems natural for people to be driving at 55 km/h in a 50 km/h zone or 130 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. There are all sorts of schemes that go into controlling speed, like speed vans and average speed cameras. Why do we not put in the same limiters on cars that are used on electric scooters?

The Bill also deals with road signs. I want to speak specifically on the bilingual nature of many road signs and the prominence given to the English language. There is a spectacular opportunity if we make a tiny change in design to put the Irish and English languages on an equal platform and, by doing so, we would raise awareness of the Irish language. Sinn Féin will table an amendment on Committee Stage that will reflect this on new road signs.

Another point is one that affects people who live on boundaries or on commuter roads. Senator Horkan spoke about glass on the roads. There is also an issue around the maintenance of footpaths, as well as overgrowth and bushes hanging over footpaths. Generally, we find this is on roads that are more the responsibility of the NTA than local authorities. An example is the Long Mile Road, which is very poorly maintained. The New Nangor Road and the Fonthill Road are other examples. These are roads that cross over different constituencies, but each local authority does not want to take responsibility and the NTA is not taking responsibility for them either. They are a hazard for people who are visually impaired in terms of getting hit in the face with branches, but it is also the case that the vehicle cannot fit on cycle lanes and footpaths.

This is a wide-ranging Bill with many aspects. I look forward to digging into the detail on Committee Stage and Report Stage. I welcome the Bill. It is great that it is going to help us have that modal shift that is so essential to tackling climate change.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. A number of the issues have been outlined, specifically the issue of people with disability using our footpaths. As has been said, there are enough obstacles on footpaths. I was abroad over the summer and found it horrific to see scooters literally abandoned in the middle of the footpath. There has to be some way of forcing them off footpaths. Technology will have to be used to make that happen. Last summer I was standing at a set of traffic lights at Grand Canal Dock and I got the fright of my life when a scooter whizzed past. It was not really anything to do with having vision impairment, even though I do. I would imagine it can be daunting for any old person or anyone else who is standing at a set of traffic lights which are about to change, when the next thing, out of nowhere, a scooter just whizzes past them. I do not know if there is anything that can be done about that but I welcome the fact we are legislating.

It is good to see people using scooters and not using cars. I very much welcome the announcement in the budget of reduced fees for young people using public transport. However, there is an anomaly that the Minister may not be aware of. As the Leap card cannot be used on private transport, young people aged 17 and 18 cannot benefit from the reduced fee. I hope the Minister will look at that as a matter of urgency. I have had a number of people in touch with my office. One young man is paying €7 a day to go to college in Limerick using a private bus. I know that is an unintended consequence but it is a consequence nonetheless, and it needs to be rectified. I am not sure the Minister was aware of it but he is now, and I hope he is able to do something about it.

With regard to disability in general and the use of public transport, the NCBI is developing a centre at the IFSC called the Wayfinding Centre. I extend an invitation to the Minister to visit the centre. It will have real-life trams and trains, an aeroplane and other transport units, and it will train people who are blind and visually impaired to use them in an efficient and safe way. It is one of the first of its kind in Europe. The NTA, through the Department, is making a substantial amount of money available for it. As Minister for Transport , I ask Deputy Eamon Ryan to come down and see it at first hand because I believe he will be quite impressed with what it is trying to achieve.

With regard to transport in general, as the Minister knows, many young people now have to live at home because of the housing situation. I know of a young person who is in college in Cork and who wishes to commute from Ennis, but the earliest time this person can be in Cork by train is 9.45 a.m. Similarly, for young people living in Portlaoise, Thurles or close to Limerick Junction who wish to commute to Cork maybe three or four days a week, either for college or work, the earliest time they can be in Cork is 9.45 a.m., which is way too late.

There should be an early morning train going from Dublin to Cork that can serve all the stations and facilitate people being in Cork for 8 a.m., 8.30 a.m. or 9 a.m. It is not realistic going forward that the first train into the second city in the country in the morning arrives at 9.45. It is not where we should be. Knowing how committed the Minister is to the train network in this country, I am sure it is something he might raise directly with the CEO of Irish Rail. I have done it and the transport committee has done so as well, yet nothing has happened. It cannot be just down to the annual timetable review. Irish Rail responded and put trains on when Garth Brooks played in Dublin. If we could have trains leaving Dublin at midnight to facilitate the concert, there is no reason in the wide earthly world Irish Rail could not review the situation and orientate its services accordingly to support people's needs. I call on the Minister to instruct Irish Rail to run an early morning service from Dublin to Cork in the next month or two. It should at least be trialled to see if there is a demand for it, which I believe there is. I have been contacted by several people on this matter and I have been campaigning along with colleagues such as Senator Buttimer, who is from Cork, on the transport committee, and others. I know people living in Ennis who would like to get the train to work in Cork three days a week. They are working from home remotely for two days and they would like to be able to get the train the other three days, but it is not possible. Because of that, they are using their cars because they know they are not going to be in work on time if they use the train.

I very much welcome the legislation, which updates road traffic legislation. It reflects the modern day equipment that is used on the road. We must think outside the box. One matter on which I would like to hear the Minister's thoughts is driverless cars. Does he believe that they will happen in the immediate future or is it something that is a long way down the road? I would love a situation where I would have a driverless car that would bring me from County Clare to Dublin. It would revolutionise accessibility for people who are unable to drive through no fault of their own.

I am delighted with the opportunity to speak on this important issue. My colleagues in the Dáil introduced amendments and I am hopeful that the Minister will accept amendments in the Seanad as well on some of the issues raised. As he outlined, this is important legislation that goes much further than ever before, but there is always room for improvement.

I will speak first about BusConnects, which I know the Minister is very passionate about. We have an exciting opportunity in Galway to have BusConnects and to have a cross-city link. It is appropriate for these kinds of projects, in particular for public transport and active transport, that we allow An Bord Pleanála greater ability to get them through more quickly. While the plan in Galway is a good one and we are behind it, the Green Party in Galway will make a submission on it because we think the cycling part could happen at the same time, which it needs to. I urge people to have their say on that as well in Galway.

I wish to deal with CPO in particular, which is what the legislation provides for in respect of BusConnects. It is very interesting that no sooner is the ink dried on a decision from An Bord Pleanála than the council is out CPOing anything it can when it is a road, but we never see that when it comes to a greenway or any form of public or active transport. If we can shift that focus, we could get into gear much faster. The Galway ring road project has gone for appeal and yet the land is being CPOed. That is a real concern for me, yet we have been waiting for the Connemara greenway and there is never any talk of CPOs for that.

Regarding cargo bikes and e-bikes in particular, when I had one child I used to cycle with my child on the back but when I had two children, I found the cargo bike too heavy for my small stature to push up a steep hill. It is very important for women and families in particular - Senator Boylan has raised this as well - to get to the next stage in life and when a person has children, e-bikes are very important, in particular electric cargo bikes. I would love to see the Minister bring back something on that to support people with the cost of e-cargo bikes and e-bikes in general.

I also wish to raise an issue I raise all of the time at meetings of the joint policing committee in Galway, which is motorists driving through red traffic lights. I asked for this to be added to the report of the joint policing committee so that there would be a record of how many times cars drove through lights. This year so far, there have been 52 incidents and there were 52 last year. As I understand it, the Garda need to see it happen. For that reason, it is very important that we are creative about reporting. I know a pilot project was run previously. The Bill goes some way towards allowing self-reporting. We must also assure people about GDPR, as we did for the circular economy Bill, that data will only be used for the purposes required if there is video evidence. The recorded number of 52 incidents is not representative of the number of people who break traffic lights. I would nearly see that number in one day. It is a big concern for many of my constituents who get in touch with me.

We have had some discussion on electric vehicles at the climate committee. I am a little concerned about ZEVI, which some of my colleagues raised previously with the Minister. We need to see that we are moving in the right direction. Modal shift is the right direction. I will read what was said in yesterday's OECD review that we called for under the climate action plan. The report stated that current mobility patterns in Ireland showing high and growing car use are incompatible with the country's ambitious greenhouse gas emissions target. An increase in car use is not the right direction, regardless of the type of car it is. I am very supportive of electric vehicles because they have a place, but we also cannot use the arms of the State purely for electric vehicles. That is why I believe other types of transport, apart from cars, must be brought in to ZEVI. I can see my time is up. I will speak further on Committee Stage.

I thank the Minister for being with us here today. We have spoken numerous times about many projects, in particular around Galway. I was involved in the local campaign for the Galway to Dublin cycleway. It is fantastic that the bridge in Athlone is now getting built. It is an amazing project. It is three pieces of infrastructure, and they were brought over further down the Shannon and the bridge is being set up now. In Athlone, people are walking, bringing prams and out on their bikes. I am amazed at how many pedestrians are using the cycleway. It just shows the importance of infrastructure. We do not even have a park in Ballinasloe. There are no safe places to go where people are off-road and away from cars. That is an amazing project and the timelines around it are important. Could the Minister comment on TII's focus on the timelines for the delivery of the project. The project team in Ballinasloe hopes to see construction commence in 2025 or 2026. Please God it will get through An Bord Pleanála.

It is wonderful to see the Bill. The Minister has put a lot into it. The Bill tackles many different areas relating to roads, in particular concerning e-scooters and e-bikes. It is great to have the legislation in place to regulate the issue given the challenge presented by e-scooters in city centres. I do not have one myself, but it is great to see e-bikes becoming so popular and that we will be able to use them on cycleways and greenways.

I do not know the Minister's future plans for active travel, but I am interested to hear about local authorities being able to invest in more regional cycleways and greenways to connect into the major ones. The Galway to Athlone cycleway will be major and world-class infrastructure but I am interested to hear how local authorities will perhaps be able to link in with more regional cycleways, perhaps not of the same standard, in four to five years.

The antisocial use of scramblers is an issue in parts of Limerick city and in many city centres. It is great that the Garda will have the powers to seize these vehicles.

Other Senators raised points about TII and road safety. Parts of the Bill will give additional powers to the Garda in respect of penalty points. I refer to local authorities' investment in road safety in rural areas. Drivers will often speed through junctions of major roads and minor roads. The local authorities are challenged in getting the right resources. They are looking at engaging with consultants around safety on these roads but consultant costs alone are massive. We fought to get funding to introduce road safety measures at a junction in our area. It was not possible to get consultants to look at a long-term and better solution because the consultant costs were in excess of the amount allocated for the road safety measure. Can anything be done in that regard? If local authorities need to engage with consultants on road safety in rural or other areas, can we factor in that cost when providing funding for dangerous road sections where there have been accidents?

The Minister referred to the variable nature of speed limits, particularly in the context of the M50. I am looking at variable speed limits outside towns and villages, for example, where there are football, GAA and rugby clubs. In our town, for example, the rugby club is outside the town. I am trying to get a footpath to connect the town and the rugby club so that people can get to training. The club is about 2 km or 3 km outside the town but the challenge is that the 50 km/h speed zone is before this. The local authority will not consider providing a footpath where the 50 km/h speed zone is within the speed limit. Can anything be done to provide for variable speed limits near clubs attended by children and families? This would encourage cycling and walking.

I have campaigned on other challenging areas in respect of the Connecting Ireland project. We have done an awful lot on school transport, which is a big issue for me. We have also looked at this within Fine Gael. My colleague, Senator Pauline O'Reilly, raised the issue of bus and public transport capacity and asked about other options, but the only option available in many areas is to use buses. Buses use roads and until there is another option - we do not have train tracks - we will need access to good roads in these areas. Is there an update on options for buses as part of the Connecting Ireland programme? We did a big campaign on this last December. We are still waiting to hear the outcome from those reports.

On Bus Éireann capacity, seemingly Galway is a big issue according to Bus Éireann under the school transport section. I know this comes under the Department of Education, and I am the spokesperson on education, but is there anything we can look at here? It seems the Minister has a budget she can allocate towards school transport. Bus Éireann is saying there is a capacity issue. Is that an issue with buses? I am not familiar with the challenges involved but can anything be done regarding that? This would encourage people in rural areas to use public transport.

I have different views on the Galway ring road because I have lived and worked in Galway. We must encourage public access to buses. To do that requires more than putting in a bus stop without a shelter or cover, as is the case in many areas in County Galway. People are left waiting for an hour because the bus is stuck in traffic and there is no chance of having a better road to get people from A to B.

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I have a few points that it would be remiss of me not to mention. We spoke about the N4 upgrade last year and I will highlight it again. We got additional funding to bring the project to a certain stage but more funding is required in 2023 to bring it to the stage where it has full planning permission. This is the only region in the country that is not fully connected by a dual carriageway.

There has been massive investment in cycling. I was involved in the development of the Royal Canal greenway in 2012 or 2013 when our county tourism committee, in conjunction with Longford County Council, started the project to link Longford town with Cloondara at the end of the Royal Canal. In conjunction with other local authorities, we worked on a route towards Maynooth, which is now open. Hopefully within the next 12 to 18 months, the route will link all the way into Spencer Dock in Dublin. If we are looking at investment to extend greenways, we need to look at linking the Royal Canal with the greenway in Westport. That is an opportunity across the Shannon. North of Lanesborough, where the power station is, there is a Bord na Móna bridge that could be used to cross the Shannon into Slieve Bawn and connect with Achill Island. It would be a fantastic asset to be able to go from Spencer Dock, in Dublin, to Achill Island on the west coast.

Are local authorities doing enough in the area of electric vehicles? Are there sufficient EV charging points in all counties? I do not believe there are. People may be put off purchasing an electric car because there are not sufficient charging points around the country.

I have a particular issue with PPTs. We have seen the danger with people using e-scooters on roads, particularly in Dublin city when travelling to the south side. The Bill states that an e-scooter user must be aged over 16 years of age. Unless I have missed something, the Bill does not require people to wear a helmet while using an e-scooter. Will the Minister clarify this? I have seen children of 11 and 12 years of age going to school on e-scooters. There could be two or three of them travelling on one of them. They are a danger to themselves and to motorists. I welcome the fact that users will have to be over 16 years. Will the Minister clarify whether they will have to wear a helmet?

I thank Senators for their contributions and support for the Bill. I hope to briefly address some of the issues raised and we can return to them on Committee Stage and Report Stage.

To respond to Senator Boyhan, it is currently possible to pay a fixed-charge notice issued by An Garda Síochána in advance in the way the Senator set out. The Bill expands this to notices issued by traffic wardens. It will hopefully expand the mechanism whereby people do not have to go to court or spend a length of time in court.

The Senator also raised a concern about disabled parking bays. I agree that the regulation of those bays needs to be addressed. The Bill addresses fraudulent application for disabled parking permits. It is an extensive Bill. I only read out some of the key, pertinent points in my opening speech.

Since the introduction of penalty points, it has been a principle that they are used only for driving offences, with the sole exception being dangerous parking because such an offence affects moving traffic. We can certainly look at enhancing penalties for misuse of disabled parking spaces.

On insurance for e-scooters, EU law sets out the requirement for mandatory insurance for vehicles above certain power specifications. The Bill defines what PPTs are and as they are below these power specifications, they will not require insurance, which high-powered scooters will require. Vehicles that count as PPTs will be under the internationally agreed framework, which makes sense.

I think Senator Buttimer asked about a timeline regarding e-scooters. We will need three months after the passing of the Bill to ensure, in accordance with European guidelines, that the provisions are compliant with the EU Single Market and so on. I regret that this is a 2021 Bill and we are now in 2022. It should be enacted. I hope it will get through the Seanad this year and that it will be signed into law next year.

I apologise. It was Senator Horkan who raised that point.

On e-scooter rental and parking, we have seen e-scooter schemes across the world that created a nuisance effect with scooters littered everywhere. Much of this is a matter for regulation and we will take the Senators' comments on board when looking at that. We want e-scooter sharing schemes. They bring real benefits but we should learn the lessons from elsewhere.

I will not assign each response to a Senator. The question of autonomous vehicles was raised.

This legislation allows for the testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads. As for my own view on how quickly that will come in, I do not see it as a completely futuristic world in which the car whizzes along without any attention from the driver. It is, however, appropriate that we are testing. Senator Garvey mentioned a testing site in Shannon, which is a very good example of where we can do this. This legislation will provide for that.

I cannot remember which Senator asked about the young adult card. Was it Senator Conway?

I can give the good news that the 50% reduction for those under the age of 24 was extended to commercial bus operators on 4 September. I am glad to say that we have further extended it to those aged 16, 17 and 18 who had missed out. Therefore, the rules are changing and people to whom it did not apply will be able to benefit from lower fares.

It was changed two or three weeks ago so hopefully we should be there.

Amendments were made in the Dáil with regard to variable speed limits. The speed limit is based on default limits for different classes of roads, with local authorities allowed to set special speed limits on specific roads in their areas. The published Bill proposes allowing TII to set special speed limits in order to provide for variable speed limits. However, this mechanism requires a by-law each time a limit is set, which would not be practical in the context of the need for rapid responses to changing transport circumstances. Senators Garvey and Dolan made a good case in this regard. Senator Dolan mentioned Ballinasloe Rugby Club, which is based outside the town. We do not have the right connection to it in terms of a safe footpath or a safe cycle path. In those circumstances, it is absolutely right and appropriate for us to start looking at changing the speed limits to fit the circumstances. First and foremost, we need to look at the purpose of the road. Is it designed to get traffic through Ballinasloe with the least inconvenience possible, or is it there to serve the people of Ballinasloe? I believe it is the latter. Young children should be able to get to a sports club without having to be driven there. This frees up parents, it is better for the children and it addresses the issue Senator Garvey rightly raised around obesity.

The Irish-language issue was among several issues raised by Senator Boylan. We have looked at this in quite some detail. The current design system is based on safety. That must be our first priority. It is very interesting. Extensive analysis has been done in accordance with setting the traffic signs manual. We display Irish text in sentence case format which inclines slightly to the right. English text is displayed in Roman capital letters. This is primarily a safety issue. It conveys to drivers as clearly as possible that two distinct languages are contained on the sign. I am told by the engineers that there must be an obvious distinction in text in order not to compromise road safety. This is imperative not only for Irish drivers but also for the tourists on our roads. There is a clear definition between the two. That is why sentence case lettering, which is where the first letter is capitalised at an angle of 15°, is used for the Irish text while upper-case lettering is used for the English text. The scientific analysis that has been done suggests that this very much improves the comprehension and the clear differentiation. According to the advice from the expert at the Department, the use of reclined italics and generally lower case script emphasises and best represents the Gaelic script. There are various reasons behind it. I understand fully that no one wants to show any prominence to the first language over the second or vice versa. I have explained why those rules are there.

In conclusion, without having addressed every aspect, I intend to introduce a number of amendments on Committee Stage. This is such an extensive Bill, and the timeline has been so long in terms of introducing it, that we have seen the case and need for what are often relatively minor amendments. First, we will seek amendments in provisions regarding motor tax, particularly in respect of the taxation of State-owned vehicles. Second, we will seek further changes regarding TII's CCTV provisions. The Roads Act 1993 will be amended to clarify the definition of cycleways in that regard. Amendments to section 19 of the Road Traffic Act will address concerns that have arisen with regard to maintenance and traffic finance to make sure TII has the powers it needs. Third, we will seek to introduce amendments to allow for the legislative underpinning of driver and vehicle records held by the Minister for Transport to make sure we are compliant with GDPR. It will move the legislative underpinning of these records to the Road Traffic Acts and provide the necessary legislation to comply with current data legislation requirements regarding the showing of data. Fourth, I will seek an amendment on the issuing of fixed charge notices by the Revenue Commissioners to allow them to issue such notices in respect of a small number of specific offences within their remit relating to licence plates. Finally, there will be further technical amendments on the motor insurance database and other matters, including a number of technical amendments relating to the motor third party liability database, correcting a number of errors in the present text identified by the Bills Office and revising the numbering of the new section 23B that is being inserted into the Road Traffic Act 1961 due to the passage this summer of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022. The legislation will also introduce a new section 23B so the numbering of the sections will be correct.

I have not by any means addressed all of the questions raised by the Senators but we can come back to the points of concern.

It is a very valid point. I wondered about this as the Senator was speaking because when I was in Ennis a few weeks ago, I had to decide how to get home. I went with the green bus rather than the train in the end. The question I wanted to ask of the Senator was whether one can get from Ennis to Cork by bus at an earlier time.

Not really. It would be difficult. The green bus between Dublin and Ennis is a great service. Mr. John O'Sullivan deserves great praise for what he has achieved with that. There is no green bus service from Ennis to Cork, however. The issue I raised affects people in places like Thurles and Portlaoise as well because many people are working in the Civil Service in Cork and so on. The option should be there. It should have been there years ago, to be honest with the Minister.