Dail Éireann · 2023-05-04
Part of Other Questions
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8. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider instructing the NTA to delay the closing date for submissions on BusConnects Cork STC routes pending publication of traffic data. [20744/23]
Will the Minister consider instructing the NTA to delay the closing date for submissions on the BusConnects Cork STC routes pending publication of the traffic data? In June 2022, the NTA published proposals for a network of sustainable transport corridors, setting out the type of bus and cycle infrastructure along those key corridors. The package is available to those aged 70 and over and to some aged under 70 in certain circumstances - those on disability allowance or carer's allowance who are living with the person they care for, to name but a few.
The electricity or gas allowance has a value of €1.15 per day and is payable monthly to the equivalent of €8.05 per week. In 2008, the allowance covered 2,400 units per year, which, unfortunately, was lowered to 1,800 units in 2011.
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Will the Minister consider instructing the NTA to delay the closing date for submissions on the BusConnects Cork STC routes pending publication of the traffic data? The NTA plans will have serious consequences for businesses, workers, constituents, communities and people's lives. That is why the publication of the traffic data in advance of the closing date is essential.
Under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, BusConnects programmes will be substantially delivered in all of Ireland’s five cities by the end of the decade. These programmes will significantly enhance the quality of public transport in our cities and also include the parallel development of high-quality cycle lanes.
BusConnects will be hugely transformative for all five of our cities, including Cork. Like all transformations, it will require change. I agree that it is important that this type of change is communicated in a way that allows people give their feedback to assist with that change.
In June 2022, the NTA published proposals for a network of sustainable transport corridors, setting out the type of bus and cycle infrastructure along those key corridors. Public consultation regarding these proposals ran until early in October 2022, with close to 3,000 submissions received.
These submissions were all carefully considered by the authority and have informed the most recent round of public consultations on what are now the preferred route options for the 11 corridors. The consultation launched on 30 March and will run for eight weeks until 25 May. The most recent round of consultation is being supported through various different means of engagement with the public including specific public information events and community forum meetings along the corridors, as well as the usual advertising and leafletting one would expect.
The Deputy will acknowledge that transport modelling is a highly complex and technical area and I have been advised that it is most useful to undertake it when the details of schemes are broadly finalised, which is not the case yet. Undertaking and publishing detailed traffic assessments at a stage designs are evolving and changing means that the published analysis quickly becomes invalid as even small items, such as the introduction of turn restrictions at a junction, can alter and invalidate the analysis work undertaken.
I encourage everyone to put their views forward regarding the published material and at the various events and meetings being organised so that the proposal for the corridors can be developed further to the stage for which the Deputy calls. That would allow for the type of detailed transport modelling referred to then be done.
I wish to speak on the household benefits package, in particular the energy allowances aspect. As the Minister of State knows, the household benefits package is a set of allowances to help with the cost of living, specifically electricity or gas costs. The package is available to those aged 70 and over and to some aged under 70 in certain circumstances - those on disability allowance or carer's allowance who are living with the person they care for, to name but a few. The package is available to our most vulnerable citizens and that needs to be stated from the outset. We know that cold homes are associated with worsening health conditions and, sadly, with poor mental health. Our most vulnerable should never be left facing a choice between heating and eating. That is a society that we all wish to live in.
The electricity or gas allowance has a value of €1.15 per day and is payable monthly to the equivalent of €8.05 per week. In 1968, the original electricity gas allowance came into effect and allowed for 100 free units every two months. It was then benchmarked to the number of units of electricity or gas consumed. Most important, the value of the payment rose in tandem with price changes. In 2008, the allowance covered 2,400 units per year, which, unfortunately, was lowered to 1,800 units in 2011. Significantly, in 2013 the whole structure of the allowance was changed from a set number of units to a cash amount, which, as I mentioned, equated to only €8.05 per week. At the time, it was argued that this approach would encourage people to switch energy provider, giving them bargaining power, for example. However, that does not account for the change in value to the person in receipt of the package.
The major disadvantage of decoupling the allowance from units is that during periods of price increases, the real value of the allowance is significantly reduced in terms of its purchasing power. This year, we have seen hyperinflation and many families have entered energy poverty, spending more than 10% of their income on their electricity bills. This is likely to continue and be further exacerbated by fossil fuels through the transition to a low-carbon economy.
I acknowledge, as I am sure the Minister of State will, the Government's extension of the fuel allowance to more people through the new threshold and the various cost-of-living payments over the past year. Obviously, any help and support for our most venerable is welcome. However, it was a small glimmer of hope in a black hole of despair of rising costs that seemed to be everywhere because they were affecting our most basic essentials. The electricity allowance of €8.05 per week has not increased in ten years and it is now worth 29% less than it was in 2013 due to the higher cost of electricity. Similarly, the gas allowance is worth 22% less than it was in 2013. It is a desperate state of affairs.
Communities in places such as Mayfield, Ballyphehane, Knocknaheeny and Bishopstown do not have the same resources as the NTA but they have local knowledge on the ground that we need to include in the plan.
I fully agree with the Deputy. As I said, that local knowledge helped to inform the significant change that took place between the first and second iterations. That will continue to be needed. Public representatives also have a key role because they represent the people and have similar knowledge of the area. Both councillors and Deputies have a critical role to play. I encourage everyone to take part and make their views known by 25 May.
I have a concern which comes from my experience of the Dublin BusConnects project with which I was involved as a local representative. I had a similar experience. Similar to Cork, the original routes focused too much on lane extensions and creating big corridors rather than building communities. In both instances, the NTA shifted and changed towards much more of a community-orientated approach, which is all to the good. The concern I have is the length of time it has taken since then. Time is required for consultation but we need to be quick thereafter in developing specific traffic data and building routes. The delay, more than anything else, is not serving communities.
To this point, there has been no delay. I have put in a submission. I met representatives of the NTA for two hours this week, and I thank them for that. With Councillors Kevin Collins and Mick Nugent and my personal assistant, we went through the proposal line by line. This plan needs to be credible and the people of Cork need it to work. We want to get people out of their cars, but if we do not get this plan right now, there will be consequences down the line. We are talking about an expenditure of €600 million. One of the main proposals is to remove traffic along the main spine roads in Cork city. I live in Cathedral Road and there is talk of installing a bus gate on the road, which will drive people up Wolfe Tone Street, Cattle Market Avenue, Blarney Street and Sunday's Well. Anyone who knows Cork could tell the Minister that St. Declan's Road and Gurranbraher Avenue are terraces. We need BusConnects to listen to the people and we will work with it as best we can.
I absolutely agree about the consequences of not listening and the need to avail of local knowledge. I am glad the Deputy had a two-hour meeting with the representatives of the NTA. I have been involved in transport campaigning for 30 or 40 years, and in every single instance I can recall where we restricted traffic in some way, there have been valid concerns about what will happen to the neighbouring streets and areas, and people have felt it will not work. I cannot think of a single example where we have reversed such a decision because the fears that some people had were not borne out in the outcome. People do like when there is provision of better public transport. The great attractiveness of some of these projects is not just that they improve the transport system but that they improve the streets and the whole city. That will be the experience in Cork. It is not easy. Change is never easy to deliver and there are understandable fears. However, it is our job as public representatives to make the final decisions, assisted by the NTA, so that we make the leap. It will be a leap to a much more attractive, effective and successful Cork city.
It will not be possible without the northern ring road. That is the point.