Fresh row over roads with NDP ‘priorities’ reviewed in January
TDs want delivery on roads as well as public transport plans
THE Coalition looks to be driving towards a fresh row over roads, with the National Development Plan (NDP) up for review in January.
The €165bn plan was established to deliver a range of public infrastructure projects.
However, the Irish Mail on Sunday recently reported that there was a €16bn hole in its budget due to inflation.
Speaking to reporters after the budget, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan confirmed that priorities for the NDP would be reviewed in January. He said: ‘We will look in January at the allocations of those fundings for the next three years, and we will revise.’
The Green Party leader has held firm on his commitment that there should be a 2:1 spending ratio, with double the invest in public transport projects compared to roads.
His confirmation that the priority list for the NDP is set to be reopened will likely prompt a fresh round of lobbying from backbench Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs and senators, who want to see road projects in their constituencies finished over public transport projects.
In a sign of battles to come, Jack Chambers, a junior transport minister who attended a postbudget briefing with Mr Ryan, said: ‘There is concern in parts of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael about
‘There is a limit to the Budget’
the current capital allocation, and the one thing the Government didn’t address in the Budget was the wider dispersal around capital.
‘So there is a need from a public transport perspective but also from a delivery of our roads priorities within the national development plans.
‘There will have to be a wider discussion within Government on the need for further allocations both for public transport projects but also for our roads.’
He added: ‘If you take it from a safety perspective, but also our commitments to regions and communities, our commitments in the national planning framework, and our broader commitment in terms of regional developments across the country. And we need to see that uplift from a capital perspective.
‘We will need to see further progress from some of the gaps that will exist from inflation from a public transport perspective, but also our commitment to communities when it comes to road delivery.’
Mr Ryan said that when he visited local councils around the country, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors were in favour of the public transport investments.
However, he added that there was a limit to the budget and that there needed to be a ‘prioritisation’. He said the Government would also look at ensuring roads were safe ‘given the increased numbers of deaths on our roads’ in recent times.
He added: ‘On roads, I think what we should be doing is focusing particularly on bypasses so that we get towns first working.’
Michael Carrigy, a Fine Gael senator who has long campaigned on upgrading the N4 road, welcomed the news and said he would be lobbying hard to ensure that roads got more funding from the NDP.
It comes as Budget 2024 also recommitted the Government to extending the eligibility of the 50% public transport discount for those with the ‘Young Adult Card’. It has now been extended for two more years and will benefit 19 to 25 year olds up to their 26th birthday. Currently the discount ends when a person reaches 24 years old. These additional cuts come alongside the 20% fare reductions for all, originally introduced as a temporary cost-of-living measure, and has been secured for another year. Recent data indicates a nearly 15% increase in bus passenger numbers and almost 8% increase in train passenger numbers since 2019.
The Budget also set aside further investment in new public transport developments, with approximately €220 million for bus projects and €200 million for rail across the country. A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: ‘This allocation will ensure the continued rollout of new and enhanced services across flagship projects like BusConnects in the cities and new town services.’
Mr Ryan said that for him, the most important project was the reallocation of road space in Dublin city centre for buses. He said: ‘We need a radical change of transport so that our buses get through quickly. The real critical question of this year coming up in the local elections is will councillors be willing to vote and support and deliver some of the changes that we need?’ Mr Ryan also said the planning
€21m is ring-fenced for road safety
system had ‘held up’ a lot of good projects including the Dart West, Cork Metro and other projects. ‘We are raring to go,’ he added. Separately, funding of €21m has been ring-fenced for road safety measures in response to the increased number of fatal road traffic collisions on Irish roads in recent times.
Firstly, €15m has been earmarked for road-safety upgrades, including improvements to junctions and other schemes such as the N20 Mahon Slip Extension in Cork, and €6m in funding has also been earmarked for specific interventions including additional public awareness campaigns and to conduct a review and develop the driver testing curriculum.