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Minister Dempsey publishes Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008

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16/04/2008

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

14 April 2008

Mr Noel Dempsey, T.D., Minister for Transport today announced the publication of the Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008. This bill will facilitate the establishment of a new Transport Authority with overall responsibility for coordinating transport in the Greater Dublin Area.

Speaking today Minister Dempsey said; "I want so see this new Bill enacted as quickly as possible so that the new much needed Dublin Transport Authority can be put in place without delay. This new Authority will have responsibility for delivering reliable, integrated, cost effective transport for the Greater Dublin Area.

Since becoming Minister for Transport I have detected a broad level of support for the new Authority. With that in mind I hope that there will be cross-party and wide public support for this Bill so that the new Authority can start its work soon."

The Authority's functional area will comprise the Greater Dublin Area, which takes in the local authority areas of Dublin City, Fingal, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.

Within this area the Authority will have the necessary powers to ensure that major infrastructure projects such as the Metro and the new underground Dart ("The Interconnector") are delivered in an efficient and cost effective way and in a manner that will minimise disruption during their construction. The Authority will also be given powers to ensure that public transport services are delivered to the highest standards and that all modes of public transport are fully integrated.

The Minister added; "The public have a right to expect a world class, integrated public transport system and this new Authority will have the powers to make that happen. Under Transport21 Government is spending over €100 a second between now and 2015 on new buses, trains, Metros, Luas lines and roads. The DTA will ensure that these projects are delivered to the highest standards in the shortest time period possible."

The following will be the principal functions of the proposed Authority:
  • It will be responsible for strategic transport planning in the Greater Dublin Area. It will set out the framework for the delivery of infrastructure and services in an integrated transport plan covering a 12 to 20 year period.
  • It will allocate capital and current funding for public transport and traffic management.
  • Public transport infrastructure projects such as Metro North and the new underground Dart ("The Interconnector") will be implemented by the responsible transport agencies under the direction and supervision of the Authority. The Authority will be able to decide to implement projects itself if it judges it to be appropriate and will be able to give mandatory directions to the implementing agencies (i.e. Irish Rail, RPA, etc).
  • The Authority will procure public transport services and regulate public transport fares. It will specify public service obligations. This will allow the Authority ensure the integration of services and provide a new framework to hold service providers to account for the quality of services provided to the public.
  • It will prepare a traffic management plan for the Greater Dublin Area so as to ensure a consistent approach across all local authority areas, including during construction works for major infrastructure projects. Most traffic management functions will continue to be discharged by the local authorities within the strategic framework provided by the Authority. However, the Authority will be able to decide to carry out certain functions itself if it judges this to be more effective and to give directions to local authorities.
  • The Authority will be closely engaged in each stage of the planning process i.e. from the Regional Planning Guidelines through City and County Development Plans to Local Area Plans, in order to ensure the fullest possible consistency between the Authority's transport strategy and the land use planning process. At the same time, the Authority's transport strategy will have to consistent with the Regional Planning Guidelines in the Greater Dublin Area.
The Authority will have a range of other powers to ensure a high quality and integrated public transport system. These include the following:

Powers to ensure the delivery of integrated ticketing
Powers to ensure the delivery of integrated fares and information systems The Authority will also publish information on the performance of the transport system and undertake research on transport to better inform future policy.

The Dublin Transport AuthorityBill is available at the following: www.oireachtas.ie

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