Post-Green Party in Transport Ministry

Consonata

What do people feel will be the likely impact of Ryan now exiting the Transport ministry. WIll we now see a reversion of the 2/3rd Public Transport funding, and an increase in roads projects? Will there be a likelyhood of projects like Dart+ being scaled back.

The Mathematician

I think it really depends on the makeup of the Govenment. If FF and FG go in with Labour say, then I wouldn't be too worried. On the other hand, if they go in with rural independents then I would be extremely worried.

KrisW1001

The 2:1 rule would more or less stay, but it won't be mentioned. That ratio really only reflects what our infrastructure needs are as a country. Plus, even under the old formula, 8-10 billion on MetroLink straight away would allow 4-5 billion on roads projects.

On transport, both Labour and SocDems are singing from the same hymnsheet as the Greens. It has to be said that FG are also in that same ballpark too: after all, it was they who set MetroLink and DART+ in motion.

timmyntc

Well sure didn't Independent Ireland pledge a Luas in every county

Zebra3

Don’t we need to continue as we are due to commitments to bring down emissions?

landofthetree

Metro north will be put back plus other rail projects.

Roads will be built instead.

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910695#Comment_122910695

This thread is about reality, not your dreams.

Not that it’s even possible to “put back” a project that doesn’t exist.

landofthetree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910701#Comment_122910701

I am a big supporter of Metro North. But I cant see it happening.

Plus roads are usually built within time and on budget. Much better PR for the state who havent a clue how to build other infrastructure.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910240#Comment_122910240

They didnt say it came with tracks and power!

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910712#Comment_122910712

MN was canned years ago, so it shows your expertise on these matters.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058382901/post-green-party-in-transport-ministry

Hopefully we will now get the Dublin airport cap lifted asap.

That will be the biggest transport related progress during the lifetime of the new govt. A sad reflection, but true.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910798#Comment_122910798

This isn't in the powers of the Minister of Transport.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910887#Comment_122910887

No, but still the biggest transport progress we will see over the next 5 years & that now wont be blocked by the Greens.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122910900#Comment_122910900

What?

The minister for transport, or any minister for that matter, cannot interfere in the Dublin airport cap as it is a planning matter.

KrisW1001

Yes. Passenger restrictions at DUB are a condition of its planning. The Minister for Transport had nothing to do with the cap, has nothing to do with it remaining on place, and is not allowed to have anything to do with removing it. It's a matter between DAA and the council, but DAA seem to think they'll do better by complaining across the national media.

Lets confine ourselves to powers the minister actually has.

Thunder87

Directly removing the cap isn't within their remit but drafting legislation that would allow them to designate things like airports as critical national infrastructure could be something to be looked at. That way planning applications could bypass petty local councils and also have an allowance to take the 'greater good' into account in decision making. It's just not sustainable that every time the airport apply for any change or upgrade it gets bogged down in years of bullshit between the council and then ABP after the St Margaret's crowd inevitably object out of spite

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911618#Comment_122911618

Why should the Minister for Transport waste his or her time fighting DAA's battles? Either DAA is an independently run company, or it's state-run and we get its profits. They can't pick and choose when they get themselves into trouble.

DAA wants that cap lifted to increase its profits. All the bleating in the world about public services doesn't change that fact. They have systematically cut investment in Cork (they manage both airports) in the expectation that they could route everyone through Dublin, despite full knowledge of this cap, a cap that they agreed to, and now they are complaining that their mistake is the government's job to fix?

To quote St Benedict, "**** them"

gossamerfabric

I think you need to read the National Planning Framework document. You seem to be under the impression that the Airport is a "for profit" organisation with no duties or obligations to the citizens of Ireland.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911690#Comment_122911690

On a point of information DAA is state-run and we do get its profits. €31m in 2023.

https://www.dublinairport.com/latest-news/2024/05/28/daa-to-pay-31-million-dividend-with-profitability-on-a-recovery-path-post-covid#:~:text=The%20Board%20of%20daa%2C%20(the,shareholder%20dividend%20to%20the%20State.

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911988#Comment_122911988

Point taken (DAA does have a lot of freedom about reinvesting its revenues before calculating that dividend, though). This split was done in order to give it independence from the government. When the whole purpose of this structure was to stop the Minister for Transport interfering in the operations of the airport, it's a bit rich for Ryanair and DAA to now ask for the minister to do just that.

Planning remains a matter for the courts. DAA wants more passengers? It can make a new application to the council for new permission, and show that it has measures in place to handle these, including the noise issues. If Ryanair wants this so badly, it can stop fighting with DAA and actively support that application. But, nowhere in this planning dispute is there a problem that should be on the Minister’s desk.

gossamerfabric

Cars passing by houses in St. Margaret's make more noise than the latest generations of airplanes which are being adopted by both Aer Lingus and Ryanair.

I can only assume KrisW1001 has blocked me since I have outlined exactly why the Minister is obligied to maximise the effectiveness of Dublin Airport as a point of entry and exit to the island of Ireland.

The previous Minister could be accused of dereliction of duties or at worst wilfully undermining the welfare of the nation by hindering the operation of Ireland's critical infrastructure. We should be grateful to see the back of that bloke as we need to roll back the damage done during his tenure.

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912387#Comment_122912387

Cars make more noise than jet engines?!

Really?

gossamerfabric

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912400#Comment_122912400

latest generation of jet engines are very quiet and typically do not use the roads directly outside the houses of people in St. Margarets.

If you fly frequently the difference in the noise is appreciable when comparing older and newer planes as operated by Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

hans aus dtschl

A whole lot of people are about to find out that "de greens" didn't have any real hand in a lot of the stuff that they were unhappy about. The greens were far from perfect but if I had a euro for every time I heard something incorrectly blamed on "the greens" or "Eamon Ryan" over the last 18-24 months I'd be very rich now.

Anyway, the wording of the original post was very reasonable and not "will everything change now". So my opinion is: I don't see the NTA pivoting extremely fast, and I don't see the more enlightened Local Authorities pivoting very fast. These are all now in the mode of thinking "what's the most efficient way of doing transport". But I do expect the TII and LA's to immediately push hard to get every pet road project in the country scaled up.

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912408#Comment_122912408

They might be quieter but they certainly are quieter than a car engine outside your house, considering most cars nowadays you can’t even hear when they are two feet away from you.

Thunder87

The above 'f**k the DAA' mentality is exactly why I'd suggest designating it nationally critical to have some impartial group (I guess probably just ABP) decide on planning applications weighed against the national interest. The same mentality clearly exists in Fingal CoCo's pettiness with every planning application and in the St Margaret's group with their constant vexatious objections.

Also I'd think it's fairly obvious why the Dept of Transport should take an interest in our main point of connection with the rest of the world, having it permanently constrained at the current capacity regardless of population or economic growth is clearly going to be detrimental to the country in the long run and not something a local council should have the power to dictate.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912536#Comment_122912536

The problem in scaling every road project up is that they will have to go through planning. The major rail and BusConnects projects are ahead of them in that regard.

Secondly, LUAS for Cork and Galway will need to be pushed as well for the regional vote. Expect to see the Galway bypass resurrect itself.

gossamerfabric

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912548#Comment_122912548

Above 30kmph the tires/wheels make more noise than the engine. Cars have a greater impact on the population in St. Margaret's than the airplanes flying overhead through noise pollution. All the villages around here have 30kmph zones not for safety but for noise pollution reduction. You learn to set the cruise control to 30kmph just before the speed camera and don't disengage it until you leave the village as keeping to 30kmph is not easy in a modern car.

josip

I would like to see DC all the way from Cork to Sligo in my lifetime. Making it easier to access Cork/Shannon/Knock airports and providing alternatives to traveling to Dublin airport for people not living within the greater Dublin area.

Thunder87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912573#Comment_122912573

If anything the ratio will probably shift even further towards public transport if metro/Dart+/BusConnects manage to get started, there's very few road projects advanced far enough through the process to counteract that.

Overall, while strangling road investment over the past few years has been frustrating I think it's probably a good thing in the long run, we desperately need a mentality shift away from barely keeping our measly public transport ticking over and handing out road bypasses as political bargaining chips.

Hopefully the new government has enough vision to see that but it wouldn't surprise me if bypasses for everyone in the audience are back on the menu

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912747#Comment_122912747

Why are bypasses for rural Irish towns portrayed in a negative light but making big city centres car free is a positive?