Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, has today (Monday April 14) published the Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008. Once the bill becomes law, the Dublin Transport Authority will assume responsibility for co-ordinating and planning the delivery of transport infrastructure in the greater Dublin area, including Kildare.

Minister Dempsey has high hopes for the new body. “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.”

However, local commuters are adopting a more cautious tone explains Dr Tony O’Donnell from the Kildare Rail Users Group.

“As with many of the initiatives announced by the Government in recent years, the DTA seems like a very sensible and appropriate way to guide the proper delivery of transport services in the greater Dublin area. However, commuters have grown to treat such announcements with a fairly generous pinch of salt. Too many of the good ideas put forward in recent years have emerged to a fanfare of publicity only to quietly fade away once the photo-op and the press conference have finished.

“The idea of a centralised Dublin Transport Authority has been mooted for at least the last number of years, and was previously launched by then Minister Martin Cullen in November 2005. Hopefully this time, the announcement will be backed by action.

“In particular, we would hope that the body follows up on a number of key objectives including the integration of planning and delivery of services across the greater Dublin area. This would allow commuters from South Kildare to avail of the same integrated tickets, and transport options as users travelling from Hazelhatch and closer to the city. We’d also hope that there is no further watering down of the plans for Sallins, Kildare and Newbridge under Transport 21. We lost out between the original Kildare Route Project and Transport 21, and we can’t afford to see any further reductions in our slice of future development.

“It is also good to see that the planning of future housing developments in the DTA’s area will be linked to the availability of transport infrastructure.”

The Bill will now make its way through the Oireachtas and should become law later in the year.