Transport: legislative priorities

transport report Transport legislative priorities and committee activity

eolas surveys the legislative landscape for transport in 2022, with a number of bills included in the Spring Legislative Programme as well as a number of important committee reports published.

Legislative priorities

Although none were included under the priority legislation heading, the following bills were included in the Spring Legislative Programme 2022:

Although not included in the Spring Legislative Programme, the following Bill is also nearing completion:

Air Navigation and Transport (International Aviation Agreements) (Amendment) Bill To make legal provision for the Beijing Convention 2010 and the Montreal Protocol 2014 in Ireland

Horse Drawn Carriages Bill To repeal the Dublin Carriage Acts 1853-55 and relieve An Garda Síochána of responsibility for the regulation and licensing of horse-drawn carriages in Dublin and assert the power of local authorities, including Dublin City Council, to regulate horse-drawn carriages within their respective functional areas

Large Public Service Vehicle Reform Bill To streamline the procedure for the LPSV licensing framework and to eliminate overlap and duplication within the current LPSV licensing regime Heads in preparation

Heads in preparation

Work underway

Marine Casualty Investigation Bill To implement recommendations from the review of marine casualty investigation structures in Ireland Work underway

Merchant Shipping (International Conventions) Bill To provide for the national implementation of certain international maritime conventions, the updating of existing statutes in respect of other conventions and provision of some miscellaneous maritime safety amendments Work underway

Railway Safety (Amendment) Bill To amend the statutory limits for concentration of alcohol in blood, urine and breath for a railway safety critical worker and to update procedures for sampling and testing for intoxicants and associated procedures under the Railway Safety Act 2005 and a number of other updating provisions Heads approved on 22 May 2018 pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) has taken place

Road Safety Authority (Amendment) Bill To amend the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 to update existing and add new provisions Work underway

Taxi Regulation (Amendment) (Rickshaw) Bill To regulate pedicabs to provide for improved public safety and enhanced passenger experience as a result of the wide-ranging concerns raised by multiple stakeholders including the public in relation to rickshaws carrying persons for reward Heads approved on 6 November 2018 PLS has taken place

Air Navigation and Transport Bill To facilitate reform of safety and economic regulatory oversight of the aviation sector in Ireland by merging the safety regulation side of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) with the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) to create a standalone aviation regulator. The for-profit air navigation side of the IAA will become a separate commercial agency. Also, to amend the regulation of airport charges in Ireland, strengthening regulation, governance, and enforcement. Currently in the third stage of Seanad Éireann reading, having passed all Dáil stages

Committee activity

The Joint Committee on Transport and Communications is made up of:

• Joe Carey TD, Fine Gael; • Cathal Crowe TD, Fianna Fáil; • Michael Lowry TD, Independent; • Steven Matthews TD, Green Party; • James O’Connor TD, Fianna Fáil; • Kieran O’Donnell (Chair), Fine Gael; • Darren O’Rourke TD, Sinn Féin;

Thus far, the Committee has published three reports in 2022: • Duncan Smith TD, Labour Party; • Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, Sinn Féin; • Senator Lynn Boylan, Sinn Féin; • Senator Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael; • Senator Gerard P. Craughwell, Independent; • Senator Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil; and • Senator Gerry Horkan, Fianna Fáil.

Annual Report 2020, Joint Committee on Transport and Communications Published 14 March 2022 A report covering the 21 meetings of the committee between 30 September and 1 December 2020. Issues covered during this period included issues affecting the aviation sector in Ireland a briefing by department officials on the effects of Brexit an update on the National Broadband Plan and broadband phone connectivity.

Work Programme 2022 Published 14 March 2022 Covers work to be done by the committee for the remainder of 2022, including scrutiny of EU legislative proposals the examination of key policies such as the Climate Action Plan as it relates to transport through zero and lowemission vehicles.

Submission to the public consultation on the All Island Strategic Rail Review Published 16 March 2022 A report covering the representations made to the committee regarding the review by organisations and individuals such as Iarnród Éireann, Translink, and Richard Logue.

Recommendations from the committee within the report include: that strengthening of all-island connectivity should be a key priority for the review that increased coordination between the departments of Transport and Housing, Planning and Local Government is needed to align planning that the Department of Transport carry out further economic appraisal with regard to the Western Rail Corridor that the Department reassess demand for services on the Limerick to Ballbrophy rail line and review existing timetables, investing in necessary upgrades that all disused rail lines be either recommissioned or established as greenways that the review consider the inclusion of the Western Rail Corridor and the North Tipperary line in the Iarnród Éireann Rail Freight 2040 Strategy that Iarnród Éireann and local authorities collaborate to ensure new investment is linked with active travel infrastructure development that the review consider whether current demand forecasting is comprehensive enough and that all forecasting models be transparent, with data and methodology published for each service and that Iarnród Éireann continue engagement and co-operation with An Garda Síochána to improve reaction time to personal safety incidents on rail services.

Ireland’s rail revolution is underway

The placement of an order for the largest and most sustainable rail fleet ever signals a transformed future, writes Jim Meade, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann.

Iarnród Éireann’s journey to being the backbone of Ireland’s sustainable transport network is underway. In December 2021, the largest and most sustainable ever order of fleet for Ireland’s public transport network was confirmed as up to 750 new rail carriages are set to be delivered over the coming decade.

The contract for new electric and battery-electric trains, with an initial consignment of 95 carriages arriving from 2024, signal that Ireland’s rail revolution is underway. More trains, less carbon, more accessibility, less congestion, more frequency, capacity, and sustainability; these will be features of a transport network with rail at its core.

At the heart of our plans is DART+, supported by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, and for which the major fleet order was placed. Put simply, this investment will allow more trains to operate on all routes on our network, provide greater standards of accessibility, and allow for the decarbonisation of all Greater Dublin Area rail services.

It will see:

• the electrification of the Maynooth, Hazelhatch, and Drogheda rail lines; • infrastructure works to allow more trains to operate, including at Connolly and Docklands; • integration with other public transport modes including proposed MetroLink and BusConnects programmes; • the transformative DART+ fleet order; and

• all leading to a doubling of the carrying capacity of the Greater Dublin Area network.

Accessibility for mobility and sensory impaired customers will be a principle of all station and fleet improvements, and our largest ever lift renewal programme is underway. Investment in car and cycle park and ride facilities, and customer information will

also make our services easier to access and to use.

National network

Project Serving Update Next steps

Investment in infrastructure in the Dublin area will not only benefit Dublin commuter belt services, however. It will grow our ability to operate services right around the country. We are also ambitious to see journey time improvements on national routes, and targeted line speed improvement works are already taking place.

DART+ West

DART+ South West Maynooth/M3 Parkway to City, including new depot West of Maynooth

Hazelhatch to Heuston and Phoenix Park Tunnel Public consultation complete

Public consultation complete Railway Order application Q3 2022

Railway Order application second half 2022

DART+ Coastal North Connolly to Drogheda First public consultation complete Second public consultation second half 2022

Regional cities

As part of the Government’s National Recovery Plan, €185 million is to be invested in the Cork commuter rail network, under the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Plan, allowing Iarnród Éireann to increase the Cork commuter rail network’s capacity through: • Double-tracking Glounthaune to

Midleton;

• Developing a new through platform at Kent Station for through running for Mallow to Midleton/Cobh; and

• Resignalling the Cork commuter network.

In Galway, funding under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) includes: • investment of €9.3 million for a 1km passing railway loop at the existing

Oranmore Train Station, which will allow the busy commuter link between Athenry and Galway to grow, in advance of our ambition for full double-tracking of the section in the future; and

• Ceannt Station will be regenerated as part of a major €40.3 million

Galway City Council Transport

Connectivity project.

In Limerick, the completion of the city’s own transportation hub centred on Colbert Station will also boost services, and the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy has detailed the

opportunities provided by the network of rail lines around Limerick City.

Waterford’s Plunkett Station will be relocated to be part of an integrated transport hub under plans to develop the city’s North Quays.

DART+ Coastal South

DART+ Fleet Connolly to Greystones Emerging preferred option being developed

New trains for all DART+ routes above Contract awarded to Alstom First public consultation commences late 2022

First carriages arrive 2024

Rail Freight 2040 and Rosslare Europort

Iarnród Éireann’s new Rail Freight 2040 Strategy has also been published, which aims to achieve:

• A five-fold increase in the number of rail freight services, to include over 100 new weekly services across the rail network;

• A resulting reduction of 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, with rail freight emissions per unit as little as 16 per cent of HGV emissions; and

• Avoiding the requirement for 140,000 HGV journeys on our roads annually, as well as helping the supply chain which is facing a shortage of HGV drivers.

Rail Freight 2040 aligns with Project Ireland 2040, the Climate Action Plan, as well as the European Union’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and EU Green Deal, and supports the national decarbonisation goal of a 51 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. Iarnród Éireann is also port authority for Rosslare Europort, and its status as Ireland’s gateway to Europe has been confirmed with 30 services operating directly between the port and Europe each week.

Up to €350 million is set to be invested in the Port and its environs, which comprises: • €150 million in a series of existing projects, including: o Rosslare Europort Masterplan, including port digitalisation, to include new freight and passenger facilities, storage, export and import facilities, berth extension;

o Office of Public Works Project

T7, to develop a permanent border control post within the port; and o New TII N25 Rosslare Europort

Access Road.

• An ambitious €200 million plan to become Ireland’s offshore renewable energy hub, with the port uniquely placed to support the development of the industry in the Celtic and Irish

Seas.

The direction of travel, and acceleration of momentum, is clear. Our journey to our sustainable future is to a destination which will benefit our country, our environment, our communities, and our society as a whole, and everyone is welcome on board.

W: www.irishrail.ie E: IENews@irishrail.ie

RSA enforcement of commercial and passenger transport sector

The enforcement team in the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has responsibility for enforcing and promoting compliance with commercial vehicle, driver, and operator specific road transport laws.

These laws relate to:

• driving and resting time, and tachograph regulations;

• operator licensing including cabotage;

• driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC); and

• commercial vehicle roadworthiness.

They work in partnership with An Garda Síochána as their key enforcement partner to maximise compliance which includes putting in place annual commercial vehicle enforcement plans to ensure at a minimum Ireland meets its obligations derived from European law in respect of minimum inspection thresholds as set out in actions 152 and 154 of the Road Safety Strategy (RSS) Phase 1 Action Plan.

They also partner with industry and vehicle operators via a commercial vehicle operator advisory panel to review and address enforcement and compliance issues as set out in action 181 of the RSS Phase 1 Action Plan. engagement with the Department of Transport, particularly in relation to developing the new Transport Strategy which is due to be launched later this year, the European Commission, and other enforcement agencies in the State and in other jurisdictions. In addition, RSA engages with national and European agencies concerning legal and policy developments in respect of road transport matters coming within the scope of the RSA’s remit.

The RSA Enforcement team comprises transport officers and vehicle inspectors. Transport officers enforce the driving and resting time rules, and regulations dealing with operator licensing, cabotage (national haulage for hire and reward by out of state operators) and driver Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC). Vehicle inspectors inspect vehicles for adherence to minimum roadworthiness standards.

Both transport officers and vehicle inspectors carry out their functions via mix of roadside and premises inspections.

Roadside inspections are carried out in partnership with An Garda Síochána who stop vehicles for inspection on their behalf. Checkpoint locations are chosen having regard to commercial vehicle traffic volumes, proximity to transport hubs, seasonal factors as well as health and safety considerations.

RSA officers use a risk rating tool to help decide which vehicles should be inspected, which minimises disruption to compliant operators. This tool takes account of the operator’s compliance history with the RSA over the previous three years based on the results of any roadside/premises encounters, results of CVRT tests, prosecution history (where appliable) and the obligation to submit an annual self-declaration to the RSA. Operators are assessed separately for roadworthiness and tachograph and licensing compliance with a red/amber/green rating assigned to each.

Inspections take place anytime including outside core business hours and weekends. In 2021, for example, the RSA team participated in approximately 1,700 checkpoints in collaboration with An Garda Síochána countrywide, 20 per cent of which took place outside core business hours.

When carrying out premises inspections, RSA officers do not rely on An Garda Síochána. Operators can randomly be selected for inspection, or targeted when investigating/following on complaints received, or in following up on a roadside encounter.

Where non-compliance is detected, RSA officers have a range of options available to them to secure compliance. They can be applied both at the roadside or when on private property.

They include offering advice and education, to enforcement action which could involve issuing direction notices, prohibitions, giving oral/written warnings, directing vehicles to authorised tachograph workshops/CVRT centres for repair, including undertaking follow-up premises inspections and/or as a last resort initiating court prosecutions.

Where required, RSA transport officers initiate their own prosecutions for breaches of the drivers’ hours, tachograph, operator licensing or driver CPC Regulations, whereas RSA vehicle inspectors act in an advisory capacity to An Garda Síochána in respect of roadworthiness matters found during roadside checks. Prosecutions for roadworthiness related offences arising from roadside encounters are initiated by An Garda Síochána.

In terms of compliance, rates are relatively stable year on year. During the period from 2019 to 2021, the RSA Transport Officer team recorded a 65 per cent compliance rate at the roadside in respect of the inspection they carried out. The main infringements detected include not taking adequate breaks, drivers not using their driver’s card correctly or attempting to use somebody else’s card, and exceeding daily driving time limits.

During this same period the RSA vehicle inspector team recorded a 50 per cent roadworthiness compliance rate which quates to one in every two vehicles inspected having some form of a defect present. The main defects encountered include damaged or excessively worn tyres, followed by lighting, steering, and braking related defects.

With minor defects excluded, roadworthiness compliance improves to approximately only one in every three vehicles inspected having a defects or defects present, and whilst minor defects may not have a significant impact on the safety of the vehicle, they should be spotted if drivers are carrying out effective daily walk around checks before setting out on their journeys. Theses checks are essential in preventing potentially dangerous vehicles from causing serious or possibly fatal collisions on our roads.

Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030

Ireland’s fifth government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50 per cent over the next 10 years. This means reducing deaths on Ireland’s roads annually from 144 to 72 or lower and reducing serious injuries from 1,259 to 630 or lower by 2030.

The strategy is the first step in achieving the 2020 Programme for Government commitment of bringing Ireland to Vision Zero, the elimination of all road deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by the year 2050.

One of the core pillars of the strategy relates to safe work-related road use. Actions relating to this area in the 20212024 action plan aim to improve partnerships and enhance data sharing amongst key stakeholders not only regarding fatal and serious injury collisions, but also in relation to compliance and enforcement matters, and adherence to statutory responsibilities for safe work-related road use. They will also promote the use of safe work-related road use policies across government and key stakeholder agencies, and the use of vehicle safety standards for public procurement for public and commercial transport.

T: 096 25000 E: info@rsa.ie W: www.rsa.ie