Transport Infrastructure Ireland stated recently that 70% of people who commute to work use their cars to do so. Sixty percent drive and 10% travel as passengers. There is daily gridlock on the roads leading into Cork city. For example, tens of thousands of motorists use the south link road daily. People from west Cork in my constituency travel daily to Cork city for work. People are spending hours on the road driving, often stuck in traffic on outdated roads starved of proper funding. I would point to the unfinished southern bypass in Bandon and the proposed two-phase relief road on the northern side of Bandon, which if it goes ahead in two phases would be a disaster for Bandon as we go forward. I point to the promised bypass for Innishannon, which was an election promise but it has not been delivered on. While I acknowledge there has been some resurfacing of damage to the N71 road, the main N71, R586 and R585 roads to west Cork desperately need funding to bring them up to an acceptable standard.

The existing public transport services from west Cork are not sufficient to meet the needs of the people. Fares are too high and timetables are not always suitable. While I recognise the Kinsale bus serves the airport, it is difficult for other commuters from west Cork using public transport to access the airport. Accessing the railway station using public transport from west Cork is almost impossible, with many people having to walk from the bus station in Cork to the railway station. Many commuters using the Cork to Dublin train are forced to use their cars to access the railway station due to the lack of suitable public transport, especially from rural regions of the county.

I want to concentrate on a solution. I know there is no hope of getting rail to west Cork but the Taoiseach can ensure something is done. Will the Government consider putting in place a park and ride type service for west Cork as a pilot project? Specifically, a park and ride type service from Clonakilty to Cork city would be of major advantage to workers and others travelling to the city. If such a service was properly run, it could have buses linking from Skibbereen to Mizen Head, from Dunmanway through to Bantry to the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsulas and could also cater for people from Bandon, Innishannon and surrounding areas on its way to Cork.

For every 40 people travelling by public transport to work, 30 cars fewer would be on the road. The reduction in traffic congestion and carbon emissions could be considerable. If fares were competitive, timetables suitable, and wheelchair accessible buses used, with some buses servicing the airport and railway station, this type of service would have the potential to be hugely popular. It would also give financial ease to families who are financially squeezed at this time and who may not require a second car in the home.

Is the Government willing to request Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to pilot a park and ride system from Clonakilty to Cork city? I am confident it would get backing from the local community in west Cork and, for example, I believe sporting organisations and other community groups would not be found wanting in regard to parking facilities if this service was piloted. This park and ride service could be tendered out by TII. Companies like Bus Éireann, LocalLink or private operators could tender for the service, which could become cost-neutral.

I thank the Deputy. I am delighted that Cork is getting so much attention on Leaders' Questions today. We have great ambitions for the beautiful second city. As the Deputy knows, our ambition is that the population of Cork will increase by 50% between now and 2040 and that Cork will grow at double the rate of Dublin between now and then.

How is that conference centre coming along?

Some houses would be helpful.

To make that possible, we need investment in infrastructure, including investment in transport, and we need to look at Cork in the round, not just the city area but the whole city region stretching into west Cork, as well as east and north Cork, of course.

In terms the Deputy's specific suggestion, I will take it up with TII and the National Transport Authority, NTA. We have had mixed experience of park and rides. Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. Perhaps the suggestion the Deputy makes would work but it would require the NTA, TII and Cork County Council to work together. I will take up the suggestion with TII and see if it is a feasible solution.

In terms of other investment, the Deputy will be aware the enabling works have begun at Dunkettle, and anyone who knows Cork will know the kind of congestion that is faced at the Dunkettle interchange. As I said, those initial works have started. There will also be progress this year on the N28 and N22, thereby improving the road network in Cork. The bulk of road investment now is happening in the north west, the south west and the south east, and there will also be investment in public transport, with a BusConnects programme for Cork, which will reduce traffic in the city and make things better for people who live outside the city and are commuting into it. The NTA is also working on a new Cork transport strategy, which I anticipate will leave open the option of a light rail system for Cork, which will be needed in the decades ahead.

The Taoiseach is probably aware that, in 1886, we had rail right through west Cork to Schull and, in 1892, on the northern side of west Cork, we had rail all way to down to Bantry. It is astonishing that, in 2019, not alone do we not have rail in west Cork, we do not even have a connecting bus service to the train station from west Cork. A spokesperson from the Automobile Association is quoted as saying recently that the recovery in Cork will be hampered unless traffic gridlock is dealt with. As a country, we will not meet our reductions targets for carbon emissions and may face massive fines. In rural Ireland, most people are being forced to use their cars to get to work due to the lack of public transport. A park and ride service, if properly planned, could help reduce our carbon footprint and give greater ease to stressed motorists in west Cork.

In 1886, we had railways all over the country. We did not have so many roads and we had no dual carriageways, no motorways and very few people owned cars, so it was a very different world back then. It was the development of the roads and the expansion in car ownership that caused the railways to close in the first place because they became non-viable.

When it comes to Cork, as the Deputy knows, our ambition is to increase the population of the Cork city region by 50% between now and 2040 and to ensure that it grows at twice the rate of Dublin. We have an opportunity in Cork to learn from the mistakes made in Dublin and to get it right. That involves a lot more high density development in the city centre area, in Tivoli, the docklands and all around that area, which is very much part of Project Ireland 2040. It also means getting public transport right. That is why we have set aside €200 million for BusConnects to make sure Cork has a much better bus service, and it is why we need to listen to suggestions, such as the Deputy's suggestion on park and ride.

As I said, I will take that up with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority.