The main focus of the Public Participation Network (PPN) is to help groups become more involved in local authority decision making. To this end, we have twenty seats on a variety of diverse committees within Dublin City Council, and in today’s Special Bulletin, we would like to talk in depth, about the Traffic and Transport Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).
The Traffic and Transport Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), has two PPN representatives; Martin Hoey and Gary Kearney.
Below is a short piece about their work, written by Martin Hoey, with some links to further information including videos and radio shows. We hope you enjoy this Special Bulletin, and we would like to thank Martin and Gary for all their hard work and commitment to Dublin City PPN.
The Transport Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), in Dublin city council has a wide range of work. It deals with everything from road-signs, to traffic lights, right up to major projects like College Green. The committee meets four to six times a year and there are two sub-committees (a “public transport subcommittee” and a “walking and cycling subcommittee”). Most meetings last from two to four hours, and all the past committee meetings can be viewed on Dublin City Council website.
There are two PPN representatives on this SPC.
Gary Kearney is the social inclusion representative and is there to represent all the groups in social inclusion section of the PPN, including disability groups, migrant groups and addiction support groups and many others.
Gary has learned, in this time on the SPC, that if you don’t use your voice to put forward peoples’ views, that those people (who are mainly the vulnerable), get forgotten and bypassed in the very busy transport section. Gary is a retired An Post customer service staff member, and a survivor of Acquired Brain Injury, and therefore is very well suited to the role he does.
Martin Hoey is the community representative, and is there to represent community groups, the young and old, and any organisation in the community pillar. Martin has used his time on the SPC to highlight issues that affect the everyday lives of pedestrians and commuters. Martin is a retired HSE Paramedic and also holds a qualification in both road passenger and haulage management operations.
Both Gary and Martin have worked over many projects over the last couple of years including Bus Connects, Covid pedestrian and cycling trials and improvements, road and footpath design changes and LUAS Cross City, to name a few.
Gary and Martin have put together many submissions to the council, the National Transport Authority (NTA), and other groups, on behalf of the PPN, on transport matters and are well established amongst city councillors, as knowing what they are doing.
By Martin Hoey/June 2021
Further Information
You can email any traffic and transport related questions/comments or suggestions to:
You can follow updates on the Traffic and Transport SPC page on Facebook (All of their reports and work are regularly updated on the group which is open to everyone).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PPNtransportspc
A recent article, quoting Martin and Gary can be read here: https://dublininquirer.com/2021/06/02/council-committee-decides-to-continue-to-allow-some-parking-on-footpaths
An information video about the Traffic and Transport SPC work can be watched here:
https://www.facebook.com/dublincityppntransport/videos/1036919320172663/
A radio show with Gary and PPN Resource Worker Ruth Powell can be listened to here: https://soundcloud.com/dcfm-1032/viva-vox-1st-april-2021df?in=dcfm-1032/sets/viva-vox-2021
The PPN Handbook (2020), can be read here:
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/97296_79d48b54-0557-493e-9aa1-1d910364d41e%20(5).pdf
Special PPN Bulletin: IN DEPTH with the Traffic and Transport Representatives
