"Thousands" of people are spending their lives stuck in traffic to Dublin, the Dáil has heard.
Labour TD for Kildare South Mark Wall said that many motorways into the city have become "car parks", adding that the M7/N7 has seen a lot of delays in particular.
Mr Wall said many are leaving their homes at 6am only to "barely" make work for 9am, while traffic delays have also caused people to be late for critical medical appointments.
"Cancer patients are telling me that they are having to pull over to the side of the road because they are so unwell and can't make appointments," he said.
"The problems for commuters are because of the pressure and unavailability of housing, the lack of timely and fit-for-purpose public transport."
Mr Wall called the Government’s flexible working policy "simply not fit for purpose" while he also said that responses to minor collisions and breakdowns aren’t adequate, and that there aren’t enough gardaí in roads policing.
He reiterated his call last week for the Government to set up a emergency response unit for the M7, similar to the one in place on the M50.
He said it would not be a "silver bullet", but would allow for better responses to help ease delays during rush hour.
Mr Wall also called for better public transport connections between south Kildare and Dublin, saying many people are using their cars because there is a lack of option.
Tánaiste acknowledges 'real-life impact' of traffic
Tánaiste Simon Harris acknowledged that there has been a significant increase in traffic since 2019, and that it is having a "real-life impact" on people.
He said the Government intends to invest a "huge amount" in transport via the National Development Plan.
Mr Harris said that the Sectoral Investment Plan is to be outlined soon and that he will ask Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien to take Mr Wall’s comments in mind.
Mr Harris also said that remote working can also help with the issue, and that this week Alan Dillon launched a public consultation on remote working.
He said over 2,000 people have already made submissions on it, and encouraged Mr Wall and everyone else to make their views known.
Mr Wall said that a lot of commuters have come to him and asked for more rights when it comes to remote working.
