The government are currently investigating increased parking, congestion charges and speed limit reductions in order to help the country meet its climate goals. Looks like a split in the coalition is emerging over the proposals, which are likely to be deeply unpopular. Do you see anything of the proposed that could be considered politically palatable?
The NTA modelling, details of which were reported on Sunday by the Business Post, outlines a series of measures required for reaching the transport sector’s climate targets, including a 400 per cent increase in parking charges on 2016 levels, a €10 daily charge for driving in cities, a halving of public transport fares, and a 20 kilometre per hour reduction on all national road speed limits.
The 400% increase is based on 2016 levels. That's a bit odd, just pick a year with a nice round number on it and a large increase, so what would the increase be on current levels?
We know that footfall generally increases where traffic is moved away from city centres and shopping areas.
There enough places that have done it now to know empty cities doesn't happen.
I still don't understand the complete lack of park and ride facilities around the M50.
I went to college over 20 years ago and in college did a course that was basically Transport 101 and on the first day was shown how park and ride facilities are a fundamental to enabling decent transport systems in cities.
In Cork the Black Ash parking is perfect for that whole side of the city and most of the centre is also walkable. 2 or 3 more identical facilites and Cork becomes very handy for a lot of peoples.
Why do the N roads into Dublin not have parking and a QBC or Luas to the city?
M7 does, just about. Nothing at all Northside (Dunboyne Train station?) that I know of. Anything Southside?
We have a very dispersed population, with little or no public transport system from most villages and a planning disaster allowing one-off houses everywhere.
We then have a city without a coordinated transport system. And every bloody route going through the city centre.
Every bus in is some sort of wanderly wagon of a journey and then get a LUAS/Bus. It's over an hour to get to anywhere beyond O'Connell Street.
A full Bus Connects with proper Spines could eliminate a lot of the messing. But where do we leave the car at the M50?
People: There's no alternative, where's the carrot?
Also People: You can't take out a few trees/ lose a bit of some peoples gardens/ put in a rail line/ take a bit of Stephen's Green for PT.
People still go on about the crusties in the Glen O'The Downs, when the most effective opposition we have in this State is the middle classes objecting to mass public transport options. And then moan about a lack of alternatives as an excuse as why they need to be able to drive.
All well and good if you live within cycling or walking distance of your workplace and you have a 9-5 or even a flexi time arrangement in work, as many of the Green Party do - for the rest of the unfortunates it’s just placing even more financial burdens on to them - not everyone can afford to live close to cities and their workplaces.
This is a distraction blaming car drivers when in fact the real issue is pizz poor public transport services which couldn’t even cater for a fraction of the increased numbers if just a few left their cars at home
This is a proposal
"One Fine Gael source said the suggestions are “as of now, nothing but options”.
Another said “it is modelling, not policy.”
For this to be implemented it would need to go to a vote and for the majority to approve it, so complaining about Eamonn Ryan doing his job and coming up with proposals is a bit odd.
If he wasn't coming up with option what would you say then?
The word "mandate" seems to be confusing a lot of people online. Every TD that is elected has a mandate for the people that voted them in.
The plan would see priority given to public transport, cycling and walking, as part of Government aims to give people viable alternatives to using the car for every journey.
No matter what the complaints on I think we should all agree the following should be implemented, especially in cities
well there's all sorts of things in the works to improve public transport, i would imagine they're not going to impose all these new measures at once
Sure, sucks to be you but at least it is better for me is an easy position to take. I mean why bother making things better for everyone?
Currently the N7 is packed every day for the commute. You'd think that people interested in getting climate change under control might be interested in getting some of them off the road. Just making it more expensive for them isn't going to get many of them off the road. Giving them a viable alternative might.
Since your giving it away already, throw some my way :P
I'm not following you at all
Empty of cars, as much as possible, yes.
This "turning places into ghost towns" thing is rolled out every, single time restrictions on private cars are suggested and when the restrictions go forward it is shown to be fear-mongering nonsense every single time. People massively overestimate the proportion of shoppers/diners who come via private car. Probably because we have given over so much space in our cities to them and it seems like there are more of them than there are.
If it was easier to take a bus I’d take a bus. Most people would.
The fact there is such a high proportion of car journeys that are <5km, or <2km, suggests otherwise however.
Even with current price points, a significant number of people continue to choose to drive into and around cities when there are, in fact, other options available.
Anyway, these proposals will all change but a congestion charge and parking cost increase/reduction in parking I would broadly support.
But is that what we really want? I know we want to reduce individual traffic, but do we want empty cities?
we can only hope that he can get as many things as possible over the line that can't be rolled back on before the next government is formed
I think because Eamonn is a red flag to a bull for most people, any half reasonable initiative is thrown out with the dishwater..
yes because people drive into dublin in the evenings to go for dinner lol. also who drives into town to go shopping these days? if you're driving you go to shopping malls with their huge car parks.
If you introduce such measure before creating viable alternatives you're not only going to piss people off but you're also putting basically all city retail and gastronomy businesses out of business.
Especially when you make it unaffordable to live in the city at the same time.
I mean what's idea here? Don't live in the city but do business in the city but close all ways off to actually get there?
Every single political party in the Dail voted in favour of the Climate Act in 2021. Every single one. It passed 129-10. Every single party had climate change actions in their last manifesto for the 2020 election. Were you not paying attention for who you voted for and what they stood for? It is readily arguable that measures like these are one of the few things that all political parties actually agree on.
This was on the SF manifesto in 2020 "...much greater priority should be given to these modes [bus lanes, cycles lanes] over private car use".
it's pretty much just kite-flying at the moment, a 'these are possible options open to us'.
i probably could look it up, but i wonder how many people drive their private car into the city centre anymore. it'd affect them (and since nothing is set in stone, it may be rush hour specific)
the problem with things like this is that the people who benefit (bus passengers, etc.) essentially have no voice. you could add ten minutes to each journey of 1,000 motorists, and in doing so save 10 minutes each of 10k PT users, and it's the motorists whose voices will be heard.
re the story of driving around donegal, i doubt the congestion charge or parking would be affected, as i believe usually when they talk about raising parking fees, it's spaces on public roads they are referring to.
Another Eamonn Ryan brainfart, all sticks and no carrots. Let's punish people and not give them viable alternatives anyway.
He's not passing up the Paddy's Day junket either, do as I say, not as I do seems to be his mantra.
That's because must people won't switch until they have no other choice.
I'll will agree the available alternatives could be better. It's improving though.
I've never seen a decent muppett to vote for up here in 26 years. I think everyone's given, the reason sf are so strong is that other parties just thought they could keep picking up there traditional vote no one else has ever bothered seriously campaigning.
could have built all the new roads to be wide enough to take light rail / trams you would have tullaghan to donegal town/the gap available for rail now.
the n2 link to letterkenny got wiped out with recession/ institutions collapsed in the North.
we did have green candidate but she went off to live on a commune.
all old raillines are due to be turned into greenways.
I wouldn't be so sure these sort of measures won't keep to the main cities.
Emigrate.
None of the measures would affect people driving to Gorey etc. to purchase groceries, I would imagine this is mostly Dublin related.
Ah here lad are you joking
Who cares what someone’s rent is? It doesn’t excuse charging people up the wazoo to travel as opposed to offering a functional, reliable & regular bus service outside of the capital city.
It shouldn’t be this way it’s a disgrace it’s been allowed to happen. I remember years ago (at least 15 now) there was a bus into Gorey (Co Wexford) from a village (Ballycanew). This bus went twice a day, early morning (around 9am) and afternoon (around 3 o’clock).
For a lot of people in the village this was the only way into Gorey to do their grocery shop and whatever else they needed outside of taking a cab or a car. Bus Eireann scrapped it because there wasn’t enough money off it.
So the people who were using that service had no choice left to them than to use a car. It’s easy to think of a big town or city with decent enough public transport but smaller villages and whatnot (not necessarily just stand alone houses in the middle of no where) are more affected by poor transport links and subsequently even more affected by policies like these.
I’m not opposed to more people using PT, but the fact is if you want people to use it it needs to first of all exist & then also be reliable and so on. If you rob people of the affordability to use their cars without offering a reasonable substitute you are screwing them not helping them.
Did he really want to restrict citizens from air travel?
Eamon Ryan isn't a democrat, he's a wannabe autocrat. Remember his statement about wishing for a one world dictatorship so he could push his agenda?
Also wanting to restrict air travel unless it's for himself and his cronies flying business class.
Yeah so people like you will take a hit, but we'll have less cars in cities and buses etc will run better as there'll be fewer cars. Dems the breaks.
So it'll probably cost people like you a bit more to drive in. At least you're not paying dublin house prices/rent.
I’d still need to pay for parking and I still pay for diesel to travel there.
My overarching point here is more that they’re trying to price people out of using their cars rather than offer a suitable alternative.
If it was easier to take a bus I’d take a bus. Most people would. I hate driving home after work. I’m tired, I just want to listen to music and tap on my phone mindlessly on the journey home (I used to enjoy the bus ride home honestly except for the whole waiting til 1:30am..).
I’m not a die hard car or bust person at all but I can’t stand this shite. Build it and they will come is out the window here it’s “price them out of cars and they’ll be forced to come”.
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