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?
There's always an alternative, although it's not always one that everyone likes.
What planet are you living on? You think that's a suitable alternative in the daily life of a working family?
Not everyone wants to/can cycle?
As I said earlier I'm not in favour of free public transport but what Ryan said re unnecessary journeys clearly points to a capacity issue with public transport.
Another Ableist statement, why do cyclists always assume that all our transport issues can be solved with a bicycle?
Apart from the fact that Dublin doesn't have a network of safe, fast cycle lanes...this isn't the Netherlands!
Plus the fact that bicycle theft is rampant and carries little or no interest from the Gardai or punishment for bicycle theft..
I'm curious whether there's a dry, formal definition of 'unnecessary journeys' which might place the statement in some extra context. E.g. journeys which would not otherwise have been undertaken, which is no bad thing, but the way it was phrased makes it sound like a bad thing.
You have put the word 'all' in bold, responding to a post that says 'most' - were you responding to the correct post?
The statement "just buy an ebike problem solved" is a very wide ranging statement on our city transport issues no?
The Greens have no love for or interest in the environment as if they did they would implement ideas that are relatively cheap or don't involve trying to lower the living standards of the ordinary population, such as reforestation and recycling, bike lanes that are of the Dutch standard instead of the 'done for show' dangerous and in a lot of cases completely useless bike lanes we currently have. Transportation is a disgrace here and Eamon needs to get it into his thick skull that roads are the only means of connection between our dispersed towns and villages and are vital for ambulances, goods transportation and for fast efficient bus services.
Eamon and the Greens are the environment party for the neo liberals and globalists, Eamon will never say anything or have criticism for large military pollution and large oil/gas/energy pollution, not a peep out of Eamon when it comes to pollution and the future consequences for the environment regarding the huge populations in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia ( I don't include PR China as they did something about their population, may not be popular but they still did it). Eamon doesn't recognise that Europe has stabilised it's population and that that can only be a good thing for the environment, No, Eamon thinks we should let all the 'climate refugees' in.
If you like the environment don't vote for these charlatans.
Which I agree with, to an extent, but only if that money is spend wisely (and the same goes without saying for roads too).
I'm only taking this as an example, but the M17 Gort-Tuam is very often touted as a waste of money. It was 57km, and cost €550m. (€9.6M/km)
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/construction/hicl-acquires-remaining-stake-in-m17-m18-motorway-section-for-41m-1.4309904
How a 2.1km cycle path will cost €30M (€14.3M/km) 50% more than a 4 lane, 20m wide motorway, which employed 900 people at peak construction, and has well over 50 bridges, is absolutely beyond me. I know that building in a city is far more complicated, but it really seems that since it's a "green" project, it's unopen to question.
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/2023/02/15/work-to-start-on-21km-cycle-path-along-royal-canal-in-dublin-at-a-cost-of-30m/
I don't believe there is a definition but it something we could all probably look at without much hardship. Write a list before going to the shops instead of forgetting something and having to make the same journey again as one example.
The Minister stated that if public transport was free that any increased use of public transport as a result would be a corresponding reduction in walking or cycling. This is based on research that he has. I think its bizarre that 1) the green party manifesto was in favour of free transport but 2) that the Minister's research does not suggest that some people would ditch their car in favour of free public transport at a time when fuel costs are at an elevated level.
I live a 23 minute walk from the supermarket. The first 10 minutes of that journey is to a main road which is serviced by a bus that passes the supermarket. Now if we had the Vienna situation, where I had a cheap annual pass (€365) in my wallet, I'd be far more likely to walk some of the way to the supermarket and take the bus the rest of the way. Granted the current cost of that return journey is only €2 however I don't have the motivation of getting value out of my sunk cost (the annual pass). Instead I have the other sunk cost outside the front door so I'll take the car to the supermarket and I'll be there in 6 minutes.
Reforestation will decrease the amount of arable land for farming and thereby increase the price of food staples, so it will lower living standards. Not the simple solution you think it is.
Gormley delivers first carbon budget
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley yesterday delivered the first carbon budget in the history of the State — the first of its kind in Western Europe — claiming it marked the moment climate change moved to the heart of government.
FRI, 07 DEC, 2007 - 00:00
greens pretty much created it (instead of trying to bring about balanced)
oh think that was the one that changed the motor tax rates
Reforestation would most likely happen in that context, if it does happen, on marginal upland farms whose output isn't exactly massive.
Again I refer to every party in government having a green agenda and all of them if voted into the next election will also look at reductions in traffic in major cities.
The green party are the easy target at the moment to blame but as I said they can't implement anything without a majority.
So who will you blame in the next government if the Green party are not in and the government continue to implement traffic reducing policies?
The Green Party are in government since 2020, which circa 2 years the place was in lockdown. Before that they went into government in 2007 wasn't it and just before the whole place fell to pieces and they could implement very little.
Now can you please explain to me why you think it is the Green Party fault that public transport is crap and that we don't have proper bicycle lanes?
Is the governments only answer, taxes? Maybe they could come up with a solution first.
Really cant wait for next election to be honest, I know what we get after might not be great but at least the public can give the current government the kicking it well and truly deserves but they will drag on till the bitter end because they know whats in store.
In the last couple of years there has been more progress on PT and cycling etc than there had been in the previous decade, probably. The greens managed to get so much money released for active travel that the councils can't keep up/are misusing the funds (delete as appropriate)
I'm no road building engineer but even I know that laying tarmac on greenfield sites in the west of Ireland is a lot more straightforward than building and upgrading entire sections of a historic city canal area including building new bridges/preserving historic ones and also relocating Gas, electricity and telecom cables.. this isn't just a bit of tarmac costing €30 million!
This is true, there's too much Stick from this government and not enough carrot...
It can't get any worse. Be nice to see some ideas for a change.
Actually I think there was quite a credible idea but it looks to have been abandoned.
The programme for government was all about a widespread move to remote working and hubs to reduce c02.
They've bottled it on any meaningful right to work from home, we have the right to ask...
Even the public service is only 20% remote working.
And they've handed at least 100million over to fund private remote working hubs, these can cost of to 600euro per month and nobody seems to be using them. Even the offer of free vouchers doesn't seem to have much take up. I guess to save face they'll end up being used by public and semi-state groups, I can't see the average worker ever going for it.
So in place it looks like they'll be hitting all those who can't work from home with these commuting taxes.
Yet if we all stopped using cars in this country the reduction in emissions on a global scale is minimal. Until the big 4/5 countries that send emission into the atmosphere come to the table there is no point in impugning people who are coming into Dublin to work. When the big boys decide they want to save the planet then we can start having a real conversation about it.
What you say is true. However when we introduced the smoking ban in 2004 we were followed by almost every other country in the world. There's nothing to say that us reducing emissions won't result in a spread of the idea globally
Smoking is not an essential as in you can go about your day to day work, rest and play without having to smoke the same cannot be said about using a car for the majority of the population.
The majority of the population aren't driving cars into city centres every day though, are they?
Despite the abundance of evidence, it is surprising to see so many who think that they won't have to change their behaviours when it comes to climate change. "Don't look up!"
Maybe in rural Ireland. In the cities people can get along just fine if public transport options are made stronger. And yes I accept we are a long way away from that as well, but it is possible
Are you certain that using a car is essential for the majority of the population?
It's all part of the status quo for the whole country not just Dublin.
