Eamon Ryan says plan to ban cars from Dublin city centre should go ahead despite fears for retail

Junior minister for business, employment and retail, Emer Higgins, is in conflict with Mr Ryan on the matter and said she fears the car ban will negatively affect jobs, business and retail.

Ms Higgins is to ask Dublin City Council on Monday to hold off on the proposal – due to come into place in August – until at least next year.

Mr Ryan, who marked 20 years of the Luas on Sunday, addressed the issue, underscoring how divided the Green Party leader and the Fine Gael minister are.

“Emer is entitled to her view, but I don’t agree and I don’t think the city council agrees,” Mr Ryan said.

“Making these decisions can’t be a top down, it does have to come from the bottom up. It has to be the city council, that’s their job.

“If government ministers start designing every bus stop, every turn in the street, that’s not what we are there for. We are there to set up policy decisions, that’s what we are there for.

“It’s up to the city council. They have voted twice, they had a very detailed consultation process, I think we should go ahead.”

Mr Ryan said despite Ms Higgins’ concerns, he did not expect Dublin City Council to delay for long.

“We’ve been delaying for too long in Dublin on badly needed measures,” he said.

“We need to give the city centre a lift, particularly. Since Covid, we need to get people back living, working, visiting and we need a really good environment.

“Absolutely we should go straight away [with the car ban]. They [the council] decided twice [to green light the plan].

“If they delay now, I think the people of Dublin will be rightly deeply upset and say ‘No, it’s time for us to do this’. It’s time to make it a prouder place for everyone to come into.

“And you do that by putting good quality transport in place.”

Rather than the car ban affecting jobs and retail, Mr Ryan said he believed cars being in the city was a bigger risk.

“The biggest risk to jobs is that our buses don’t get through the traffic quick enough. Also, walking and cycling would bring people in for Christmas,” he said.

“One of the other benefits of the traffic management system is to help get buses through the city quicker. That’s the most important thing we need to do for business in the city centre.

“If we don’t have public transport working, then it won’t be a good Christmas. If we do build public transport… and we can do it relatively quickly at no cost, why would we delay it?”

Mr Ryan said where “good-quality” public transport was in place, it would mean more quality housing would be built. Public transport was part of the answer to solving the housing crisis, he said.

He hinted at a possibility of an extension of the Luas and also said Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford would benefit from improved public transport systems.

As far back as the 1990s, Dublin authorities have been examining a traffic plan for the city centre, he said, and now was the “time to change”.

He also committed to being “ready” to go to An Bord Pleanála for an extension of the Luas to Finglas in north Dublin.

“It’s a relatively straightforward decision and then we go build,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the Luas celebrated 20 years, the company that runs the tram system, Transdev, marked the occasion at the Stephen’s Green Luas stop with family entertainment for the day.

Transdev Ireland managing director, Ben Dwars, said: “It’s incredible. I am very proud to be here to celebrate with all the people who’ve worked on it.

“It’s a fantastic moment to be here, especially this weekend. We had the parade, Taylor Swift, Croke Park GAA, so lots coming together this weekend.

“To celebrate it this weekend is fantastic. The Luas has been packed.

“We are anxious to have the new fleet coming, especially on the Red Line,” he added.

“We see the extension of the Luas to Finglas as very important too.”

The first driver of the Luas, Eddie Byrne, said: “I am very happy I did this for a job. I’m delighted with how successful it’s been. I know they’re building more extensions.

“ I know they’re talking about trams in Cork.

“I’d love to be 10 or 20 years younger, but I can’t turn back the clock. So, I’ll just have to keep going for another couple of years and just enjoy it.”