Ryan: Dublin traffic plan needs to proceed immediately

The Minister for Transport has said the Dublin City Traffic Management Plan needs to proceed immediately.

The first phase of the plan is due to be implemented in August and aims to reduce through traffic in the city centre which accounts for around 60% of motor journeys.

However, in recent weeks a number of business groups, including IBEC and the Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance, as well as Minister of State Emer Higgins, have called for the plans to be paused.

The business groups cited concerns regarding the impact the traffic plan will have on retail sales and jobs.

Eamon Ryan said the plan “is not something that can wait”.

“For the sake of Dublin city and the traders, and the wider public. Dublin needs a boost,” he said.

“I am deeply concerned if we delay,” he added.

The plan outlines changes to the manner in which cars can travel in the capital including bus gates on the quays.

Mr Ryan said he would not like to see some of the measures implemented between 7am and 7pm.

“When you start to put conditions in, you weaken the real benefits,” he said.

Mr Ryan said that “the council would have to have a central role”.

“It does have to be city-led,” he said, adding that the council “couldn’t have been clearer”

The minister said traffic plan “should proceed”.

“Change won’t be easy, it is difficult,” he admitted.

“I’m very hopeful that will proceed in August.”

He said that the plan is not expensive, that it just involves road signs and markings and even if it needed to be reversed in two to three years, it would not cost a lot.

Economic report from traders was needed – DCC

The head of Technical Services at Dublin City Council has said the transport plan could not move forward without an economic report from Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance, which was late.

The plan was originally supposed to be enacted in August; however Brendan O’Brien said the DCC chief executive told councillors on Monday that they were still waiting for the economic report commissioned by the alliance.

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

“We met them about three weeks ago. They had promised to get us that report before the meeting on Monday, but it has not arrived yet.”

Mr O’Brien said it was only fair to review the report before moving forward.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said he was frustrated that the report was being delivered late.

“In fairness to the councillors, the councillors were very strongly in support of this plan, very strong on Monday night that we should not delay in implementing it, that it was something that the city needed.

“So, it was a very strong level of support from them.”

Mr O’Brien said retailers wanted to build up confidence in the city again, which they understood.

“We are going to see – is there a good basis for us to pause for a little bit.”

He emphasised they were looking at “when does it get implemented” and not “if it gets implemented.”

“It will get implemented, whether it gets implemented in August or it gets implemented in the new year,” he added.

He said the plan intended to reduce some of the traffic that was using the city centre “for no good reason”.