Transport chiefs are gathering for a summit in Dublin today in a search for ideas to relieve the capital's chronic traffic congestion.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Ivor Callely will chair the meeting, which will be attended by up to 20 representatives from the range of bodies responsible for and with an interest in traffic in Dublin.
The push to solve Dublin's traffic problems has become known as the Clare Street Initiative, in reference to the location of Mr Callely's office.
Representatives from the Garda, the Dublin Transportation Office, Dublin City Council and other local authorities as well as AA Ireland, the Irish Road Haulage Association, Dublin Bus, Luas, private bus operators, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, cycling groups and disability campaigners will be in Clontarf Castle for today's think-in.
Mr Callely is expected to hear submissions from the various groups. The idea is to come up with low-tech, low-cost, easy-to-implement solutions to the capital city's congestion.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said the seminar would look at "ways to improve traffic management in the greater Dublin area".
She said it would not look only at the city centre, but would also try to address issues of concern for the travelling public from Dublin's commuter counties such as Meath, Louth and Kildare. The meeting is also likely to hear submissions on solving traffic congestion at the controversial Westlink toll bridge on the M50. "The meeting on Wednesday will dictate what happens next. It is a seminar and there will be a number of speakers," she added. "Hopefully decisions will be made."
The group already gathered informally for a "meet-and-greet" last month and again for a social event last night. Representatives were sent away from the September meeting to come up with suggestions and submissions for the Minister of State to consider after today's session. Earlier this year, Mr Callely visited the German city of Munich to examine its transformation from Dublin-style gridlock to having an excellent transport infrastructure in under 10 years.
Some congestion-busting ideas have already been floated but Mr Callely has so far ruled out a London-style congestion charge for the city centre.
He said last month that there was a need for a faster roll-out of intelligent travel systems. Such systems use electronic displays to advise drivers of travel times and congestion ahead, and there are also electronic payment systems for road tolling, parking, park and ride and public transport. The systems are capable of being integrated and can be accessed by mobile phones.
Mr Callely has also recently asked Dublin City Council to consider a trial of priority lanes for cars with more than four occupants and he has identified the need for more park-and-ride facilities on the outskirts of Dublin.
AA corporate affairs manager Conor Faughnan, who is attending today's seminar and who was at the September meeting, welcomed the initiative. He has been calling for "a strip of flat tarmac and some buses" for many years but without seeing any permanent park-ride-facilities coming on stream in Dublin.
"Let's bring some creativity to the situation and at least try some things instead of the traditional approaches," he told The Irish Times. A recent survey by RAC Ireland showed there was only one occupant in 75 per cent of cars travelling into the capital during peak times.
