A group set up to solve Dublin's chaotic traffic congestion will have real power to achieve change, it was claimed tonight.
The group includes representatives from the Gardaí, Dublin City Council, Dublin Bus and other transport agencies.
The Minister of State for Transport, Ivor Callely, said the group was considering 37 separate measures to address traffic gridlock in the short, medium and long-term.
"We're thrashing out now the projects we're going to run with and who is going to sponsor them. With the wisdom around the table, you're talking about the most senior personnel who have the authority to make these decisions," he said.
The group signed an agreement at Clontarf Castle in an attempt to replicate the success of a similar partnership approach in the German city of Munich.
"Munich has a lot of similarities to Dublin. It was a city which had enjoyed tremendous economic growth and was starting to choke because there was traffic congestion problems and people weren't going to Munich to do their business. So the Munich authorities started to work in partnership and that's what we're doing here," said Mr Callely.
Some of the 37 measures include proposals to provide more live information for drivers about traffic conditions ahead, car pooling, better synchronisation of traffic lights, enforcement of red stop lights and yellow box junctions.
"What struck me when I was appointed to the Department of Transport was that there didn't seem to be the level of collaboration and co-ordination that you'd expect. This is bringing everyone together to see what we can do to improve the services and most importantly to reduce the commuting times for the citizens of Dublin," said Mr Callely.
A key to the future of traffic in Dublin will be the Department of Transport's 10-year strategic plan, which includes a network of park-and-ride sites close to the city centre, an airport rail link and a rail link between Connolly, Pearse and Heuston Stations.
"We recognise we need to keep the big projects on stream but if we can identify some local quick-fix issues, let's do it and let's do it now," said Mr Callely.
The group will meet on a regular basis to assess the impact of new measures and to implement further ones.