A DUBLIN traffic corps, independent of the Garda, should be established to enforce traffic and parking regulations in the city, according to the Dublin Transportation Office's Consultative Panel.
The DTO panel, which represents a wide range of interests, said a highly-trained and mobile corps should be under the control of the proposed director of traffic in Dublin Corporation and equipped with "the most sophisticated communications technology".
It said such a corps was needed because gardai were "over-stretched". The inevitable consequence was a low level of traffic law enforcement, which threatened the DTO strategy.
Mr John Henry, the DTO's director, warned that Dublin was facing "five or six years of chaos" unless traffic regulations were rigorously enforced. "We will have to do something quite drastic to deal with the problem of too many people commuting by car.
He said the appointment of a director of traffic, which has been under discussion for the past 12 months, would be made "sooner rather than later" and the intention was that he or she would assume the traffic powers currently held by the Garda Commissioner.
Mr Henry said other ways would have to be devised to deal with violators of the traffic code instead of serving them with a summons. It should be possible to photograph their registration plates using high-level cameras.
He also said Telecom Eireann did not have a licence to continue the work it was doing on Merrion Road, which caused serious traffic congestion two weeks ago. In future the public utilities would only be permitted to deal with emergencies in the daytime, he said.
Mr Des Murphy, of the National Council for the Blind, said the persistent flouting of traffic laws in Dublin was a very serious issue" which needed to be addressed "immediately" by the DTO's steering committee and, if necessary, by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton.
Meanwhile, the consultative panel was informed that work was unlikely to start on the £130 million Dublin Port Tunnel until the autumn of 1999 and that it would not be completed until 2003. Ms Hazel Jones, of the DTO, also admitted that this was the most optimistic scenario.
If the City Council decided to reject the preferred A6 route under mode than 270 houses in the Marino area in favour of any of the other five options for the tunnel, a new environmental impact statement would have to be prepared and this could take up to 12 months, she said.
No motorway inquiry into the project could be held until the councillors agreed to change the city plan to make provision for the proposed tunnel, she explained. As a result, it could be 2004 or 2005 before the project is completed, with knock-on effects on other DTO schemes.
Mr Henry said it would not be possible to deal with the problem of juggernauts on the Liffey quays until the port tunnel was built. He also reaffirmed the DTO's commitment to tolling the tunnel to deter private cars. "If they have to pay a tenner a head, this won't happen," he added.
