Sir, – Dublin City Council has plans to restrict car use in Dublin city centre by reducing further routes through town (“Plan to reduce car routes across Dublin and create new civic plazas ‘overwhelmingly endorsed by public’” (News, February 5th). These routes have already been drastically reduced. Living on one side of the river, doing a lot of business on the other side, as well as working in another part of the county, I feel increasingly cut off from parts of Dublin I have always done business and socialised in.
Many commuters are traversing town because they have no choice – there isn’t frequent public transport from where they live to where they work. Moving home is prohibitive for many, whether they are renting or buying. The M50 is particularly difficult in the morning as traffic is extremely heavy but also if an accident happens, you are stuck with no alternative route. The increasing cost of the toll is also an issue. All of this adds up to people being in their cars through town. Some of these motorists live in town, and it is the natural route for their travel or doing their everyday business of living. People with mobility issues are also at a disadvantage with such blunt policies.
In town on Monday, a public holiday, the Grafton Street area was very quiet given that most were off work, with no trouble getting a walk in place in a restaurant for lunch. There were a large number of shops closed and it was all looking far less than that which you would like a vibrant capital to be. This is a continuing trend since Covid, and difficulty with car use is a contributing factor. Public transport is decades behind where it should be. In Paris, the fluidity and frequency of public transport leaves us in the ha’penny place. There are trains every couple of minutes and it is easy to get to any part of the city. You cannot do this in Dublin. It can take an hour and a half to get from the city centre to the suburbs, a distance of about 20km. If you could get from A to B quickly and reliably, reading your book or looking at your phone, it would be far less stressful.
These externalities need to be sorted before any blanket bans on cars. – Yours, etc,
NIAMH BYRNE,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Car numbers continue to increase in our cities and cars are increasing in size, even though there is less space available due to bus and cycle lanes. People not using public transport should be encouraged to purchase smaller cars. A reduction in VAT and registration tax could be offered on small low-emissions vehicles. The Government wants everyone driving electric cars but even if everybody could afford one, most are still too big and do nothing to alleviate traffic congestion. There is no need for people in urban areas to drive SUVs and large crossovers, especially as most have only one person on board. Smart cars, which are so popular in other European cities and towns, are a much better alternative and more environment friendly. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN LUBE,
Kilcock,
Co Meath.