Return to economic growth andpopulation expansion will bring commuter chaos
Tuesday7 January 2014, Dublin.
Currentprojections estimate that the M50 will come to a standstill in the comingyears, driven by a return to economic growth and a population increase of asmuch as 40% in the capital. All the analysis shows that in less than 10years the M50 is likely to breach its safe operational capacity, yet the FineGael/Labour Government have no policy to keep both the city and the countrymoving.
GreenParty Transport spokesperson, Tom Kivlehan, commented today, "The firstsignpost to economic recovery in this country is going to be a return toendless gridlock on the M50. To date, the Government has done nothing toprevent this eventuality. They have increased public transport fares while cuttingservices. They have cancelled all the big urban rail projects and have buried aradical Dublin Transport plan that was briefly leaked last year. Wedesperately need a medium term economic strategy for the capital which ensuresa massive injection of investment into public transport."
"TheGovernment say they don't have the money for investment in public transport,but the four year plan they adopted did provide for the likes of the RailInterconnector and the Metro, which would also been promised finance by theEuropean Investment Bank. The reality is we can't afford not to make thesevital investments. A properly functioning transport system is the lifeblood ofthe Dublin economy, and once the gridlock starts we will all end up paying theconsequences. "
"TheM50 Demand Management Study, which was presented to the four Dublin LocalAuthorities, made it clear that demand management strategies were also going tobe needed to address the capacity and safety problems that are going to arise.1 Extratolling on the M50 will not solve this impending crisis, and may in factexacerbate the traffic problem on the rest of the capital's roads. The realchallenge is to reduce the number of vehicles, and this can only be done bycreating a public transport system that is more attractive than the privatetransport alternative. We have less than 10 years to build such a system beforepopulation growth on its own turns the heart of our motorway system into a carpark ."
"Theother reason we need to start building the public transport infrastructure nowis to firmly establish that when much needed, new planning applications aregiven, they are only permitted where there are existing and adequate transportlinks. Failure to do so will threaten Dublin's ability to grow itseconomy and attract foreign investment. Businesses which can't move their goodsor ensure reasonable commuting times for their employees will overlook the cityin favour of international alternatives."
"Wecan finance public transport infrastructure from future development levies andfrom the National Pension Reserve Fund, as well as from European sources. But the first thing we need to change is an ineffective Government policywhich is reducing development levies, concentrating transport budgets on newroads projects and killing public transport with endless fare increases."
ENDS
Contact:
TomKivlehan, Green Party Spokesperson for Transport
086 171 2248