The Minister for Transport has said he believes the transport plan that would stop cars transiting through Dublin city centre should be implemented straight away and he said that if it is not, he believes Dubliners will be deeply upset.
It comes as the Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail Emer Higgins said she will ask Dublin City Council to pause the plan that is due to come into effect in August because of concerns about the impact it could have on jobs and retail sales in the city.
Ms Higgins is to ask Dublin City Council to postpone the plan until at least 2025.
Changes to the manner in which cars can travel in the capital, including bus gates on the quays, are due to come into effect in August.
The changes aim to reduce through traffic in the city centre which accounts for around 60% of motor journeys.
However, in recent weeks a number of business groups, including IBEC and the Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance called for the plans to be paused.
They cited concerns regarding the impact the traffic plan will have on retail sales and jobs.
Read more: Explainer: Which areas of Dublin city centre will see traffic reduced under new plan?
Last week, Minister of State Emer Higgins met Dublin City Council to discuss the issue. They are due to meet again tomorrow.
Ms Higgins confirmed to RTÉ News that at the meeting she will ask the council to postpone the implementation of the traffic plan until at least after Christmas to give time for further consultation and to assess the potential impact on jobs.
She said: "For me it all comes down to protecting jobs. We heard from retailers in the last two weeks in particular that there are very valid concerns.
"We know what's difficult time to be a trader in Dublin at the moment with the reductions in footfall that comes from the change in work pattern behaviors, hybrid working, working from home and really I just want to make sure that their voice is being heard.
"I really do think we need to get this right. And part of that is going to be around getting the timing right. I would prefer for further consultation with retailers and further implementation of Bus Connects before we introduce a significant change like this."
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The Dublin City Manager will decide what happens next.
Political pressure increases the likelihood that the biggest change to Dublin's traffic in recent times could now be postponed for a number of months.
Speaking at an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Luas today, Eamon Ryan said that be does not expect Dublin City Council to delay the plan.
"We need to give the city entire a lift, particularly since Covid. We need to get people back living, working, visiting - and to do that you need a really good environment. So absolutely we should go, in my mind, straight away.
"It's up to the city council to decide, they decided twice and if they decided to delay now I think the people of Dublin would be rightly deeply upset."
He said he did not agree with Minister Higgins' concerns that the plan could result in job losses and a drop in retail sales in the run up to the Christmas season.
"The biggest risk to jobs is that our buses don't get through the traffic quick enough. Those buses and also walking and cycling will bring people in for Christmas.
"One of the benefits of the traffic management system they’re going to put in is that it’s going to help get buses through the city quicker.
"That's the most important timing we need to do for the businesses in the centre. if we don’t have the public transport system working that won’t be a good Christmas," he added.
Plan will be 'good for travel times' - TII CEO
Speaking at the same event, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) Peter Walsh said that the transport plan for the capital would help improve travel times for public transport.
He said: "It's got to help. We have 31 junctions through the centre of the city. And the travel time on the Luas is impacted by having to share that time with cars.
"So if there are less users, we'll get more of it and that's got to be good for our travel times."
Mr Walsh also said that that plans for the extension of the Luas Green Line to Finglas are being considered by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and he is hopeful that if they approve the scheme, it could be delivered earlier than originally planned if there is the political will to make it happen.
He said: "There's quite an amount of consideration that has to be given to a project of that nature as it's a significant investment for the taxpayer.
"It'll eventually have to go for cabinet approval. But once that happens, we'll be able to submit it for planning to An Board Pleanala. We understand that we sit amongst other modes within the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area.
"The Government and the NTA have to decide how to distribute the scarce resources for delivering mobility in Dublin so we know our place, we're not we're not trying to demand anything above that plan, but we're ready to move should the political will be there to do so."
