Opinion: All of us will gain from a cleaner, greener city so why would anyone want to delay a new plan which has already got overwhelming public support?
Some might say the discussion on what are presented as minor changes to the Dublin city centre transport plan are overblown. Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail and Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West Emer Higgins says she will ask the council to delay implementation of changes to traffic movement in Dublin until the spring of 2025 to allow for more information gathering.
But in many ways the actions of the minister and the response of the council go to the heart of why it has become so difficult to deal with issues of quality urban spaces, climate change and the power of business to resist change. The Dublin City traffic plan is not simply a traffic management document: it is a vision of how the streets of Dublin city can change if pedestrians, cyclists and the users of public transport are prioritised over the car in transport planning.
The plan details how traffic movement in the city needs to change to facilitate development of public transport, to make more pedestrian space, to improve cycling infrastructure and to green some city streets. The focus of the plan is the city centre, between the canals, where about 130,000 people live. The outcome of implementing the plan will be a better-quality environment for residents, better public transport movement for commuters (about 195,000 jobs are in the study area), less pollution and more greenery.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Minister Emer Higgins expresses concerns about Dublin's new traffic plan
Part of the plan seeks to limit through traffic in the city centre. This is traffic that passes through the city but does not stop and contributes to congestion. Dublin ranked number two in the world for congestion according to data compiled by tomtom. Motorists lose up to 158 hours and €202 per year as a result and emit an extra 290kg CO2 on their travels.
Through traffic accounts for over 65% of the car traffic in the city. This traffic pollutes, adds to the noise of the city and takes up space that should be available for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport and taxis. And space that could be used for greening the city.
The EPA's 2019 report on air quality in Dublin picks out the network of city roads where NO2 levels exceed EU guidelines. These streets are ones with large volumes of traffic and pedestrians. The quays, site of proposed car limitations, stand out clearly in the report. Removing some of the current traffic in these areas could increase movement and reduce emissions pedestrians are subjected to.
Another aspect of congestion and slow movement of cars is emissions of CO2. Transport accounts for about a third of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions and congestion increases those emissions in the city up to 290kg extra per year per motorist according to tomtom data. Fewer cars will mean lower emissions in the short term. Even if all drivers switch to electric cars, there will still be problems of congestion in the city as these vehicles still take up road space.
In the coming decade, as extreme high temperatures become more likely, there will be a need for more climate-friendly spaces in Dublin. Cities generally are warmer that the surrounding landscape and the heat island effect is well documented. In a climate change world, trees, water and street planting will be our safety nets, essential to moderate the effects of warmer air on buildings, and streets. The Dublin city centre transport plan envisions these spaces as ones reclaimed from roads that no longer have so much traffic. A feature of the proposed new spaces is tree planting. The city centre has currently almost no tree cover, something that needs to be addressed soon to provide shade and cooler temperatures in a warming world.
Delay or dilution of the transport plan will have consequences. The request by the minister may seem reasonable, but it has elements of the delay, doubt and denial tactics deployed by the oil industry in addressing climate change or tobacco companies opposing cigarette bans.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Irish Times Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly reports on the row between the Green Party and Minister of State Emer Higgins who has called for a pause to the Dublin City Transport Plan
The delay of a few months in the scheme of things is minor, but questions about the need for more information are likely to simply muddy the water. A process of consultation has already found overwhelming public support for a reduction in through traffic, more transport choices for commuters, reduced road space for private cars in favour of public transport, high quality pedestrian and cycling facilities and more traffic free civic spaces.
Why do the powers-that-be want to frustrate the desires of the citizen? Such reframing of plans is not new. In the 1970s, award-winning plans for the Danish city of Aalborg to create a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists were altered, watered down and delayed by business and political interests. In his study on the Aalborg plan, Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice, Bent Flyvbjerg's first conclusion was power defines reality, rather than discovering what reality is.
Change is always difficult, but Dublin studies have already shown that most shopping is undertaken by users of public transport and pedestrians. Curtailing through traffic is not going to ban access to the city centre for cars.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime in April 2014, Gerry Murphy from National Transport Authority discusses the latest public transport plan for the Greater Dublin Area
Delay and alteration to the plans can also be considered an unwillingness to face the challenge of climate change. In focusing on the duties of the individual to address climate change. we lose sight of the need for institutions to act. Businesses, the city and government have a duty to lead on climate action.
If implemented, the Dublin city centre transport plan is an action to address climate change and will improve the quality of life for residents and commuters. All of us will gain from a cleaner, greener city so why would anyone want to delay?
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
