Irish second most likely in Europe to commute by car

A report by the European Commission's Eurobarometer public opinion department has found that Irish drivers are second in the table when it comes to commuting by car.

Only Cyprus ranks above Ireland, with 85 per cent of respondents to the survey saying the car is the form of transport they would most often take. For Ireland, the rate is 73 per cent.

That puts us significantly ahead of most other nations in the EU, with France the only one of the major countries that comes close: 65 per cent of French respondents said they would choose to take the car.

Our closest neighbour, the UK, has a significantly lower rate of car-first responses, with 57 per cent. Lowest of all, with 33 per cent, was Hungary.

According to the report, “opinion was divided about the quality of road transport, with almost equal proportions saying it had improved or deteriorated”. Interestingly, road users were less likely to be positive about the quality of road transport than public transport users.

However, whatever the opinion on quality, most considered congestion and maintenance to be the most serious problems affecting roads. Improving road maintenance was cited as the top priority for improving road safety, although there was also widespread support for zero alcohol tolerance.

Congestion

One plan to combat congestion is to have vehicles connected online to allow for better traffic management and advice; however, this proposal does not have widespread support, with just over one in 10 willing to have their vehicles connected unconditionally.

The report also noted that speed and convenience were the driving factors behind transport choice, not cost, although those who used public transport the most did view cost as a significant factor. The report concluded that “encouraging vehicle users to choose public transport will need to address factors of convenience and speed. To convince people to switch to public transport also requires a frequent service with better coverage, and cheaper or more long-term tickets. It is also important that public transport be reliable”.

Emissions

Such high numbers choosing the car first will make for uncomfortable reading in Government Buildings.

The Government is committed to reducing national CO2 emissions in line with commitments to the Kyoto protocol, and moving people out of private cars and onto public transport is a key pillar of that.

But with the Environmental Protection Agency forecasting a jump in transport emissions of between 15-23 per cent between now and 2020 (by when the Kyoto commitments must be met) the need for a shift to public transport has never been more urgent.

The problem is both one of geography and a general lack of investment, according to a briefing paper written for Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe.

“The significant reductions in Exchequer funding for public transport in recent years arising from the financial crises have led to a much reduced programme when compared with spending proposed under Transport 21 and has led to the postponement of a number of public transport projects including Dart Underground and Metro North,” reads the brief.

“Transport emissions are closely coupled to economic growth and the Environmental Protection Agency’s projections reflect this, with transport emissions projected to show strong growth over the period to 2020 with an increase on current levels. In terms of emission abatement, Ireland’s dispersed settlement patterns and lack of urban areas with the critical mass to support efficient public transport systems present a particular challenge.”

While the Irish motor trade is rubbing its hands together in anticipation of a bumper year for new car sales in 2015, the numbers behind the transport and emissions figures could be swinging the spotlight of new curbs and levies back onto the car-using public.