PLANS TO introduce congestion charges over the next few years would only make life more difficult for commuters in the capital, given the decision by Dublin Bus to cut services, the Labour Party has claimed.
It was responding to comments by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on Monday at the unveiling of a Deloitte report on bus services.
Publishing the study, Mr Dempsey said it was inevitable that congestion charges would be introduced to reduce traffic levels in major cities, and that such charges could begin within three years.
A congestion charge has been in place in London since 2003. Cars which drive into a clearly defined zone of central London pay a daily fee of £8.
The Deloitte report claimed that in 2005 congestion was costing Dublin Bus an estimated €60 million a year. It recommended that radical measures be considered to help reduce the gridlock in the capital.
Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan yesterday described the Minister’s comments on congestion charges as “disturbing” given the reduction in bus services announced recently.
Dublin Bus has said it intends to make 290 staff redundant and to reduce its fleet by 120 buses.
Mr Dempsey has insisted that Dublin Bus has enough buses to meet demand even with the loss of a number of services. However, Mr Broughan said it was astonishing that the Minister would consider introducing congestion charges given the service cutbacks and the delay in delivering key Transport 21 projects.
“Many commuters and workers in the Greater Dublin Area have little or no public transport options. They will have even fewer choices if the proposed loss of nearly 400 Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann buses goes ahead.”
He intended to ask the Minister to rule out any consideration of a congestion charge at the next Dáil Transport Committee meeting.
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