Green Party calls for ban on cars in Dublin city centre

The Green Party has called for cars to be banned from College Green and the quays in Dublin in an effort to create a "pedestrian-friendly" capital city.

Presenting a five-year "vision" for Dublin yesterday, the party said the city centre could be "one of the best civic spaces in Europe" if a number of measures were introduced, including lower speed-limits, wider pavements, and reduced access for goods vehicles.

The Greens also want the joining of the two existing Luas lines with a connecting line that would continue to Broadstone bus depot.

Announcing the proposals during "Car-Free Day" yesterday, Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said: "We believe that the people of Dublin are ready to support such changes as they have long benefited from the wisdom of giving road space back to pedestrian and public transport."

He was speaking at College Green amid busy afternoon traffic - proof that Car-Free Day had been largely ignored by the city's commuters.

Dublin City Council opted against participating in the Europe-wide event, which was renamed by the Government this year as "In Town Without My Car Day".

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, who commuted by bus yesterday rather than using his car, told The Irish Times he was "disappointed" by the overall response to the event. He said he knew people viewed the day as a "token" but "it's an important token nonetheless".

He admitted a lack of investment in public transport had made it difficult to get people out of their cars. "The challenge is to give people better-quality public transport at affordable prices," Mr Roche added.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Ivor Callely was more upbeat about the event, however, saying both Car-Free Day and European Mobility Week had been "marginal success stories".

Mr Callely, who commuted by bike yesterday, said a specially erected public transport information tent at the top of Grafton Street had attracted numerous visitors, adding "people should not lose sight of the fact that there are an array of services now available".

Members of the Dublin Cycling Campaign marked yesterday's occasion by waving chequered flags at traffic stuck on the quays in a mocking gesture.

Luas operators Connex said they saw no noticeable increase in passenger numbers yesterday.

Bus Éireann, which provided free off-peak services in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, said customer numbers had risen in some locations.