Tackling the traffic

Dublin's annual Operation Freeflow was inaugurated in 1996 after the then Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, almost missed an important…

Dublin's annual Operation Freeflow was inaugurated in 1996 after the then Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, almost missed an important meeting because the progress of his State car was impeded by a pre-Christmas traffic jam, with no Garda out-riders to speed its way.

It seemed to have been the first time that any leading politician sat up and took notice of a problem that had become all too apparent to most other road-users - that the capital was choking on its own traffic. And that gridlock has become more intractable in recent years because of the huge increase in car ownership.

Operation Freeflow has achieved modest success in freeing up road space, particularly by deterring motorists from parking on clearways. Extra Garda resources have been provided to ensure that traffic keeps moving, tow-away trucks are more active in removing offenders and there is some evidence that this annual initiative to enforce the traffic laws actually pays off.

This year, however, it is somewhat compromised by continuing Luas works, though the suggestion that these works should be suspended during the Christmas period, on a project that is already behind schedule, is surely nonsensical.

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Yet even if Operation Freeflow was extended year-round, it would not solve the fundamental problem at the root of congestion in the city - the simple fact that there are too many cars on the road. Last December, after numerous pre-Christmas shoppers found themselves caught in lengthy tailbacks at multi-storey car-parks, Dublin's Director of Traffic, Mr Owen Keegan, appeared to assume the role of Marie Antoinette by insisting that responsibility for the gridlock lay with "decisions taken by people themselves to use their cars". Even more provocatively, he added: "We have given up trying to cater for the private car and if people haven't worked that out yet, then there is a serious problem with IQ."

Last October, the Revenue Commissioners published a list of non-cash remuneration that will be liable for benefit-in-kind tax from January. Curiously, off-street car-parking spaces were not included, even though their ad lib availability clearly adds to the congestion problem. This omission is bound to be related to the fact that so many public servants enjoy the benefit of free parking in the city centre. But then, Leinster Lawn is half-covered in tarmac to provide the same perk for TDs, Senators, ex-TDs, ex-Senators and - it must be said - members of the Oireachtas Press Gallery. It is a sad metaphor for this Government's commitment to tackling the over-use of cars in the capital.