Poll: Should cars be banned from central Dublin at peak times?

FIANNA FÁIL’S SPOKESMAN for Dublin has suggested a ban on cars at busy times would help solve traffic problems in the capital.

Speaking to the Sunday Business Post, John Lahart said a ban on cars at peak times in the morning and evening on busy routes would free up more space for buses.

He said that people needed to learn that public transport “is the way forward” when it comes to dealing with bottlenecks in Dublin, as opposed to building more roads.

The measure would be similar to those implemented in many European cities, such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Brussels, which have large car-free zones in their centres already in place or planned for the near future.

However a spokesman for the National Transport Authority told the Business Post it was difficult to see how Lahart’s proposal would be feasible.

It’s fair to say that if the Fianna Fáil proposal ever came to pass, there would likely be opposition from car owners and business groups.

A business lobby group, Dublin For All, objected to a Luas Cross City traffic management plan last year - that was subsequently withdrawn - on the grounds that it would threaten the “economic viability ” of city-centre businesses because a lot of people who visit the city depend on cars.

With that in mind, we’re asking Fora readers this week: Should cars be banned from central Dublin at peak times?