The future of Irish transport was discussed at a special breakfast briefing in Dublin this morning, which considered how people will move around the city in the decades to come.
A packed audience of over 100 attendees at the ‘Dublin 2050’ event, organised by Dublin Chamber in partnership with Fujitsu Ireland, heard that the cost of congestion in Dublin to the national economy is likely to rise to more than €2 billion per annum over the coming 15 years.
The aim of the 2050 series is to kick-start the debate on how to secure Dublin’s long-term future as a world class city. The conference heard that increased car sharing, better public transport and a bigger focus on cycling and walking infrastructure will all be required to avert a pending congestion crisis in Dublin.
Dublin Chamber have warned that the figure of €2 billion – which is based on forecasts by the Department of Transport – is likely to prove extremely conservative, unless urgent investment is made in Dublin’s infrastructure.
The key speakers at today's event were Laura Behan (Head of Climate Change Unit at Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport), Russell Goodenough (Client Managing Director for the Transport Sector, Fujitsu UK & Ireland) and Dr. Melanie Bouroche (Trinity Future Cities Mobility Research).
Speaking at the event in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin Chamber CEO, Mary Rose Burke said, "The year 2050 may seem far away, but projects like Metro North and DART Underground have very long lead-in times, and we must start laying the groundwork now. Dublin has already suffered enough due to short-term thinking. The DART Underground proposal, for example, was first discussed in 1971. Almost a half-century later, no progress has taken place. Real action is long overdue."
She added, "Enhancement of Dublin’s bus services, upgrades to the ticketing and payment system, improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure, and co-location of complementary services, should all be considered. These are all areas where substantial gains can be achieved in a short timeframe and with a relatively low outlay."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
