Potential for €10 congestion charge, parking increases of 400% and a 20kmh reduction in speed limits

I read stories like this and I immediately think, 'great, everyone is getting the bus or train to work tomorrow.' Yeah, good luck with that.

These proposals are right up there with hiking parking charges at hospitals. Want to see your loved one in hospital? It'll cost ya. Now, it'll be, 'want to go into the city for anything? It'll cost ya. Are you working on minimum wage and struggling with the cost of living right now? Well, have we got news for you!

No matter what way it's cut €15m/km is an extraordinary amount of money for what is being proposed.

I've read the article defending the cost, and the justification even there is weak to be honest.

"Details of how the Contractor priced the works, such as ramps, the bridge and trees are of a commercially sensitive nature and cannot be published at this stage." I call BS on that - the price of a ramp or planting a tree is not commercially sensitive. DCC and NTA know they're being taken for a ride but were pressurised to push ahead anyway and can't delay any further.

I looked at the business case for the scheme too. Even if the Cost Benefit Analysis numbers are accurate (the detail behind how they were determined is loose enough) once the project is completed, they will never ever be challenged.

Once again over 100 billion was collected in taxes last year how much more blood do you want from that stone. There is more than enough money coming in. The spend is where any additional funding needs to be taken from the government are like drunken sailors docked at port throwing money around trying to buy votes. The populism spend needs to be tackled and cut.

Well the wfh policy was supposed to be transformative. We could argue all day about what that might mean and what tangible numbers might be required to validate it.

Let's let people make up their own minds on whether a transformative change has occured.

What's really important though is we've established that where somebody can work from home, and their employer won't allow it, the employer is in effect the polluter.

We'll introduce a tax on those employers and a rebate scheme for other commuters who can't WFH.

Problem solved.

Now, let's get back to talking about data centres, hvo, and how we allow forestry in peatland which actually produces co2.

Not if they've emigrated to get accommodation.

I've seen a few people make comments to the effect that these measures are always sticks not carrots. Well, according to the below a big carrot such as free Public Transport, wouldn't reduce cars on the road. :-(

Tldr; usage of PT does go up, but it's mostly at the expense of cycling and walking.

Free public transport would mean just 1% reduction in car travel, says report

https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2023/03/08/free-public-transport-would-mean-just-1-reduction-in-car-travel-says-report/

Those people who work outside the Pale would be a minority of people, inconveniencing them for the greater good is smart. A much bigger issue from the POV of the environment is those living in the leafy suburbs who drive 1-2 km a day in their Chelsea tractors. And this move would make them think twice

Politicians flying away for Paddy's day is a separate issue altogether in fairness.

Can you realisitc do a 60/80k round journey on a mobility scooter? Be lovely now to see a 70 year old out there in that weather on scooter heading into Dublin. As for roads and the cars. At least the car has a bit more protection with regards to the state of the roads. Where am I looking to blame anyone else. I am simply arguing the point that as a worker in Dublin I should not be taxed again to go to work using a car if I have no other valid options to turn too. Is that ok can you get that through your head. I am not looking to blame anyone I am looking at people making these decisions to give us the alternatives. As for the money with public transport as stated 100Billion taken in with tax revenues last year. Surely there should be areas of spend that can be cut. Off the top of my head we could cancel all paddys day junkets we would save a good whack of cash and let the lads in gov lead the green brigade by been greener with regards to their political interactions going forward. There is a vast amount of waste going on in lots of public sector departments and we are paying over 20billion in social welfare that needs to be looked at. Those 2 areas alone if there was the political appitite to make savings there could be billions saved and used for public transport the lazy option is lets tax the suckers more and I mention tax in every post as a congestion charge for going into Dublin city center is essentially a tax on people who have to commute to work in Dublin.

So you have one person who does long distances on the mobility scooter good man how many people do you know doing this kind of distance on a regular basis is it just the one?? I know a person who can live in -10 degrees without wearing clothes so should we all do the same and not bother using any kind of heating or buying clothes ye know for the good of planet? :) Strawman much?

People should not have to think outside the box with the amount of taxes paid and gained over the last decade by successive governments and lets not forget the amount of borrowing successive governments have borrowed in the Irish peoples name and p1ssed away. This money should of been more than enough to have decent options when it comes to public transport. So you can take your box and stick it where the sun don't shine.

How many 70 years olds do you know realistically that are in full health and without ailment - I know a few and some have hearing issues, sight issues, diabetes, COPD, heart issues, cancer to name but a few and all need regular trips to a hospitals and unfortunately hospitals are more densely accumulated in highly populated areas like Dublin. So I know quite a few who would have a round trip into Dublin at least once a week or so.

You might be right about the dangers of someone being hit by a car on a scooter. I would also hazard a guess that at the age of 70 things like your sight, hearing and physical fitness and flexibility is not what it was meaning a lot of people 70 years + would be a danger to themselves on a road even without any cars on it, also we are talking Ireland here not a sunny paradise where you may well have 4 seasons in one day. So I may be way off track but I say weather and the fact that at 70 your body is starting to show the stresses of a lifetime of living its called old age which is why if you look at almost any sport its rare to see someone in their 50/60/70s dominating the field, you may have one offs do, like your lad that scooted from Kilkenny to Dublin on a daily basis.

What choice do I have enlighten me please Oh wise one?

A congestion charge for me going into Dublin city center to work is a tax on work. I have to work, my job is in Dublin, I have to commute in using the car. So because of the nature of how I work the likes of you will ask me to pay an additional tax when I am working. I cant explain that any simpler for you, its a tax on work.

Going where now? Asking where is the money going that people are paying in to the system via tax. God even if we were not having an argument about this issue, surely the nature of the spend our government are controlling needs to be examined. Like I say a housing crisis and health care crisis and 100Billion in tax taken in last year alone and the powers that are spending cant get a handle on it and its not just last year the HSE has been a sh1tshow since its inception?

The issue is I have already pay taxes and other charges when driving such as the cost of buying the car, VAT on buying the car, VAT in deisel, deisel, car check ups, VAT on the car check ups, Car insurance, VAT on the insurance, Car tax, toll bridge, NCT and VAT on the NCT. I also pay taxes when working PRSI, USC and PAYE. How much more do you want me to pay for having no other option but to drive to work?? If this proposal goes through the greens will be getting a serious kicking by a large cohort of the 1/2 a million people working in Dublin and being made pay this and that is 1/4 of all people working in the country. Cant see it happening to be honest maybe if they build something like the Tube and give a viable alternative to driving it could be a runner until then its just a Green dream.