Lord Mayor says Cork City not congested enough to warrant levies
Picture: Larry Cummins
Cork City is not ready for congestion charges, according to its Lord Mayor.
A report published by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the charges should be considered in Cork and Dublin to improve air quality and reduce Co2 emissions.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Joe Kavanagh, said he thinks the idea is idealistic "to say the least".
"You can get around the city comfortably in a car and it doesn't get that congested, to be honest," said Mr Kavanagh.
He said the city is not congested enough just yet to warrant the charges.
The report, which looked at looked at reducing emissions and improving air quality, found “very strong evidence” that congestion charges result in lower traffic volumes and a reduction in CO2 emissions.
It noted that such a measure was met with “significant public and political opposition" from the countries in which its already been introduced.
Chief Executive of We Are Dublin Town, Richard Guiney, said there are more creative solutions to the issue than levies.
"I would like to see more pedestrian zones within the city and our research shows that the public - by factors of four and five to one - want that as well," said Mr Guiney.
Environmental commentary John Gibbons believes levies are inevitable and that they will almost certainly be introduced within the next 10 years.
"I would also like to think that we will reach a point with pedestrianisation and other measures that it won't be necessary," said Mr Gibbons.
Other measures investigated in the report was workplace parking levies and support for alternative fuel vehicles.
