Cullen’s outdated model will do nothing to end the gridlock
This followed a recent and thoughtful statement from Dublin Chamber of Commerce which correctly asserted that “the establishment of a Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) is vital to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to transport in the greater Dublin area”.
Of course, it is.
However, any suggestion that the particular model proposed by Transport Minister Martin Cullen should be enacted swiftly is where we depart company.
For those committed to a totally reformed transport service for the Dublin region, the latest announcement by the Transport Minister would be laughable if the implications were not so serious.
Maybe we should not be too worried. Mr Cullen has announced all this before and surely will do so again. The real problem will be if, for once, he delivers.
Unfortunately, the proposals amount to nothing more than another fudge.
The bringing together of the management of some of the agencies involved in transport in Dublin does not make an authority — it doesn’t even include the greater number of bodies involved in traffic/transport delivery in the region.
Refusing to include a realistic, accountable land use remit reduces further any hope that the authority can deliver.
In short, the proposed DTA will have no meaningful authority and no legitimate right to determine any land and transportation policies.
Under the proposals, there is no structured role for the gardaí and no worthwhile role for the local authorities.
There are no real proposals for the integration of the work of the various public transport providers.
Incredibly, there is no accountability by, or a transfer of powers from, any of the far too many Government departments which have an interfering, yet seldom helpful, role in the delivery of our transport services.
The proposed DTA seems nothing short of a cowardly way for Martin Cullen to engage in a sly attack on public transport: a neat way of transferring the power to license private bus routes without having the courage to do it himself. Dublin deserves better than an ideological fig-leaf.
The city needs a real and powerful transport authority. It needs it to be an integrated land use and transport agency, and it needs it now.
The suggestion that the new authority will be modelled on Transport for London is perhaps the most hypocritical element of these proposals.
Transport for London is led by the city’s mayor and is encompassed in the overall work of the Greater London Assembly.
Ironically, the proposal to have a directly elected mayor of Dublin was abandoned by none other than Mr Cullen.
Amazingly, it was the same minister who requested Dublin City Council to delete an aspiration for a land and transportation authority from its development plan. Now we know why.
Mr Cullen claims his plans follow a period of consultation with the relevant bodies.
That statement is completely at odds with a reply I received from the Dublin city manager on November 6 last that “no consultation had taken place between the Department (of Transport) and Dublin City Council on the establishment of the transportation authority”.
That was three days before Mr Cullen (re)announced his plans.
Given the key role that the Office of Director of Traffic must have in any Dublin Transport Authority, it is clear that Mr Cullen’s announcements are nothing more than the kneejerk reactions of a minister with no plan, no vision and no commitment to integrated transport for Dublin.
The call for a Dublin Transport Authority should be supported by anyone with a commitment to Dublin and a comprehensive public transport system.
Unfortunately, the proposals from Minister Cullen amount to nothing more than a failed attempt at covering up the inactivity of the past 10 years.
Real reform would see a Dublin regional assembly led by a directly elected mayor with the authority, mandate and resources promptly to deliver public services — and that includes a comprehensive transport service.
Cllr Dermot Lacey
66 Beech Hill Drive
Donnybrook
Dublin 4
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