Paul Hosford: Hard road ahead to sell transport emission targets

Transport is the only sector that will be expected to make upper-limit carbon reductions under plan to reduce greenhouse gases

A Coalition collision course. The rubber meeting the road. A treacherous journey.

There are numerous tortured analogies you can use to characterise the impending disagreement between ministers on how to cut transport emissions. 

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will soon bring plans to Cabinet which will begin a consultation on how the transport sector should reach its targeted emissions cuts and there is expected to be some resistance to many of the ideas put forward.

Transport is the only sector that will be expected to make upper-limit carbon reductions under the Government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gases, and among the more radical proposals are a €10 daily charge for driving in cities, a halving of public transport fares, a 20km/h reduction on national road speed limits, and a significant increase in parking charges, along with the prioritisation of public transport, walking, and cycling over cars on public roads.

The Climate Act 2021 set down reduction ranges for each sector to meet the overall legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a 51% reduction by 2030.

However, transport, which will now be expected to reduce emissions by 50%, is the only sector that has been asked to make the top cut outlined in the Climate Act, meaning that radical ideas are necessary.

Heavy traffic making its way through Macroom, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

But Fine Gael sources, particularly, have balked at the ideas, especially any notion that a congestion charge be introduced. 

They see this as potentially harmful to cities and commuters who may not live on rail or bus lines.

They point to the cost of petrol and diesel — already being kept at artificially low levels by government subvention — and say that adding costs to the use of cars would add another charge to those already under the pump.

For the Greens, however, this is the kind of thing that could become their legacy in this coalition.

Commitment to the ideas proposed would not only help Ireland meet its climate goals but would necessitate a complete reinvention and reimagination of cities and large towns, many of which have struggled in a post-covid era to find a balanced offering. 

When everything was outdoors or commuters were compelled to stay at home by lockdowns, making towns more walkable and car-free was a no-brainer.

But with traffic levels returning to pre-pandemic levels, the deference to cars in planning persists.

For the record, I drive a car. I get the train and the bus for work, but for nearly everything else, I use a car, even though I know I shouldn’t.

I rationalise it by saying I live in a different suburb to my family and have a toddler, so a car just makes sense. But these things could be worked around if I really wanted to.

But while it’s easier to use the car than not, I am one of what I suspect is a sizable cohort of people who will do what’s handiest most of the time, even though we know we shouldn’t.

But a nudge here and there would absolutely change my behaviour. 

A charge to go into Dublin city centre at the weekends and a train service that ran on Saturdays and Sundays would absolutely make me leave the car at home, especially if the cost of that train was lower.

That is not to say that the plan won’t require detailed discussion. As with most climate measures, it will be futile to propose a major societal shift without offering an alternative.

People in rural areas don’t necessarily like being car-dependent, but options to be less so are often slim. 

Asking them to give up their cars or pay more to drive to a town for pleasure won’t act as an incentive and risks alienating people from the entire climate cause.

But showing them a better version of the areas around them will. More walkable, quieter, with better access to shops and services.

Mr Ryan’s working group has the potential to force a huge conversation about our attitude towards not just car usage, but land usage, too.

Brian Caulfield, associate professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, said in response to reports of the Cabinet memo that it largely makes sense. He said more public transport is needed and giving space to that instead of roads makes sense.

“We’re always going to need parking; there’s a certain percentage of the population that just needs to get around in their cars, so that’s one thing that needs to be taken as a given,” he said.

Last September, an SEAI report said that although Ireland is committed to reducing emissions by 4.8% per annum from 2021 to 2025 under the first carbon budget, energy-related emissions were instead up 5.4% in 2021, with “a rebound in car use after the lifting of covid-19 restrictions a significant contributor to Ireland’s increased emissions”.

It is clear that if we are to get to our targets, petrol and diesel car usage will have to decline sharply. Whether that is through encouragement or behaviour modification, it will need to be done.

The question for the Coalition now is whether Mr Ryan and his party have the stomach for the fight.

Will they allow this sectoral plan be long-fingered and watered down? Or will they look at it like many ideas of its ilk — a long-term gain that may be unpopular to some in the short term?

If that is the case, Mr Ryan will have to accept an electoral blowback or upsetting his Coalition colleagues.

The prize is cleaner, safer, quieter, and better urban centres.

Did you know?

Leinster House is home to an array of art. Among the works around the campus are portraits of former taoisigh and a large painting of President Michael D Higgins.

But there are more than just paintings of notable figures. 

Leinster Lawn, on the Merrion St side of the building, is home to an obelisk erected in memory of Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, and Kevin O'Higgins. 

It includes three low-profile bronze plaques, each carrying a portrait of one of the men and another which contains the inscription "Dochum Glóire Dé agus Onóra na hÉireann" — "For the glory and honour of Ireland".

The week in years gone by

1965

March 10: Taoiseach Seán Lemass was forced to dissolve the Dáil and go to the country after Fianna Fáil failed to win a seat in the Mid Cork by-election. Instead, Labour's Eileen Desmond took the seat previously held by her husband Dan Desmond, which led to an unacceptable mathematical situation for Lemass and his government.

1987

March 11: Garret FitzGerald resigned the leadership of Fine Gael and was succeeded by Alan Dukes. The Examiner described his departure as a "shock decision" which came after almost 10 years at the helm during which he led two coalition Governments.

The Birmingham six on the day of their release in 1991.

1991

March 14: After being wrongfully jailed for 16 years, the Birmingham Six were freed.

1998

March 15: Former Fine Gael minister Hugh Coveney died in a fall from a cliff. The front page and four further pages of coverage were dedicated to the politician the following day. In one piece Tony Leen wrote: "When Charlie McCreevey said yesterday that Hugh Covneney was one of the few representatives he knew without an enemy in politics, it reminded one of John Bruton's words on the night of Coveney's 1994 by-election victory: 'Cork has given itself a representative to be proud of'."

2015

March 13: Renua, a new political party led by Lucinda Creighton is launched. At the time, the Irish Examiner reported that everyone was hung up on the name which had been previously used for a boiler service, food shop, and a trad band.

March 10: Over 100 illegal drugs were accidently legalised for one day. The Government were forced to bring forward emergency legalisation to close the loophole which made ecstasy, certain amphetamines, and an array of former headshop drugs legal to possess.

Hot topicals

Eviction ban: A no-fault eviction ban has been in place for nearly six months, with the opposition arguing that it has kept already record homelessness figures down. 

However, the Government has indicated in recent weeks that it will not be renewed as landlords lobby against it. The Government leaders and Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien will announce its next steps on Tuesday.

Start your engines?: The Cabinet will on Tuesday discuss proposals around Ireland's transport future. 

As the country looks to hit a 51% emissions reduction target, the sector will be pivotal. But can Eamon Ryan overcome resistance within the coalition to any moves?

Cash is king: On Thursday, the Rural Independent Group will bring forward a motion on "Protection of Cash as Legal Tender".

The issue of cashless businesses and government agencies has come to the fore in recent weeks and some TDs are keen to protect the use of cash.  Research from the European Central Bank (ECB) shows the extent to which covid has had lasting impacts on payment methods.

Follow the money: Fine Gael continues to go after Sinn Féin on its finances as the two parties trade barbs. 

Junior Minister Neale Richmond is the latest to take aim as he accused Sinn Féin of "hiding" on the issue. He said that Sinn Féin's 2019 local election returns said it spent a total of €4,775 on 230 candidates in the 2019 local elections — or €21 on every candidate. 

Sinn Féin, however, says that the local organisations and not party HQ paid for the bills.

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