Irish Examiner View: Leadership stuck in gridlock when it comes to congestion charges

Congestion charges are needed, for the sake of the environment, but few politicians would be willing to face the potential fallout.

Removing cars, and congestion, from city centres is an aspiration many cities share, as it would produce many long-term benefits. Picture: Larry Cummins

Appropriately enough for a discussion on transport-related matters, when the issue of congestion charges in Irish cities has arisen recently, the debate has moved in two different directions.

On the one hand, a senior official in the Department of Transport said that congestion charges just needed to be pushed through and would eventually be welcomed by those paying the charges.