Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has ruled out the introduction of congestion charges in the lifetime of this Government.
It comes after Transport Minister Eamon Ryan brought a Memorandum of Information to Cabinet on the development of a new National Demand Management Strategy.
This aims to reduce congestion in towns and cities, improve air quality and provide more and safer space for public transport, walking and cycling.
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The overarching longer-term aim of the strategy is to support a 20% reduction in vehicle kilometres travelled by 2030.
Aspects such as road space reallocation, car-free zones and user charging will only be effective and equitable when alternative, public transport options are readily available, both in urban and rural areas.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Varadkar categorically ruled out the introduction of congestion charges.
The Taoiseach said: “Minister Ryan has been very clear on this on a number of occasions. And I'm going to be very clear on this too.
“There is no proposal from this government to introduce congestion charges.
“Perhaps at some point down the line when the Metro is picking up people in Dublin Airport, when the DART to Dublin 15 and Kildare is up and running. When Cork metropolitan transport is operating.
“Perhaps at that point in time when all vehicles are electric and there's no taxes coming in from petrol and diesel.
“Perhaps at that time there's a case for congestion charges, but certainly not under this Government and not in the foreseeable future. I'm very happy to be very clear on that.”
Mr Varadkar said that Minister Ryan has made it clear that emissions need to be reduced by 50% by the end of the decade.
However, he stressed that the main points of the plan will be road space reallocation and making public transport cheaper.
A spokesman for Minister Ryan also told the Irish Mirror that road reallocation is the best option. This takes away the amount of spaces cars are given on the road and transfers it to public transport use.
He said this can make public transport faster and makes it more attractive for people.
Minister Ryan was expected to bring a memo on the demand strategy to Cabinet several weeks ago. However, it is understood that it was delayed due to questions over congestion charge proposals.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Minister said: “Traffic congestion continues to clog our roads in our towns and cities. It causes stress. It slows us down and makes us late. It makes it more difficult for buses to run on time. It’s polluting, it’s noisy and it’s often dangerous for walkers and cyclists. In other words, the system we have now isn’t working for people.
“Less traffic congestion, on the other hand, means less stress and more time. It also means improved air quality, more people friendly urban centres and the potential for greater fitness and health through improved active travel.
“Demand management in transport is all about improving the efficiency of the existing transportation system, by reducing travel demand rather than increasing capacity.”
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