Dublin's Mobility Reimagined
A vision & outline strategy for a reinvented, rejuvenated mobility system, for a greener city.
By Duncan Stewart (In collaboration with Tom Newton)
Dublin stands at a crossroads — a city with the potential and opportunity to reinvent itself, not just structurally, but fundamentally in ways that people can move, connect, and live. Otherwise, Dublin's traffic conditions will inevitably continue its current trajectory of degradation, where people's car-dominant mobility in its urban environment gets further smothered by ever-increasing levels of traffic congestion.
Imagine the improvement in the quality-of-life for Dublin inhabitants, and likewise for commuters to the city, if a fast, reliable, effective, people's mobility system was to be adopted by its citizens. This would comprise sustainable public transport modes, as the preferred viable way to mitigate Dublin's current dismal state of traffic congestion and excessive CO2 emissions.
Imagine our urban roads released from smothering traffic chaos during peak commute hours and from stressful, polluting, and noisy car engines. It could readily be established and be mainstreamed across Dublin's wide metropolis, and along its main commuter routes to the city. This vision may be poised to become a reality sooner than 2030.
This proposal for a transformative new people's mobility strategy could be adopted and be implemented expeditiously. However, it would require new 'traffic rules' to be structured and allocated for the 6-hours during morning and evening peak-hours. It envisions public transport modes being imbedded across Dublin's metropolis to reach all workplace destinations, where bus movements would be prioritised on all commuting routes.
This vision for Dublin city is achievable, but it would require the willingness, consensus, and collective support of the majority of Dublin’s citizens, and its daily commuters, to seek to switch from car journeys to public transport, and to cycling and walking for shorter trips.
As Amsterdam has demonstrated, it would enable cycling in Dublin to be a popular mode for journeys up to 5km, while walking short journeys up to 350m (5 minutes) from homes in Dublin's suburbs to the nearest bus stop, schools and local shops in our neighbourhoods.
Where We Are Now
The Tom Tom Index* ranks Dublin as the 2nd worst city in Europe and the 10th worst city in the world, for an average 10km car journey in the city. In 2024, during a typical 24/7 week it took an average car driver, on an average day in Dublin city 32min: 45sec to drive 10km, an overall speed of 18.3km /hour (average cycling speed).
The congestion level in Dublin typically occurs during 47% of an average 10km journey, which equates to an extra 8 minutes per 10km trip, when compared to free flowing traffic. This adds 1/3rd extra time to a 10km car trip in the city that would typically achieve an average speed of 25km/h in free flow conditions in Dublin.
The typical 10km journey gets much worse in Dublin during morning peak-hours, where it takes 38 minutes (15.8km /hour), and about 39 minutes during evening peak-hours, which adds 53% of extra time to a 10km trip during free-flowing traffic conditions.
Dublin tied with Lima as the worst two cities in the world, in time lost per year during rush-hours at 155 hours for a 10km trip. This adds 41 minutes to each workday for an average 10km car commute during peak-hours, or 12% added to an average 8-hour workday.
* The Tom Tom Index digitally monitors traffic in more than 500 cities across the world in 62 countries, with real-time digital data sourced and appraised from more than 700 billion kilometres being driven by cars, by assessing their average journey time and level of congestion for a 10km journey and their traffic density across its various routes.
Impacts Of Car Journeys On Traffic Congestion And Pollution
It should be noted, that the average 1.2 occupants per car journey in Dublin during peak-hours, takes up 30-times the road length space of passengers in a doubler-decker bus when it’s at two thirds seat occupancy.
Car journeys in Ireland currently consume the lion's share, 92% of the diesel/petrol used for all people's mobility, (excluding aviation), cars also generate 90%, plus taxis create about 3% of the CO2 and air polluting emissions from people's mobility, while buses create only 6% and trains and trams 1%.
Traffic congestion can be very unpredictable, where it varies significantly from day to day, or during the 3 morning and evening peak-hours. This can be very frustrating and debilitating dilemma for commuters, where they need to allow an extra amount of contingency time to depart from home earlier in the morning, or to leave before the worst of the traffic builds up on their route, to ensure they reach their workplace on time.
It likewise, eats into the sparse quality time of long-distance commuters, where many have only 1 to 2 hours left available each workday, that remains after their time spent sleeping, cooking/eating, doing home chores, plus 8 hours at work, and the time spent commuting twice each day, etc.
Longer car journeys are a growing trend for commuters to Dublin, where a disproportionately large number of the working population tend to reside further out from the city, which is mainly induced by house shortages in the city.
As house prices and rents continue to rise in the city, this compels more people to reside further out in car-dependent extra-urban areas. Besides their much longer commuting time, their car journeys exacerbate and increasingly worsens traffic conditions on commuter roads across Dublin's metropolis.
Impacts Of Taxis
Taxis are nearly as inefficient in moving people as private cars. The average car journey in Ireland is 1.2 occupants per car, where the passenger occupancy ratio of the average taxi journey is about 1.6 passengers per taxi. This equates to the road lane length being occupied by taxi passengers at about 20-fold the road length of passengers in a D/decker bus at 2/3rd seat occupancy.
During peak-hours, when road space must be used efficiently and effectively to meet the demand for commuter movements, many taxis when clustered in bus lanes, greatly obstruct bus flow, which render buses to be too slow and unreliable. Because of the inefficiency of taxis, their fares are too expensive for most commuters and especially for longer journeys. They therefore, tend to be used by a wealthy minority cohort, or by visitors, by staff of large businesses or public sector.
So, for the above reasons, and with the limitations on urban road space available, surely taxis should be restricted from entering express-bus lanes during critical commuting hours, when buses must travel much faster, and carry large numbers of passengers, while the viability of buses requires them to be reliable and punctual, and be cost-effective for both operators and users. Taxi drivers could be up-skilled to drive the huge number of additional buses required by this strategy.
(Source - metrolink.ie)
A Caution Against The Development Of The MetroLink Project
While State agencies advocate for major underground rail projects like the MetroLink, this vision urges caution. For the relatively low-population density of Dublin's sprawling suburbs, the development of underground tunnels are financially and environmentally prohibitive for both capital investment and for costs of operations of their required services. International peer-reviewed studies indicate that the construction of rail tunnels on average emit 27 times more CO₂ per kilometre than surface-level DART rail lines.
With geological strata beneath Dublin's metropolis comprising rock layers that are inconsistent, when compared to the soft dense silt under London, this greatly increases the cost, risks, construction time, and the embodied carbon of their construction.
Such long tunnel projects laid under cities, can also take a decade or more to complete, and are regularly exposed to significant and unforeseen extra costs, extensive time delays and cost overruns.
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They require a large workforce, which such a high demand for labour skills is likely to inflate Dublin's housing construction costs across the city.
Therefore, rather than investing billions in one rail line, resources should be redirected to a citywide public transport system that can be implemented faster and more cost-effectively, and be balanced fairly and be distributed across Dublin's metropolis for its citizens and commuters benefit.
Rather than lock up such exorbitant amount of State investment funds on a single, stand-alone rail line project, that is primarily focussed on serving a fast access from the city centre to Dublin airport.
It should be noted that GHG emissions from Ireland's Aviation sector, particularly from Dublin Airport, are disproportionately very excessive per capita, compared to other European cities. The development of MetroLink rail line will inevitably facilitate, and therefore exacerbate, the already increasing number of air flights and their GHG emissions.
This luxury, stand alone project will take over a decade to construct, with no benefits accruing for public transport over that crucial decade, while its excavations and its transport of soil, rock and concrete will create huge disruptions to residential areas, while it generates massive embodied CO2 emissions.
So, why should Ireland's tax-papers be required to fund its exorbitant budget? Surely, when state investments are now so urgently needed for essential public transport infrastructure. Likewise, huge numbers of new public transport e-vehicles are required to transform all core commuter routes, that lead into the city, and to connect all these routes by essential new orbital routes across the metropolis.
The MetroLink project will take more than a decade to complete, commission and start operating. So, over this long time no benefits will accrue from this project to ameliorate Dublin's severe and ever-growing state of traffic congestion.
Likewise, to mitigate the excessive GHG emissions from our transport sector, which legally requires to be reduced by 51% between now and 2030, and by about 80% by 2035, the earliest date for completion of the MetroLink project.
The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council have assessed the risk of costs that Ireland is likely to incur for shortfalls that result from non-compliance with our legally binding GHG reduction targets between now and 2030, which range in magnitude from €8billion to €26billion.
In addition to our exposure to this cost outlay, by not mitigating our emissions within the coming 5-years, we will then face a continued cost from then onwards, for failing to align our effort share with our 27 EU partners. Like a person being trapped by a money lender. Surely this money should be spent on transport infrastructure, to avoid us digging this deep hole deeper, where the OECD's 'polluter pays principle' should apply, rather than the burden be left to taxpayers.
As most of Dublin's suburbs were built in the 20th century, which comprise two-story housing estates that form a low-density conurbation, where its means of mobility is not compatible with an underground rail line, being laid at a deep level, that require extra large stations for passenger access down to a deep level.
This beckons the questions if current trends are left unabated
What will traffic conditions be like in Dublin by 2030?
How will Dublin's transport's CO2 emissions be reduced by 2030 to meet our onerous GHG reduction targets?
The Path Forward Is Clear
To transform Dublin during peak-commuting hours, into a metropolis that follows the high performing mobility standards of model European cities, that are free from car congestion requires all urban commuter roads in Dublin to prioritise a modal switch to a comprehensive public transport system, particularly during morning and evening peak commuting hours.
This transformation, made free from cars, would enable all commuting journeys by a much-improved public transport modes and network, to be fast, reliable, efficient and punctual. Where all residential areas across the city are made accessible to reach the widely varied workplace and education destinations. This proposal would initially be facilitated by fast and frequent express-buses on all core corridors, where these services would be underpinned by local feeder-buses, that carry passengers from local neighbourhoods and town centres to the express-bus stops on the spine routes. This would enable passengers to be free from traffic stress, air and noise pollution, and to commute in an ecologically sustainable manner, by use of low-emission electric buses with high occupancy and with frequent services, where buses and trams on all diverse routes are well-connected.
As demand for public transport becomes mainstream and ubiquitous over the coming 5 years, new Luas tram lines would be phased in on the major commuting routes. This, in tandem with more Dart tracks, stations and frequent services on existing rail lines, and strategic new Dart+ commuter lines. This vision is not just about better infrastructure—it's also about rethinking, and reinventing the entire mobility experience.
Imagine Dublin as a city like Amsterdam where Dublin citizens, its local authorities and government agencies, manage to release its metropolis from its dominance of car traffic.
This requires a shift from car journeys in the city, to a combination of public transport modes and cycling, which would form the backbone for people’s mobility throughout the city’s metropolis. This would enable Dublin's historic city centre to become easy and very walkable to explore, free from traffic stress, air-pollution and noise. Where people can relax, socialize, move freely, and enjoy its amenities and historic city centre facilities with ease. This transformation can be achieved for Dublin, by citizens and commuters being enabled by a cost-effective, and fast to install mobility strategy, that would satisfy the following objectives:
Motivate a comprehensive shift by most Dublin commuters, from their existing car-journeys to public transport during peak-hours.
Enable a fast and frequent express-bus service for all commuters, it needs to operate from routes close to residential areas across and beyond the city metropolis, to reach all workplaces and education destinations across the wide metropolis.
Amsterdam: Photo Author - Jorge Royan
For public transport to be effective, it requires a joined-up 'network' system that is comprehensively applied across Dublin wide metropolis. An expansion of buses with frequent services, all provided with a bus lane on every commuter route, would provide low-cost, easy and quick to install.
This bus network system must also be extended to all long-distance commuting routes, such as on core motorway stretches, along the M50, and on all roads that cross the M50. It would greatly reduce the current heavy car traffic that pours into the city and that saturate urban roads with severe congestion each workday.
It is clear that the vast majority of Dublin's commuters currently encounter unacceptable and unpredictable levels of traffic congestion, where they regularity suffer long delays during peak-hours.
With no other viable alternative remedy available, than by a fundamental modal transformation from car journeys to an effective public transport network system. This requires specific new 'traffic rules' to apply to Dublin's roads and especially to its commuter routes during the 3-hours of both morning and evening commute-hours during workdays.
Our Concept Envisages Ten Key Objectives And Solutions
An attractive and compelling mobility system that offers fast moving, frequent, reliable, punctual and well-connected bus services on all core radial routes that lead to the city centre.
New orbital bus routes around Dublin's expansive metropolis, at specific distances out from the city centre. It needs to entice the vast majority of car commuters to make a switch to public transport.
A shift from car drop-offs by parents, to children cycling to school across Dublin's suburbs.
Traffic-calming measures on all routes within at least 2km from schools, to make them safe for cyclists.
Providing bicycle lanes along all approach roads to schools, where traffic speed is reduced to 30km/h. It would require roundabouts to be made safely accessible for cyclists, rather than free-flow for cars.
On roads without a cycle lane, the traffic speed to be reduced to 20km/h.
Local feeder-buses to connect with all schools within their suburban neighbourhood.
In low-density rural areas around Dublin, the approach roads within 2 km of schools, that are too narrow for a cycle lane, should be traffic calmed with speed limits of 20kmh.
Where rural homes are located more than 2km from schools, would require school buses to provide access for all students who reside within a school's catchment area, and likewise for teachers.
The transition would need to happen on a specific day and in a seamless manner, to ensure minimal disruption or confusion to people's means of mobility.
Five Strategies To Implement Between Now And 2030
1. Motorway Stretches To Be Designated As Multimodal Ways
The stretches of all six motorways and the N81 from Tallaght, that radiate towards Dublin and join the M50, from an average distance of about 30km out from the M50, would be transformed into what I refer to as 'multimodal ways' where they prioritize public transport. Speed limits on these 'multimodal way' stretches would be reduced to a maximum of 70km/h, to make safe for bus passengers to access bus stops set into both verges of these multimodal ways. Currently, during peak-hours, the speed realized by commuting traffic on these motorways stretches varies greatly and unpredictably, as volumes of vehicles increase as they get closer to the built-up area of the city. Cars seldom exceeds 60km/h, and on the traffic saturated stretches of these routes, where the average speed regularity reduces down below 15km/h (a moderate cycling speed).
Example - A bi-articulated Van Hool ExquiCity 24, Metz, France
Proposed Multimodal Way
The existing left traffic lane on each carriageway would be allocated to a BRT express-bus lane, with a bus lay-by for each bus stop set into the existing green verge of each carriageway. The preferred type of bus on these multimodal ways, would be long bi-articulated 3-car (bendy) buses with 150 seats that can carry 200 passengers.
The distance of the proposed predesignated 'multimodal ways' would vary, as it relates to the volume of commuter traffic on each route that emanates from dormitory satellite towns around the city, such as Balbriggan, Skerries and Swords on the M1, Ashbourne and Ratoath on the M2, Dunshoughlin on the M3, Enfield, Maynooth & Celbridge on the M4, Kildare, Newbridge and Naas on the M7, Jobstown and Tallaght on the N81, and Greystones and Bray on the M11.
The M50 would also be transformed into a major 'orbital' public transport route around the city, on both its northbound and southbound carriageways.
This core M50 orbital route would be provided with 'transfer-hub' stops at its junctions with all the six multimodal ways routes, and the N11, and the Stillorgan Road, and other core bus corridors that cross the M50.
Routes
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The R139 that runs from the M1/M50 (J3) to Kilbarrack and to the Dart's Howth Junction & Donaghmede station.
The M50 J4 to Ballymun Rd, Mobhi Rd, Botanic Rd to Cross Guns Bridge, Phibsborough Rd to Church St bridge on Liffey quays.
Castleknock Rd, through Phoenix Park to Liffey quays.
Leopardstown Rd to the Stillorgan Rd at Foxrock, to Newtown Park Ave to Stradbrook Rd and Blackrock village.
Edmonstown Rd to Ballyboden Rd to Rathfarnham.
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Drogheda rail line (commuter Dart+) .
Maynooth line (commuter train) at M50 overpass to Castleknock Station.
Kildare rail line M50 underpass connection to Park West & Cherry Orchard station.
Luas line crossing over M50 at Naas Rd intersection at Red Cow station.
Dart line to M11 at Woodbrook/Dublin Rd roundabout north of Bray.
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a) Bi-articulated 3-car bus, b) Luas tram line, or c) Dart line.
An M50 bus route would also extend from the M1/ M50 (Junction 3) intersection, to reach the coast road at Kilbarrack Rd, which would also connect with Dart line at Howth Junction station (on the north side of the city).
A similar M50 bus route extension would occur on the south side of the city, from the N11, where it would join the Dart line north of Bray, and south of Shankill Station.
The existing dual-carriageways that lead into the city centre, would have similarly fast BRT express-buses. All existing roads that crossover, under, or join the M50, would also be allocated an exclusive express-bus lane. All existing main commuter urban roads around Dublin's metropolis, would also require an exclusive bus lane during peak hours. Many of these commuter roads currently comprise only a single traffic lane for each direction, with little possibilities of road widening, where these single traffic lanes would require to be designated as bus lanes during the peak-hours.
2. Improve The Fast Flow And Efficiency Of Buses
At the heart of this transformation is the creation of a fast, extensive and frequent bus ‘network’. This system would integrate express-buses with local feeder-bus services, designed to complete journeys within two-thirds of the time it currently takes cars during peak hours,. Buses would become more attractive to commuters by running at double or triple the current frequency and at twice the current speed, while transporting multiple times more passengers per vehicle. By increasing bus speed and frequency, buses could achieve double the number of trips during peak times, with an average seat occupancy of two-thirds. This efficiency boost would shift the public mindset, encouraging a significant move away from cars and toward public transport, especially buses, trams, and trains. Ways to improve fast flow of buses include the following:
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The traffic lights at road junctions along all core bus corridors would be required to be synchronised to prioritise fast express-bus movements.
Car parking in the city must be significantly reduced, to free up space for new bus lanes, cycle lanes, and wider footpaths and public realm activities and tree planting.
But also, to discourage car journeys on urban and suburban commuter roads during peak hours, where car-parking along footpath curbs, parking lots, and at office parking, has induced high demand for car journeys.
For this modal transformation to function effectively, it must enable all commuter workplace and education destinations across the metropolis to be made accessible to frequent public transport services, during hours that match commuter demand.
Currently, buses that travel into the city centre, tend to only achieve a single trip during peak hours, which renders them very inefficient, under-performing and costly to operate. The express-buses would need to move at double their current speed and the speed of cars, and achieve a reliable journey time during peak commute hours, and be unobstructed by private cars and taxis.
Five new orbital bus routes would be provided around the city, at various distances out from the city centre, that would connect passengers to all the other core radial bus corridors around the city.
Delays at bus passenger 'transfer hub' stops must be minimised to a maximum of 2 minutes between connecting bus services.
To avoid too many buses obstructing each other or Luas trams, in the city centre area, only the express-buses on each of the 12 core radial bus corridors, plus the longer-distance buses from other cities and large towns, would travel into the city centre.
All feeder buses would only service their local neighbourhoods to carry passengers to their nearest express-bus stop.
The express buses would start at different distances out form the city centre, on each core radial bus corridors, to match commuter demand, which would include the 'multimodal way' stretches to the M50.
This 'split trip' system for fast moving buses would also enable each express-bus on the core bus corridors, to make at least two inbound journeys during the morning peak hours and likewise, two outbound trips during the evening peak-hours. Many of these buses may likely achieve an additional third trip for commuters.
As passenger demand for buses would be high and predictable during the peak hours, the buses would achieve much higher passenger occupancy rates, which would be more economically viable for bus operators, lower CO2 /passenger/km, when compared to being stuck in the current traffic snarled system.
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All existing obstructions to buses in the city centre would be released, by provision of a ‘bus loop’ system on both the north and south quays.
Buses would run 'contraflow' to motor traffic and the cycle lane around the quays in an 'anti-clockwise' direction, where they would hug the Liffey footpath and only turn left at bridges.
Their bus stops along the quays would be positioned on the riverside footpath at sufficiently wide stretches of the quay roads that enable moving buses to pass the stopped buses, unimpeded.
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A novel bus passenger ‘Interchange” would be provided at Custom House Quay which would extend its range to the adjoining quays, on both sides of the Liffey River.
It would comprise a linear cluster of bus stops along the curb of the Liffey side footpath, for all bus destinations from and around the city outskirts, when they reach the city centre.
Bus stops for all core bus routes would be allocated a specific city centre bus stop at Custom House Quay and its adjoining quays, when they reach the city centre.
This would enable bus passengers to easily transfer from their current route to any of the other bus routes that leads back out of the city centre.
Also, to enable bus passengers to transfer to the Dart rail line at Tara St station, to Luas line stops, to Bus Eireann's countrywide coach terminus at Busarus, or for passengers on private buses from other cities and towns in rural areas.
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All new buses should be battery electric, which would significantly reduce their CO2 and eliminate air pollution and less noise.
Solar PV panel arrays with batteries and power cables could be installed above the median strip of each 30km average multimodal way stretch and along the median strip of the M50. This would enable the energy for these buses to be free. The buses could also have recharging points along these multimodal ways.
3. Free Up Road Space For Buses And Trams
This modal shift would dramatically reduce car journeys during peak hours, thereby freeing up existing road space. These lanes could then be reallocated to become dedicated bus corridors, while safe cycling infrastructure would be provided on adjacent roads that run parallel with the direction of the commuting route.
If car traffic and on-street parking were to be reduced to just 15% of current levels during peak times, Dublin's streets would be transformed into safer, cleaner, and more welcoming public spaces for walking and cycling.
Notably, current diesel-fuelled double-decker buses—which currently are more efficient than ICE cars in their fuel use and in less CO₂ emissions per passenger—would be further optimized.
However, the long-term strategy should see the entire bus fleet transition to battery-electric models to prevent long-term diesel emissions lock-in
4. A Well-Networked City Of Radial & Orbital Routes, Connected By Transfer Nodes For People's Mobility To All Destinations
The proposed bus network would extend across both radial routes leading to the city centre and orbital routes that connect suburbs. Crucially, these routes would intersect at high-quality transfer hubs, allowing seamless, rapid connections with minimal waiting time.
As demand grows, some core bus corridors could evolve into new tram lines, while new DART stations would be introduced along existing railway lines.
This 'network' approach that would prove reliable, fast, accessible, and well-connected, would ensure that every corner of the metropolitan area is reachable by public transport.
5. Time-Sensitive ‘Traffic Rules’
To support this transformation, special 'traffic rules' would apply during the three morning and three evening peak hours. They would apply on all working days from 6am to 9am, at distances within 30km out from the M50, and from 7am to 10am from within the M50 zone and the city centre. In the evenings, they would occur from 4pm to 7pm in the city centre to the M50, and from 4:30pm pm to 7:30 pm from the M50 to 30km out from the M50. The peak-hours along the M50 would occur from 6am to 10am and from 4;30 pm to 7;30pm.
Outside of those time windows—the other 18 hours each weekday, and the 24 hours throughout weekends and bank holidays—car access could continue in its current norm, allowing flexibility for car users, without undermining the core mobility strategy for commuters.
If the above strategies were implemented between now and 2030, Dubliners could expect the following impact:
Improvements For Peak-Commute Hours
70% of all commute journeys to Dublin would be made by public transport.
10% of all commutes up to 10 km (35 to 40min trips), 20% of 5km trips, and 30% of 3km trips be by bicycle.
Private car commutes would reduce down to 10%. To be limited to those with accessibility impairment needs, for those in exceptional circumstances, poor weather conditions, and for emergency journeys, or where car journeys to some destinations were inacceesible by public transport.
Dramatic reductions in personal mobility costs, fuel usage, and new car purchases, further strengthening the case for a public-first transport model.
Broader Impact
This shift would bring a cascade of benefits:
Sharply reduce traffic congestion.
Achieve faster, more reliable, and accessible public transport.
Lower CO₂ emissions, air pollution, and road noise—potentially reduced to 25% of current levels.
A reallocation of car parking spaces to public amenities, housing, green spaces, and wider walkways.
Safer and more enjoyable environments for pedestrians and cyclists.
Ultimately, Dublin could become a European exemplar of efficient, effective healthy, reliable and sustainable urban mobility—to be achieved expeditiously and with modest capital investment.
A call for public support
The realisation of this vision would greatly depend on the comprehension and buy-in of at least 60% of commuters and residents across Dublin city, Fingal, South Dublin, and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
It will also require mainstream adoption by the longer-distance commuters in the GDA and wide commuter belt, who currently suffer disproportionately from the excessive time they consume while commuting. Likewise, from their level of car-dependency, expenditure on diesel and petrol, and excessive CO2 emissions.
Without this broad level of support, and where resisted by vested interests, who are likely to continue to lobby and campaign and to exert political push-back. This would inflict the city's inhabitants to endure ever-greater levels of traffic congestion, longer and more unreliable commute journey time, and face escalating transport CO2, to further drive 'climate breakdown', while imposing greater mitigation and adaptation challenges by 2030, 2040 and 2050.
The currently grievous state of mobility that we have got ourselves into, versus the opportunity it poses for a deep transformation, is now clearly evident. The question is no longer whether Dublin should make this change, but whether we as citizens and commuters have the courage and willingness to collectively choose a radical, remedial path forward, to ensure a viable means of mobility into the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
This paradigm shift could readily, rapidly, and at low-installation cost, be achieved within a couple of years from now.
Just imagine, how such a shift in people's commuting modes of mobility could transform the lives, and the health and welfare of Dublin's residents. Where commuters would make good use of their precious quality time that they currently lose each day when stuck in traffic congestion.
Besides solving our traffic congestion and mitigation of our transport CO2 emissions, its implementation would clearly result in less traffic stress, traffic noise, and much improved air quality.
It will create safer conditions for children to cycle to school, improve walking conditions, provide more outdoor seating and leisure space for adults and children, and more green pockets for pollinators and for urban tree planting.
But, critically, this initiative has the potential to significantly reduce people’s mobility CO2 emissions in Dublin, by as much as 75% between now and 2030. This alone, would significantly reduce our overall GHG emissions, and our exposure to a possible €26billion in costs from our non-compliance with mandatory EU targets and ameliorate our reputation in Europe.