Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock

Ireland's 'car-dependent' transport system needs to change, says OECD

Improvements in fuel efficiency and electric vehicle use won’t be enough to bridge the gap for 2030 emissions.

A REPORT BY the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that “current mobility patterns in Ireland are incompatible” with meeting our climate targets and that transformative change in our transport system is needed.

‘Redesigning Ireland’s Transport for Net Zero: Towards systems that work for people and the planet’, launched today, noted that the transport sector is set to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, but this may not be achievable.

There is a 13% gap between the expected emission reductions from policies planned for the sector and the 2030 target, with the report stating that this gap is likely to be even larger than estimated.

In its key recommendations the report noted that many of the government’s policies were “insufficient to reduce emissions at the pace and scale needed” and deemed “low-impact”.

One specific area of criticism was electric vehicles.

“Car-dependent systems make rapid electrification slow and difficult, by locking-in large and growing vehicle fleets,” the report stated.

“Even with improved (and fully-electric) vehicles, they also fail to reduce life-cycle emissions, address accessibility gaps and other negative impacts such as air and noise pollution, congestion, road injuries and fatalities.”

It added that incentivising electric vehicle use may “also reinforce car-dependency, further locking the country into a system that fosters growing car use and emissions by design”.

Instead focus should be placed on public transport, and shared forms of transport.

The International Transport Forum calculates that, combined with current core public transport services, introducing shared taxis and minibuses could reduce transport emissions by 30% and congestion by 38% in Dublin.

This would remove the equivalent of the annual carbon footprint of over 40,000 people.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Transport and the Environment Eamon Ryan outlined that he would be launching ‘Pathfinder Projects’ over the coming weeks to aid in implementing the report’s recommendations.

Over the past summer, the Minister called every local authority in the country and asked them to identify priority public transport and active travel projects which would have the greatest impact on the people in their areas. 

 Over the next few weeks, we will be announcing the final assessed Pathfinder Projects for towns, cities and townlands from Donegal to Kerry,” he said.

“These projects will be delivered in the next two to three years and will begin to demonstrate practically, by people using them, that we can use our road space differently, we can re-imagine our towns and cities, we can begin to shift our focus from the car to other more sustainable transport systems.”

Marie Donnelly, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council also welcomed the publication of the report today, saying:

“Recent fuel price volatility has shown us the risk of remaining tied to fossil fuel transport and high energy consumption. A new approach that understands the constraints on people’s behaviour is required to achieve the necessary transformation.”

“Reducing car dependence through a balanced suite of measures can reduce energy bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance wellbeing and help achieve the sector’s emissions’ targets,” she said.

The report recommended that a “systemic, electric and integrated” roll-out of
micro-mobility services – electric bikes and scooters- by 2030 in Europe, to the point that these would account for 50% of all trips under eight kilometres.

A shift away from private cars would mean that people travelling to work don’t need to leave their vehicle parked and unused for most of the day, the report continued.

This would massively reduce the amount of car parking spaces needed and would allow for more public spaces and compact cities.

“Modelling a systemic roll-out of micro-mobility across Europe showed that it could liberate 48,000 hectares of inner-city land (the equivalent of about 4 times the land area of Dublin).”

For rural areas, the report recommended a form of either scheduled on-demand public transport, in which passengers would have the option of pre-booking their journey to be collected by a minibus that may be carrying other passengers.

However it noted that due to the lower population density in rural areas, this system could be prone to “uncertainty about schedules, long waiting times, and disruptions in pre-booked journeys.”

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
70 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dublinjonny
    Favourite Dublinjonny
    Report
    Dec 21st 2013, 3:09 PM

    Would it be possible for the journal to do a little article on games developed here in Ireland , there’s quiet a few little gems out there that cost little or nothing that would be nice little pressies for Xmas

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rowan Murphy
    Favourite Rowan Murphy
    Report
    Dec 21st 2013, 1:06 PM

    Mahogany smartphone cases? A pointless waste of rainforest for something with a short shelf life.

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Miss Filed
    Favourite Miss Filed
    Report
    Dec 22nd 2013, 10:24 AM

    Oh yes indeed Rowan, that is obscene! Think of all the gorgeous animals that are losing their homes for this unnecessary rubbish – I will never forget that photo of an orang utan stranded at the top of one solitary rain forest tree in a huge flat area where the trees had all be cut down, afraid to come down out of that tree as its whole world and environment disappeared around it… There is no such thing as sustainable tropical hardwood, no matter what they try to tell you…
    Here’s another story of rain forest destruction just so manufacturers can have the convenience of palm oil in so many products – I look at every food label and will not buy it if palm oil is in the ingredients – even when it says sustainable, because it absolutely is not…
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/15/orangutans-fight-for-survival

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Miss Filed
    Favourite Miss Filed
    Report
    Dec 22nd 2013, 10:29 AM

    What about mahogany shelves?

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Julian King
    Favourite Julian King
    Report
    Dec 21st 2013, 12:52 PM

    HTC one is great but get it insured, it costs €180 to get the screen replaced.

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute PerkyBeans
    Favourite PerkyBeans
    Report
    Dec 21st 2013, 1:07 PM

    Ouch

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Miss Filed
    Favourite Miss Filed
    Report
    Dec 22nd 2013, 10:30 AM

    That laptop table is a prime example of a waste of the planet’s resources. There is nothing better than a cushion or a pillow under your laptop to raise it up and you can have it at any angle you wish – just be careful to make sure air vents not covered…

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds