Motorists set to face congestion or clean-air zone charges under new traffic plan
Motorists face potential congestion charges or paying for the cost of clean air zones in cities and towns by 2030 under a radical Government strategy aimed at reducing traffic gridlock and greenhouse gases.
The Cabinet signed off on the strategy from Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan that will put pressure on local councils to choose whether motorists should face congestion charges to drive through high-traffic parts of major urban areas or pay for the creation of low-carbon emission or clean-air zones.
In a bid to force through the changes locally, future State funding for local authorities will be tied to the councils adopting the most environmentally-friendly measures. The funding will be prioritised for areas well serviced by public transport and active travel such as walking and cycling.
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Top News Stories
- Mayo crash: Mother and daughters killed on N17 named, as husband travels home: The three victims of a fatal collision in Co Mayo on Tuesday have been named as Una Bowden (47) and her daughters Ciara (14) and Saoirse (9).
- Plan to spend €1bn on onshore wind farms capable of supplying electricity to 500,000 homes: State-owned Bord na Móna and SSE Renewables plan to spend €1 billion on building onshore wind farms capable of supplying electricity to almost 500,000 homes.
- Business insolvencies rise more than 40% as hospitality sector comes under pressure: Corporate insolvencies rose 41 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year and have more than doubled compared with the first three months of 2022, according to new figures from PwC Ireland.
- Surge in prosecutions of asylum seekers arriving without passports: There has been a surge in recent months in asylum seekers being charged with arriving into the country without passports, as the Government seeks to present a tougher image on immigration.
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News from around the World
- Baltimore bridge collapse: Officials announced the recovery of two bodies on Wednesday from the water beneath the spot where the bridge in Baltimore collapsed after it was struck by a cargo ship on Tuesday. The two men had been been trapped in their vehicle after it fell from the bridge.
The Big Read
- Silicon Valley has not changed that much since Mike Lynch, the UK entrepreneur now on trial for fraud, was in his pomp: Legal arguments are now under way in San Francisco in the criminal trial of Mike Lynch, the founder of the UK company Autonomy, for what the US prosecuting team has called “the largest fraud in the history” of Silicon Valley. Lynch sold Autonomy to HP in August 2011 for the extraordinary price – especially back then – of $11.7 billion (€10.8 billion). A mere year later, HP wrote off $8.8 billion of that value, claiming there were “serious accounting improprieties” and “outright misrepresentations” at Autonomy. Now, over a decade on, the multibillionaire stands accused of 16 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and securities fraud by US government authorities, following his extradition from the UK.
The best from Opinion
- Finn McRedmond: Britain’s narrow stereotype of the Irish could not make sense of Leo Varadkar
- Frances Ruane and Laura Burke: Ireland must stop prioritising short-term needs and plan for a better society
- Newton Emerson: Northern nationalism regards itself as left-wing, but on most issues its views are centre-right
Today's Business
- Government plan for January start to pension auto-enrolment deemed ‘optimistic’: Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys secured Cabinet approval on Wednesday for draft legislation that would pave the way for a landmark auto-enrolment (AE) pensions scheme – even though the launch date has drifted to the start of 2025.
Top Sports news
- FAI are better off hiring John O’Shea than an average journeyman manager from elsewhere: The FAI’s hunt for a new manager will soon enter its sixth month, and John O’Shea’s stint as interim head coach has not given us any definitive answers, writes Ciarán Murphy.
Culture and Life & Style highlights
- Caladh, Greystones, restaurant review: Fish and grilled meat are the stars at this smart new restaurant: Greystones must be the happiest place in the world. I’m tempted to point to the diminutive but ear-piercing blonde at a table for four and channel the “I’ll have what she’s having” line from When Harry Met Sally – for mirth rather than carnal joys, I should add. But our lovely waitress is enthusiastically relaying the fact that ordering from all four sections of the menu is advisable, we will need a side to go with our mains and would we like still or sparkling water? I’m left wondering, is it my hearing, eyesight or the upsell I should be most worried about?
- Irish cinema’s green wave: how do we make sure that the stories Ireland tells about itself on screen are not reductive? What stories are we telling about Ireland on screen, and who’s getting to tell them? I wondered this during a few moments recently, writes Aoife Barry. For starters, while watching the Lindsay Lohan film Irish Wish (don’t worry, this isn’t a column where I dissect its many idiosyncrasies – though I will note that at one point they serve boxty with cream for breakfast). Next, at a screening of the stunning Irish documentary Birdsong, about ornithologist Seán Ronayne. And finally, at two recent events: the X-Pollinator professional development weekend for film and TV-makers, and last week’s inaugural Storyhouse screenwriting festival.
Video & Podcast Highlights
- In the News: ‘It’s been defeated in the West, but it’s surged around the world’ - the threat posed by Isis-K.
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