Ireland to have second car-free day

Ireland will participate in European Car Free Day for the second year in a row, it was announced today.

The number of Irish cities and towns involved has doubled to ten. Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, Castlebar, Greystones, Dublin South and Clonmel will all restrict the use of cars on Saturday, September 22nd, 2001.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government Mr Dan Wallace said Ireland’s role in European Car Free Day affirmed "Ireland’s commitment to the development of a cleaner, healthier urban environment".

Speaking at the announcement of the event in Cork, Mr Wallace said the day is "an opportunity to explore alternatives to the single-occupancy private car as a mode of transport".

A survey commissioned by the Irish Energy Centre said that lack of adequate public transport was one of the main disadvantages of last year’s Car Free Day.

Last year, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Portlaoise were among 751 cities and European towns that restricted the use of cars for a day to promote a cleaner environment.

Only a limited number of Dublin’s city centre streets were closed to cars from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but Dublin Corporation measurements showed a 30 per cent decrease in air pollutants in the city during the day.

The proportion of people driving a car to work in Dublin rose from 46 per cent in 1996 to 50 per cent last year, said an ESRI report published last month. At the same time, the proportion using public transport and cycling fell.