London-style congestion charges would not offer an effective solution to Dublin's transport problems, it was claimed today.
The levy is one of a number of ideas being considered by Dublin Transportation Office in a bid to resolve traffic gridlock in the Irish capital.
It was criticised by Labour's transport spokesperson Ms Roisin Shortall, who described the proposal as "ludicrous".
"The problem in Dublin is insufficient public transport at peak hours that leaves long queues for buses and passengers packed into trains like sardines," she said.
"The London situation is entirely different to here. They have an excellent underground and bus service, and an effective public transport system is already in place.
"In Ireland, we suffer the dual problems of an inadequate supply of public transport and poor management."
Ms Shortall said that although transport in Dublin was a huge problem it would not be solved by "quick-fix solutions".
She said a powerful transport authority was needed to tackle the situation. Her criticism came after it emerged that DTO is inviting submissions from the public on how to deal with the increasing volume of traffic in the Greater Dublin area.
A range of measures are being considered, including levies on workplace parking and subsidies for employers who buy bicycles for their staff.
The DTO stressed that the ideas were only under consideration at this stage. Efforts have already been made to alleviate transport problems, with the introduction of bus corridors and a cycle network.
Last week the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, was presented with a Strategic Rail Review aimed at getting people off the roads and on to the railways.
The Strategic Rail Review recommended an investment of around €8.5 billion to reform the country's railways in a bid to solve traffic problems.