The costs of traffic congestion to the Irish economy is in excess of £700 million, according to Irish Energy Centre.
It is also estimated that the cumulative cost of road transport to the economy is now £2.2 billion per year.
Speaking at the Glanbia conference on energy and transport in Kilkenny, Andrew Parish of the Irish Energy Centre said that over on third of the fuel consumed in Ireland is now accounted for by vehicular traffic.
Transport now accounts for 36% of final energy consumption in Ireland, he said, and is the fastest growing sector in terms of energy use in Ireland. The the knock-on effect that 25 per cent of CO2 emissions in Ireland come from the energy we use for transport so that by 2010 it is estimated that transport related CO2 emissions in Ireland will have grown by 180 per cent over 1990 levels.
"Addressing the potential for energy efficiency improvements and financial savings in transport is a very serious challenge for Irish industry and cannot continue to go unchecked," he said.
"The industrial and commercial sectors need to consider their energy consumption and all options towards reducing it."
Major companies, he added, could play a key role in helping to reduce traffic congestion and the levels of fuel consumption in Ireland, ultimately cutting costs to the Irish economy by 20 per cent each year, by introducing sustainable mobility or green commuter plans.
Mobility plans include provision of shower facilities for cyclists, promoting walking to and from business meetings within cities, or even encouraging less formal business wear which would facilitate those who wish to walk or cycle to work.
"Companies don’t usually pay the costs of getting staff to and from work, but they do pay the price if staff are unhappy with accessibility, commuting times or travel options", Mr. Parish said.
Mobility plans, he said, have been proven to work in the UK and elsewhere and are viewed as essential in the planning of any major commercial development in urban areas.
Ireland is committed under the UN Kyoto agreement to limiting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to 13% above the 1990 levels. IL is estimated that at current growth rates, our total emissions of greenhouse gases in 2010 will be at 25 per cent above the 1990 levels.