LATEST DUBLIN CITY NEWS

• “Proposed changes to retail guidelines will cost jobs, compromise main streets and cause more dereliction - An Taisce”

  03-01-2012

  Jobs will be lost and main streets will suffer if Forfas gets its way on Retail Planning  according to a recent An Taisce  Press Release

• Rejuvenating Dublin's Tourism Product

  23-12-2011

  Dublin City Business Association commissioned Jerome Casey and Felim O’Rourke to undertake a study of tourism in Dublin and to make least-cost recommendations for its rejuvenation. The World Tourism Organisation concluded (in relation to Ireland) that "there appears to be very little correlation between marketing spending by National Tourism Organisations and international arrivals". 
  

  Within Ireland, there is a mismatch between the Irish tourism market and the public resources devoted to it. 

  33 existing tourist attractions in Dublin were reviewed, and low-cost initiatives suggested for their improvement.

  From 2000 – 2010 Ireland’s share of world tourism visitors has fallen sharply. In 2004, Ireland changed from being a destination country for incoming tourists to an origin country for Irish, outgoing tourists.

  Dublin must move from passive approval of tourist activities to an active development of tourism as a priority industry in regenerating the city’s economy. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  .

City Businesses Oppose Congestion Charging

Friday the 25th of April 2008

Dublin The Facts:

·         The main commuters into the Dublin 1 & 2 Areas are civil 
     servants and public sector employees.

·         60% of all office parking in the Dublin 1 & 2 Areas are civil 
     servants and public sector employees who park for free.

·         The latest figures from the CSO show that only 9% of the public 
     use public transport to get to work.

·         Congestion charging is being promoted by civil servants & UK 
     consultants and not in the interest of the Irish economy or the 
     public.

London's Congestion Charge the Reality:

·         London's congestion charging system has not been
     the success that it's been made out to be.

·         The annual revenue from the congestion charge is Stg£120 
     million and yet the system costs Stg£145 million a year to run.

·         Also the congestion charge system in London cost an initial Stg
     £160 million to install.

·         The congestion charge in London has helped to reduce traffic 
     congestion within the area by 15% to 20%, but has also 
     substantially increased congestion in the surrounding areas.

·         The damage to the retail economy has resulted in 9,000 
     businesses within the congestion charge area seeking a 
     reduction in their business rates.

·         Year on year retail sales figures have fallen by between 7% and 
     11% within the congestion charge area.

·         The failure of the congestion charge in London to generate the 
     funding for improvements in the public transport network, has 
     recently seen the contractor for the underground, METRONET, 
     call in the receivers with losses of up to Stg£300 million.

Dublin's Success:

·         Dublin City Council has had great success and has managed to 
     deal with congestion with simple traffic management measures, 
     which have been introduced since 1997.

·         Through the creation of Environmental Traffic Cells, QBCs and 
     the construction of the Dublin Port Tunnel, Dublin City Council 
     has successfully reduced traffic volumes in the City Centre by
     between 25% and 30%. This has helped to decrease journey 
     times between the Canal cordons.

·         With the implementation of managed deliveries in the City 
     Centre, which has started to be rolled out with the opening of the 
     Port Tunnel, we can expect to see a further reduction in 
     congestion within the City Centre and the surrounding areas 
     (11,600 HGVs now use the Port Tunnel daily).

The DTO's Figures:

·         The DTO's Strategy Plan has already identified that over 55% of 
     Dublin's congestion is outside of the City Centre, the most in 
     demand areas being Tallaght, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and 
     Swords/Airport

·         The public service and their reliance on too many consultants 
     are frustrating businesses with their lack of performance when it 
     comes to delivering public transport Infrastructure.

What DCBA Wants:

·         No form of congestion charging to be considered until all the 
     public transport infrastructure is in place.

·         Public servants to stop lobbying for congestion charging and 
     employ fewer consultants.

·         Link up the two Luas lines as a matter of urgency.

·         Less debate and more urgent implementation of public transport 
     infrastructure.