A Labour Party TD was unable to propose a motion on reducing traffic congestion in the Dáil this morning after being delayed for hours in traffic on the M50.
The irony of the situation was highlighted by Labour’s Ciarán Ahern, who told the Dáil that his colleague, Kildare South TD Mark Wall, had been scheduled to bring forward the motion but was still stuck in traffic travelling from Athy. Mr Ahern said Mr Wall had been delayed for approximately three-and-a-half hours due to congestion on the motorway.
Mr Ahern used the incident to underline Labour’s calls for stronger action on flexible and remote working, arguing that such measures could significantly ease commuter delays. Describing the M50 as “an absolute nightmare”, he said traffic was routinely bumper-to-bumper in the evenings, with congestion occurring day in, day out. He added that this level of traffic had serious knock-on effects for other routes leading into Dublin.
The Dublin South-West TD cited figures from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which he said had warned that, without a change in government policy, all available options to deal with congestion had effectively been exhausted. Mr Ahern told the Dáil that Dublin is now the third-most congested city in Europe and the 11th-most congested city globally.
He argued that the lack of a meaningful right to flexible and remote work was a significant contributor to the problem. Mr Ahern said it was regrettable to see what he described as a rollback of one of the few positive legacies of the Covid-19 pandemic, when remote and flexible working became more widespread.
According to Mr Ahern, congestion is not just a transport issue but also a workers’ rights and quality-of-life issue. He said many people are spending hours every week sitting in traffic, time that could be put to far better use. He suggested that even modest measures, such as staggered start times for employees, could make a noticeable difference and would be relatively easy for employers to implement.
“This is something the Government could address almost overnight,” he said, accusing ministers of a lack of urgency in delivering projects that would do the most to ease congestion in Dublin and other urban areas.
Mr Ahern also criticised recent changes to bus routes under the BusConnects programme, claiming that constituents in Dublin South-West were experiencing delays and cancellations as a result. He said these issues were further compounding the daily difficulties faced by commuters.
