asked the Minister for Local Government if he intends to close whole streets of Dublin city in order to help deal with traffic problems in the city.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin City Traffic.
48.
The closure of streets to vehicular traffic would be a matter in the first instance for Dublin Corporation and the Garda. Among a number of suggestions I made to the corporation for consideration by their traffic committee was that certain shopping streets in the city centre might be pedestrianised as an experiment in improving civic amenities. The committee is at present considering the closing on an experimental basis of Henry Street, North Earl Street and Grafton Street. As indicated in reply to a previous Parliamentary question on 4th ultimo, there will be consultation with all interests concerned before any experiment or major changes are implemented.
Has the Minister any idea when there will be a decision on that?
Not at the moment.
The Minister would not consider banning all cars from the centre of the city?
I will consider anything.
Has the Minister reconsidered his statement to the effect that this ban was going to come into operation in February, 1971?
My statement was that I had requested the Dublin traffic committee to carry out investigations into the possibility of a ban on certain vehicular traffic in certain parts of the city. That investigation is in progress.
The Minister must have been misreported. Ministers are always being misreported.
No. I was very clear in what I said. What other people imagine I said is a different thing altogether. I asked the committee to consider all angles of the traffic problem in Dublin and I do not think anybody could say I was wrong in asking them to do that.
When is the Minister going to build roads to solve the traffic problem?