THE GOVERNMENT have no plans to implement congestion charges in Limerick, the Limerick Post can reveal.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that congestion charges “wouldn’t be fair” to price people off the road, but stressed that people need a greater choice of transport options.
Speaking at the launch of Limerick’s fully electric bus service at Colbert Station on Friday (April 12), Minister Ryan told the Limerick Post that increasing bus and rail services is his priority, not congestion charges.
“We did a big demand management study the other day and what I argued is, I don’t think it would be as fair socially to just price people off the road,” Minister Ryan said.
“People don’t have a choice at the moment. The best thing to do is provide the choice, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
The launch, which saw a €54million investment by the National Transport Authority (NTA) into a fleet of 55 electric double-decker buses for Limerick City, heard that the move will see two million emission-free kilometres travelled across the Treaty City every year.
The Transport Minister said that over the next two years there will be a 70 per cent increase in bus services across Limerick, enabling more choices for people in both rural and suburban areas.
“We’re going to effectively double the bus service in Limerick with a 70 per cent increase coming in the next two years, on top of what we’ve already done in the last few,” Minister Ryan said.
