The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr Cullen, has called on the public to participate in European Car Free Day 2004 today.
This is the fifth year in which Ireland is participating in European Car Free Day, the date for which is fixed Europe-wide for September 22nd each year. The initiative aims to raise awareness of the alternatives to private car usage particularly for short trips in and around urban areas.
Speaking in Waterford City, which is one of the 20 Irish cities and towns participating this year, Mr Cullen said: "I would ask everyone to stop and think 'Do I need to use the car for this trip, or could I walk, cycle or take the bus instead?'
"While Irish cities and towns have good air quality, heavily trafficked urban areas present a challenge to maintaining this situation. New more stringent air quality standards enter into force next year and while progressively cleaner petrol and diesel fuels and tighter vehicle emission standards for new cars are reducing polluting emissions per individual vehicle, the growth in overall vehicle numbers and vehicle journeys continues to offset the ensuing environmental gains."
He said that though the number of private cars on Irish roads had increased by almost 82 per cent between 1990 and 2002, Ireland was still significantly below the EU car ownership average. The Environmental Protection Agency in its most recent "environment 2004 report had cited emissions from road traffic as the primary threat to air quality in Ireland," said the Minister.
Twenty Irish cities and towns are taking part including: Balbriggan, Blanchardstown, Clare, Clonakilty, Cork, Dublin, Dungarvan, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick City and county, Navan, Portmarnock, Portrane, Sligo, Tralee, Tullamore, Waterford, Westport and Wicklow.
Meanwhile, the Irish climate action group, Grian, has said that the car-free day makes "effectively not a jot of difference" to overall annual emissions of CO2 from transport, "Ireland's third largest - and fastest growing - contributor to climate change."
Pat Finnegan, co-ordinator of Grian, said: "The increasingly fictional 'Car-Free Day' is, most regrettably, well past its sell-by date. It is increasingly meaningless in the face of rocketing emissions from the road transport sector."