DUBLIN CHAMBER of Commerce has urged the city council to remove parking charges at the weekends to compensate for its increase in parking charges announced yesterday.
The rise in parking fees coincided with the first Monday of Operation Freeflow, the annual effort to reduce traffic congestion in the run-up to Christmas.
The city council announced a 20 cent an hour increase in parking fees from Monday to Saturday in the yellow zone which takes in the area from Dorset Street to Ballsbridge. A 10 cent increase has been introduced for Sunday parking.
There has also been a 20 cent increase in the fee charged in the outer red zone from Monday to Saturday and a 10 cent increase in the green zone.
The council said on-street parking spaces were 90 per cent full in parts of the city centre and motorists seeking parking were adding to traffic congestion.
Gina Quin, Dublin Chamber's chief executive, said the increase in parking fees followed a commercial rate increase of 3.3 per cent.
"If the real objective of the city council's increase in parking rates is to free up parking spaces in the city for shoppers, then parking should be free on Saturdays and Sundays," she said.
"Shoppers who travel by car typically spend as much as four times more than shoppers who use public transport."
Operation Freeflow came into effect on Sunday but yesterday morning's rush hour was the first real test. It got off to a smooth start, according to AA Roadwatch spokesman Ronan Mulligan.
"We had no major problems to report," he said. "The main worry was the road conditions nationwide."
Icy roads contributed to several car crashes and incidents involving lorries jack-knifing, he said.
Operation Freeflow involves a ban on non-essential roadworks and encouraging motorists to leave the car at home and use the bus, Luas and Dart services.
Some 166 probationary gardaí are supporting the traffic corps in keeping traffic moving.
Meanwhile, a new study has found that the introduction of barrier-free tolling on the M50 has reduced travel times by 5.5 minutes.
