OWNERS OF electric cars could be granted free parking in Dublin city centre as part of a range of environmental measures to be put before a meeting of Dublin City Council tonight.
The council’s climate change strategy, designed to reduce the city’s energy use by 33 per cent by 2020, is due for ratification at the meeting.
The strategy will introduce policies aimed at producing environmental savings through planning regulations, transport and traffic plans and waste-management plans.
Measures already contained in the draft strategy include switching all traffic lights to energy-efficient bulbs, the reuse of cooking oil from restaurants as biofuel, only granting planning permission for energy-efficient buildings, the use of solar power to run parking meters and the use of energy-efficient vehicles in the council’s fleet.
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan is proposing an addition to the strategy which would see electric cars exempt from parking charges.
“Technology has advanced substantially and electric cars are the ideal commuter cars in terms of price, running cost, size and emissions.
“An ordinary car emits approximately two tonnes of CO2 per annum at the tail pipe. An electric car emits zero CO2 at the tail pipe.”
The council’s traffic department estimates that cars in Dublin emit 630,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum, which accounts for 16 per cent of the city’s overall carbon emissions.
Mr Doolan said every car taken off the road and replaced with an electric model would save the city two tonnes of carbon per year.
Carbon emissions produced by Dublin are actually lower than the national average, according to the council’s figures.
The average Dubliner releases 8.4 tonnes of CO2 a year, while the national average is 11.3 tonnes.
