The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Fingal County Council, Department of Transport and Dublin Transportation Office have been "absolutely negligent" in not providing public transport to cope with the expansion of Dublin airport, An Taisce has said.
The organisations have been involved in "chaotic and shambolic management of transport demands at Dublin airport", An Taisce heritage officer Ian Lumley told a Board Pleanála hearing into a proposed runway.
The DAA was planning a "massive development without sustainable transport in place" and the council and successive governments had failed "to grapple with long-term strategic planning" for the airport, he said.
The DAA has said the airport will begin to experience air traffic constraints from 2009 if the runway is not built. Passenger numbers are expected to rise to 38.4 million, from 19 million in 2025.
Despite plans for a metro link from Dublin city, insufficient provision had been made for extra passengers and most would continue to travel by car, putting more pressure on a congested road network, Mr Lumley said. It was an "absolute professional disgrace" that Fingal council's planners had sanctioned the runway he said.
Pat O'Callaghan, Fingal County Council's senior executive engineer, said traffic increase depended on terminal capacity and the runway "will not of itself create an immediate increase in traffic around the airport".
