Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is well aware of how well pedestrian zones work in cities throughout the world. It is, undoubtedly, fantastic that they improve the living space and allow people to get around, but they have to be developed in harmony with people's ability to gain access to such locations by means of private cars or public transport. There is a delicate and fine balance between the two. On the basis of what I have read so far, I am concerned that the broader exclusion of the car from the city centre almost has the potential to make a park out of that zone. If access to the city centre is restricted and the volume of people is reduced, there will be no level of activity there. It will become a no-go zone for people who will choose to do their business elsewhere. We should have learned from experience around the world when city centres started to be hollowed out. Much of that happened as a result of people's decisions to move to commuter belts and live on the outskirts of cities. If a business district is created in the city centre and cars are removed, it could potentially have a really damaging effect on the economic life of the city. For that reason, I hope people's views will be listened to as part of a broader consultation process. The consultation process on this report should not be mere window-dressing that will allow Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority to drive ahead with this agenda.

See this speech in context