Councillors Angry Over Impact Of Transport Authority

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Fianna Fail and Green’s New Dublin Transportation Authority Aims To Maximise High Density Development 1 km along Railway and Metro West. From The Irish Times.

Councillors angry over impact of transport authority

THE New Dublin Transportation Authority (DTA), due to start work in January 2009, will have the power to veto planning applications, direct local authority spending and instruct authorities to compulsorily purchase land, Dublin City councillors have been told.

Councillors reacted angrily yesterday to a report from the city’s director of traffic, Michael Phillips, about the impact of the DTA on the council’s powers, and said the DTA was seeking to interfere unduly in council business without giving councillors adequate representation.
Councillors will not be represented on the board of the DTA. Two councillors from the Dublin Regional Authority will be represented on an advisory council to the DTA. However, councillors from the four Dublin local authorities will be vying for these positions.

Mr Phillips told councillors the DTA would be able to stop the council from granting planning permission if it felt the objectives of the DTA would be compromised.
The DTA would also be able to make amendments to the city development plan.
Currently, only councillors can amend the development plan.
The DTA could tell the council where to site bus stops, cycling facilities or parking within the city.

It could also direct the council to compulsorily purchase lands and carry out works, and will be able to step in and carry out work if the council fails to do so.
This could mean that if the DTA decided a quality bus corridor was to be created, the council could be ordered to acquire people’s front gardens, Tim O’Sullivan, executive manager in the council’s traffic department, said.

The DTA will also have an input into the council’s finances, and will be able to direct the council as to how it must spend revenue collected from such sources as parking meters.

Fine Gael were the only major party to vote against this legislation in the Dail.

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