Traffic has long been an issue in Irish cities - and a 'congestion charge' is one potential solution that has been proposed.
The subject was one of the issues up for debate on today's Lunchtime Live.
Here's what some listeners had to say:
Stephen from Navan:
"It's very much a chicken and egg scenario. In time congestion charge may [lead to a] behaviour change... but as you said the transport at the moment can't handle it.
"And also if you're going to put in a congestion charge - what's that money going to be reinvested in?"
Paul from Dublin:
"I think the current rate of parking in the city is a de facto deterrent on bringing your car in.
"It's around €3 an hour... I cycle or motorbike into work so I don't have the problem, but I used to.
"You're not looking at deterring people from coming in who work in the city - you're looking at people who just come in and out. Even with that... shoppers coming in for Christmas will be looking at €20-30 to do their day's shopping, [just] to park their car."
Eugene from Cork:
"The problem with the congestion charge, as I see it, is that it's a simplistic solution to a much bigger issue - an issue that has many, many components to it.
"Nobody chooses to be in congestion.
"Between employers, policy makers and planners, we need to understand how people are working... why are they working the way they do?"
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A congestion charge is an idea that has been implemented in a number of cities around the world - in London, for example, there's a £11.50 (€13.40) daily charge for most motorists if they drive within large parts of the city between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Writing in today's Irish Independent, Liam Collins argues that congestion charges are the only way to end city traffic jams.
What do you think?
Are congestion charges the only way to end traffic jams? Would they encourage you to leave the car behind and use public transport?
If the charges were introduced, would public transport be properly resourced to take the strain?
