Plans by the Government to phase out free car parking in public sector workplaces will be resisted by workers.
That's according to Newstalk Breakfast host Shane Coleman, who was speaking about plans going to Cabinet on Tuesday.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan is to seek approval for the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate 2023, which would see the phasing out of car parking in buildings if there is access to good transport services.
Shane told co-host Jonathan Healy he believes this will be fought.
"There are loads of people who live short distances from work and still drive to work because they have free car-parking," he said.
"You're absolutely right on one thing: it will be resisted.
"[Former Finance Minister] Charlie McCreevy tried to do this, I think it was 20 years ago - the civil servants basically refused to implement it.
"The report he commissioned never, ever materialised: a lot of the people who have free car parking spaces are public servants, and they will resist this.
"If we can't do this simple change, where people who have access to public transport are denied free car parking, if we can't do that we can't do anything".
'Particularly ironic'
Jonathan said he believes the timing on this plan is completely wrong.
"They have been talking about this for donkey's years, and they have failed spectacularly to introduce it," he said.
"What I find particularly ironic about this now is, in the middle of a housing crisis where a lot of workers have been forced outside of Dublin... they're saying, 'You're not getting your parking space anymore.
"'You don't have access to fantastic public transport, but we'll give you an electric bike and it'll take you about two hours to come in'".
'Ridiculous parking charges'
Jonathan said there are not enough options in rural areas.
"In theory, I have access to public transport - even though I live four kilometres away from the bus stop," he said.
"But if I drive to the bus stop, I have nowhere to park my car - so how does it work for me?
"I think that if you take it outside the Greater Dublin Area this becomes a huge problem.
"Public transport does not necessarily exist in a usable form for the majority of people living in rural Ireland - and definitely for some people living in urban parts as well.
"You can provide a way in which you can drive your car somewhere and get public transport: we do not do that.
"In fact if anything, we disincentivise it by putting ridiculous parking charges in some of our rural train stations," he added.
