The Dublin City Business Association (DCBA) has rejected calls for the introduction of a London-style congestion charge for the capital.
Mr Derek Turner, London's transport director said last night that Dublin's "dire traffic problems" could be alleviated by introducing a congestion charge similar to London's.
Addressing members of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland in Dublin, he said the imposition of a £5 per day charge on motorists in central London had dramatically reduced traffic congestion.
Despite widespread scepticism about the effectiveness of the new charge, which was introduced on February 17th, Mr Turner said it had worked "far better than we thought" by reducing the volume of traffic on London's streets by 18-20 per cent.
But in a statement today the DCBA said congestion charging was "a tax on low income citizens and a cancer that will undermine job creation and economic development in the Dublin Region."
The Association points out that the London experience of a reduction of 20 per cent in congestion had already been achieved in Dublin City Centre as a result of "intelligent management policies without any wasteful investment in road charging".
"Irish investment in public transport will produce even better results than wasting taxpayer's money on spurious technology and consultant's reports," the statement adds.
