A Laois County Councillor has called for Portlaoise to be zoned as a commuter town to Dublin which would in turn reduce fares for public transport.
Fine Gael Councillor Barry Walsh made the call at a recent meeting of the Portlaoise Municipal District.
Cllr Walsh said that the change would apply commuter fares for public transport including railways services in the form of a leap card or something similar.
Cllr Walsh said: “The 2016 Census showed the population of Portlaoise increased by 9.5% to 22,050.
“It is the most populated town in the midland region and the fastest growing town in Ireland.
“The preliminary 2022 census results show a nationwide increase of population of approximately 7%. I expect that once we receive the breakdown on this, it will show a further growth in Portlaolse of at least 7%.
“Portlaoise is clearly now a large commuter town to Dublin with an estimated 7,000 people commuting daily to Dublin for work.
“A lot of these journeys are by car and rail with several trains serving Dublin daily.
“I feel if the public transport was made available a more cost-effective rate in the form of a commuter Leap Card or similar, it would encourage people to use public transport.
“It would also ease the cost burden for existing frequent public transport users.
“Encouraging commuters to use public transport would also have the added benefit of reducing car numbers on roads and ease our carbon footprint.”
Cllr Walsh received widespread support for his motion with Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley outlining a recent trip.
She said: “I was in Dublin with a 16-year-old recently and the fare for the two of us was €50.
“That has to be one of the most expensive in Europe for a trip of that distance.
“If we are trying to encourage people to use public transport, we have to make it more affordable.”
Director of Services Simon Walton confirmed Laois County Council would issue correspondence to the relevant government department.
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