Car ownership has surged along with the rising economic tide. This year, the pace is hotter. Unlike most major U.S. and European cities, Dublin lacks an urban bypass, or beltway, to steer traffic around the city center. Public transit alternatives also are woefully underdeveloped. At rush hour, Dublin's overmatched ancient streets become sludge-like.
Main arteries carry just two lanes of traffic in either direction.
In the city center, traffic is especially heavy around famed Trinity College, where constricted neighborhood streets appear to have been designed for horses and perhaps pedestrians, not automobiles. The city's road network works, but just barely. Across Europe, urban planners are grappling with similar transportation problems. This month, Italy's largest cities, including Rome and Milan, began experimenting with car-free Sundays to cut air pollution. In London's mayoral contest, a key issue is deciding how to spruce up the city's aging Underground network.