Increased average car sizes are putting a squeeze on the number of parking spaces in Irish cities, while also placing pedestrians at higher risk of injury.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to eco-focused think tank Transport & Environment (T&E) which estimates that 14 per cent of on-street parking spaces will be erased because cars are becoming too big to fit between existing lines.<\/p>\n
In Dublin, it says, that would lead to an estimated loss of 1,700 to 2,700 spaces, with \u201ctens of thousands\u201d of spaces potentially lost across the country.<\/p>\n
The research also suggests that an additional 400 vulnerable road users \u2013 mainly pedestrians, cyclists<\/a> and motorcyclists \u2013 will be killed on European roads by 2040 because of the increased average car size. The figure is based on projections using data from Eurostat<\/a> and the UK department of transport.<\/p>\n \u201cCar manufacturers have pursued a strategy of larger, more profitable vehicles over smaller models,\u201d said Lucien Mathieu, cars director at T&E. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter 25 years of relentless growth, our roads are increasingly dominated by huge SUVs that pose a physical danger to everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2010, according to T&E\u2019s figures, the average lip of a bonnet stood 77cm off the ground, or at about mid-thigh height. Now, the figure is at 84cm, much closer to hip-height, or above, for many.<\/p>\n This matters because of what happens when a car strikes a pedestrian. If a person\u2019s legs are hit low down it may involve broken bones, but the likelihood is that they will be flung on to the car\u2019s bonnet, which is designed to absorb the impact for the upper body and head. Many cars have bonnets that are \u201cpopped-up\u201d by an emergency airbag in such situations, further mitigating the impact. <\/p>\n With a higher front end, instead of being flipped up on to the bonnet, the pedestrian is flung forwards and hits the road with their head, often leading to catastrophic injury and a higher chance of death. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Coalition keen to avoid sharp rise in fuel prices over summer when excise reductions expireOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n By 2040, it estimates that the average bonnet lip will be 92cm off the ground, making the likelihood of lethal injuries even greater.<\/p>\n T&E lobbies at EU and government level on environmental issues and is funded by, among others, the European Climate Foundation<\/a> and the Schwab Charitable Fund. <\/p>\n It notes the EU\u2019s Vision Zero goal of reaching zero road transport fatalities by 2050, but says unchecked growth of car size will have \u201csevere consequences\u201d for road safety.<\/p>\n Should cars continue to get bigger, there could be an additional 2,500 adults and 79 children killed over a 15-year period, T&E says.<\/p>\n Damien O\u2019Tuama, national cycling co-ordinator at An Taisce<\/a>, said Ireland\u2019s residential and urban streets are \u201cturning more into giant car parks, as cars grow longer, wider and higher\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is less and less space for those on foot or on bikes. This has to change, particularly as more children grow up in cities compared to years ago. Cars and spaces for cars need to shrink, not grow, if we are to have safe and convivial neighbourhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n