A report which could delay the implementation of the Dublin City Transport Plan will not be completed until just a few weeks before the plan is due to come into effect.
Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare told councillors last night that he will consider an economic impact plan commissioned by the Dublin City Traders Alliance before he decides when the plan will be rolled out.
The council had said the first phase will be implemented in August.
Mr Shakespeare said that he attended a meeting with retail representatives and Minister of State for Retail Emer Higgins where he was asked to delay the implementation until March or April 2025.
He said he responded that he would not make a decision on that until he had received the report commissioned by the Traders' Alliance.
The alliance told RTÉ News that the report is still being prepared and will not be ready for at least another 10 days.
This would mean that Mr Shakespeare will not receive it before the middle of July.
Groups representing more than two thirds of the councillors elected in last month's election have called for the plan to be implemented without any delay.
Councillor Daragh Moriarty of the Labour Party said: "I'm deeply concerned as well about the presentation of economic analysis carried out on behalf of this business group because anybody can commission anybody to tell them what they want to hear already."
Green Party Councillor Feljin José said the council had already agreed to the plan, adding "Dublin needs this, I got the bus from Phibsborough to Rathmines there last week, it took around 40 - 45 minutes, from one canal to the other".
"That is not sustainable, that is not good for us, it is not good for jobs," he added.
Councillor Paddy Monahan for the Social Democrats said: "Minister of State Higgins, is seeking to delay the transport plan. "
He described this as an "utterly inappropriate intervention".
"It's an attempt to undo the agreement that was made by this council, the democratic agreement and the work of councillors," he said.
Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan was unhappy with the intervention from the Traders' Alliance.
He said: "It smacks of big business dictating to the city about how we do business.
"There was an open, transparent, inclusive consultation process and we did our best then to accommodate further engagement with the disability sector and now we have big business putting the dead hand of bureaucracy of the plan."
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A public consultation last year received more than 3,500 submissions and 81% of those were positive towards the plan.
There have, however, been concerns expressed by both disability groups and businesses.
In recent weeks, a number of business groups, including Ibec and the Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance, called for the plan to be paused.
In April, councilllors voted to ask the council to engage further with Disabled Persons Representative Organisations and Disabled Persons Organisations.
Officials from the Environment and Transportation Department have updated councillors on their contacts with groups which included AsIAm, Disabled Women Ireland, Irish Deaf Society, My Voice Ireland and Voice of Visual Impairment (VVI).
The VVI was the organisation with the most interaction.
There were 18 emails sent to VVI, 11 received and 14 phone calls between VVI and council staff.
Officials said the main concern raised was about access for "blue badge" holders to the north and south quays, and their ability to access all areas of the city.
A "blue badge" on a car allows the permit holder to park in disabled parking spaces but does not provide any other privileges or exemptions under any road traffic legislation.
The council does not have the power to allow cars displaying a blue badge to access any areas not open to all private vehicles.
As a result of the concerns raised, Dublin City Council is making changes to the City Traffic Plan.
The changes include moving the bus gate the north quays either east or down the quays to O'Connell Bridge.
It had been planned that private vehicles would have to turn left at Jervis Street, now all vehicles including those driven by blue badge permit holders will be able to access all of Bachelors Walk and turn left onto O'Connell Street.
The bus gates at O'Connell Bridge on both sides of the quays will now be operational only from the hours of 7am to 7pm. Outside those hours the restrictions will not apply.
The right turn from O'Connell Bridge onto Eden Quay had been removed during the original plan.
This is now being reinstated to allow access to Eden Quay.
Head of Technical Services for the council Brendan O'Brien said the consultation is ongoing and a revised report will be circulated to councillors in due course.
Councillor Ray McAdam speaking for the Fine Gael group on the council said: "I do not favour any prolonged delay or deferral of the implementation of the City Transport Plan, but what I do believe, however is now absolutely necessary is the level that is taking place with individual businesses and representative groups."
His party colleague Lord Mayor James Geoghegan speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland said Richard Shakespeare would not be relying just on the report prepared for the Traders Alliance but would also get an independent appraisal of that document.
"I'd be quite hopeful and quite confident that we'll actually have a more robust plan at the end of it and when the plan is implemented it would be less susceptible to challenge," Mr Geoghegan said.
He said he is in favour of the plan and is hopeful it will be implemented.
