As head of technical services O' Brien believes that placing a ban on driving children to school would dramatically improve our air quality.
A Dublin City Council official has referenced a possible ban on parents driving their kids to school. This follows the recent news that Dublin has pledged to help restore global air pollution levels. Dublin is one of 76 regions to vow to improve air quality standards by 2030.
The BreatheLife campaign is steered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and unites countries from all over the world. The goal is to
"Provide a platform for cities to share best practices and demonstrate progress in their journey to meeting WHO air quality targets by 2030"
Brendan O' Brien is a senior member of Dublin City Council. As head of technical services O' Brien believes that placing a ban on driving children to school could dramatically improve our air quality. Speaking at a climate change conference in The Mansion House O' Brien took to the stage as part of a panel. When asked what changes he would potentially implement as part of the BreatheLife strategy he suggested banning parents from driving their children to school.
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O'Brien was later interviewed on The Pat Kenny Show. The interview, which aired on Newstalk, certainly got people thinking. O' Brien spoke about the fact that the question he was posed was hypothetical but that actually it makes a lot of sense. He referenced the ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants and how such bans eventually become normal and
"It would force us to mobilise and think seriously about how you put these things in place"
As part of the BreatheLife campaign all Dublin local authorities have pledged to assign extra road space to walking, cycling and public transport. With that in mind a ban on driving children to school will force people to seriously consider those options. All of these changes will satisfy the end goal which is to help the World Health Organization restore clean air levels before 2030.