The needs of 'commuters versus community' lie at the heart of Dublin's growth

Dublin businesses are expressing growing concern that city infrastructure, specifically housing and transport, is struggling to keep up with the demands of a growing economy

Add to preferred sources News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 13:54, 11 Sep 2026 View Image Heavy traffic on Dublin’s commuter belt (Stock) (Image: Collins)

Serving the opposing needs of city commuters and local community members lies at the heart of the effort to improve Dublin ’s city centre.

Recent surveys conducted by Dublin Chamber revealed a capital city with a multitude of endless, overlapping and sometimes contradictory needs. With infrastructure concerns, skyrocketing energy costs and anxieties about labour retention, businesses both big and small have been “feeling the pinch” of a cost-of-living crisis .

At Tuesday's Economic Development and Enterprise SPC, Director of Public & International Affairs with Dublin Chamber Aebhric McGibney spoke to members about the business landscape of Dublin today. He revealed that increasingly companies are concerned about the cost of doing business as new pressures like artificial intelligence threaten to reshape the workplace entirely.

Looking at the figures that make up Dublin’s workforce reveals an interesting juxtaposition between those who already live in the city and those who must travel into the capital to get to work. With nearly 200,000 people crossing the Canal Cordon into central Dublin at peak hours on typical weekday, their needs also must be addressed when it comes to shaping the future of Dublin's infrastructure.

In essence, the top three points that come up time and again according to Mr McGibney are housing, traffic congestion and access, which disproportionately effects commuters. For this reason, he said they are often chasing projects that will unlock greater residential accommodation and commercial space in Dublin.

“When you look at the issue of commuter versus community, Dublin relies on someone coming from Naas to get to their workplace,” he said as an example.

“There can be tensions between the commuter and commuter in what they would like to see. Dublin City Council supports increased pedestrianisation in the use of city space. Traffic management plans to enhance the realm.”

But public realm enhancements that benefit those who live in the city must also be paired with improved public transport and investment that can help reduce disruption. The effect of a proposed increase in transport fares on commuters has been a key point of debate in recent days, and Dublin Chambers Q2 Business Outlook survey revealed disruption as a major point of concern.

Against a backdrop of recent fuel protest road blockages and wider disruption across Dublin city centre, almost half of respondents (48%) reported being moderately or significantly affected by transport disruption. Staff commuting challenges were the most frequently cited impact, selected by over 60% of respondents.

The perception of safety in the city centre is also an issue, with Mr McGibney stating that the upcoming Q3 survey shows 50-60% of people feel Dublin is less safe today than it was one year ago. “It is having an effect on people’s decision to use the city centre despite increased levels of policing we have seen in part of the city,” he said.

While businesses have outlined major points of concerns, in the Q2 47% of respondents reported greater confidence about their business performance in the year ahead, up from 34% in Q1. Mr McGibney that this comes from businesses getting more to the risk and uncertainty that has characterised recent years, although there are many challenges to overcome the data show businesses are feeling positive about the future.

A full breakdown of Dublin Chamber’s business outlook findings can be found here .

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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