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Green Party release “truth behind the headline” statement explaining Eamon Ryan’s comments on cars in rural areas
Published 14:50 11 Oct 2019 BST
Updated 15:37 11 Oct 2019 BST
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Reports emerged on Thursday evening that Green Party leader Eamon Ryan suggested that a rural town of 300 people would only need 30 cars.
The Green Party has released a statement disputing reports that leader Eamon Ryan implied that rural towns of 300 in Ireland would only need 30 cars. The statement says that what Ryan was actually suggesting was a car sharing scheme in certain communities, due to the fact that people have been "locked-out" of car ownership due to high insurance prices, while simultaneously "locked-in" to learning to drive as a result of lack of investment in public transport.Addressing the reports that emerged on Thursday, the statement reads: "But the truth is – this headline is totally inaccurate.
"The Green Party does not stand for restricting car ownership, and to state otherwise is a huge misrepresentation of the party position and of Eamon’s comments.
"What Eamon Ryan proposed was that car sharing could provide people in rural Ireland with extra options. So cars AND car sharing.
It continues: "When it comes to climate change, people in rural Ireland are sometimes made to feel like they are part of the problem.
"Rural Ireland is not part of the problem, but by investing significantly in rural communities, we believe rural Ireland can become a big part of the solution."
You can read the Green Party's statement in full here.
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