City targets delivery vehicles

Truck and van drivers delivering to shops in Dublin city centre face tough new restrictions, including clamping, under a scheme to be introduced next month.

The Dublin City Council scheme to improve traffic flow and will begin next Monday.

The plan sees more stringent restrictions on deliveries to shops roughly between St Stephen's Green and Parnell Street. Nine and a half-hours of clearway are to be enforced, which means no deliveries can be made on designated routes between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 12.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. Current clearway hours are from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Council says delivery drivers flouting the measures will be subject to clamping and the wrath of the Garda. "In this zone we will try to ensure commercial vehicles adhere to the regulation and that illegal parking is detected," says Paul McCarthy, the Council's parking enforcement officer.

"We will be actively enforcing this. Control Plus will be patrolling the area. Clamping of commercial vehicles already takes place, but we need to step it up."

McCarthy says trucks and vans delivering to shops can have a "major impact" on traffic flow, even if deliveries take a short time. "Road space is limited and a lot of vehicles are trying to use it."

The initiative was agreed by the Council with the retail groups including the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Irish Road Haulage Association after a consultation process which began last December. If successful, it will be expanded to other parts of the city. "Initially this is a pilot," says McCarthy. "We will look at the results and changes may be required. We may also look at expanding it." The scheme will be reviewed in April.

The plan may offer welcome relief for Dublin motorists who faces reduced road space as the LUAS system comes on stream and the Quality Bus Corridor (QBC) is expanded.

The Minister for Transport conceded recently that the LUAS system would reduce road capacity "somewhat", but said it would move 15,000 people in the peak periods in and out of the city.

The Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) strategy from 2000 - 2016 is designed to improve the public transport network and to discourage car use, especially at peak periods. Dublin is to see nine extra QBCs this year. Nine are already in operation.

Recent Dublin City Council figures show the number of cars entering the capital during peak morning commuting time has dropped by over 10,000 since 1997. The number of cars which crossed the city's canals in rush hour last year was down to 63,509.

Figures also show the number of people walking into the city increased by 4.2 per cent in 2003, but cyclists rose by only a 0.9 per cent over 2002.