With the opening of Dublin's port tunnel only months away, it has become clear that many heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will still be allowed to drive through the city to the port.
As Dublin City Council finalises its HGV strategy for the opening of the €750-million tunnel in next June, it confirms that it will ban only HGVs with five or more axles from the city. So, articulated lorries as large as 35 tonnes can continue to drive through the city.
Despite its interim report recommending that lorries with three or more axles be banned, the council has increased the limit because most trucks heading for the port have five or more axles.
"The tunnel was sold on the promise of freeing the city centre of heavy goods vehicles, with the hefty price of €750 million of taxpayers' money," said Green Party transport spokesman Eamon Ryan. "But now the City Council is relaxing those very restrictions that aim to keep large trucks and other inappropriate vehicles off our city centre streets. "
According to the council's own traffic survey, 20 per cent of trucks entering the port have less than three axles, meaning some 450 lorries can continue to drive through the city each day. These could be joined by the 157 lorries going to the port each day which are too high for the tunnel.
It's unclear how many of the remaining 80 per cent of port-related HGVs have fewer than five axles because the council didn't include this in the survey.
The council has also omitted car transporters - some of the largest HGVs on Dublin's roads - from its plan, provided they have fewer than five axles.
Although it is hoped that many exempt HGVs would still use the port tunnel, this has been thrown into doubt after the National Roads Authority confirmed that it expects M50 upgrade works - and subsequent delays - to last for five years.
As the council's interim report states: "HGVs will use the port tunnel only if it provides a quicker, safer and more direct route between the port and the M50."
The plan also aims to restrict HGVs entering the area between Dublin's Royal and Grand canals between 7am and 7pm. However, because the ban will apply only to lorries with five or more axles, it's expected to prove ineffective as most HGVs coming into the city have fewer axles than that.
According to the council's traffic survey, almost 800 lorries with fewer than five axles enter the canal zone each morning between 8am and 10am. These will all be allowed to continue as before.
Brendan O'Brien, head of traffic technical services at Dublin City Council, said the council has no idea of how many exemptions will be granted. "We are still drawing up the permit rules," he explained. However, he said that it's likely that three sectors - construction traffic, oil tankers and established manufacturers - are likely to get exemptions.