Traffic congestion has got worse in Dublin over the past two years, a survey from the employers' group IBEC suggests.
Of 88 Dublin companies which responded to the Roads and Traffic Congestion Survey, 95 per cent said they were adversely impacted by gridlock. This compares to 90 per cent in 2002.
Overall, of the 241 companies throughout the Republic who took part in the survey, 80 per cent said they were suffering adverse effects. This is an improvement on 2002, when 85 per cent said they were adversely affected.
The survey found the majority of Dublin businesses are opposed to tolling to fund roads.
Some 60 per cent were opposed to tolling as a funding mechanism for roads.
However, in the survey as a whole, 51 per cent of respondents supported road tolling, up from 42 per cent in 2002.
Dublin also showed a high level of dissatisfaction with the attempts of various traffic agencies to solve the problems.
Local authorities came in for the greatest criticism, with almost 90 per cent of Dublin members and more than 75 per cent of all respondents rating them as ineffective.
Dissatisfaction with the Government was also high, with only 15 per cent satisfied with its progress in Dublin and 25 per cent satisifed in the overall survey.
The Garda fared little better with a 21 per cent approval rating in Dublin and 24 per cent in the complete survey.
Support for an independent traffic corps is "consistent with disenchantment with the efforts of the gardaí and the local authorities" according to IBEC.
Support for the traffic corps is almost unanimous in Dublin at 96 per cent and is high throughout the whole countryat 88 per cent.
The biggest burden placed on companies by traffic congestion was in road-haulage costs.
Overall, 88 per cent of companies said their transport costs were adversely affected by gridlock, 83 per cent said their delivery schedules were affected and 78 per cent said staff punctuality was down because of the traffic.
The majority of respondents (60 per cent) reported occasional missed appointments due to gridlock.
But 23 per cent of Dublin respondents reported missing appointments on a frequent basis due to the traffic.
