WITH THOUSANDS of motorists expected to be on the move over the bank holiday weekend, some traffic delays are expected and gardaí will have extra drink driving checkpoints in place for the period.
Gardaí yesterday warned that there is "still a non-compliance culture in respect of drink-driving legislation as detections continue to show an increase".
Traffic restrictions will be in place in parts of south Dublin city for most of Monday as thousands of women take part in the women's mini-marathon. The race starts at St Stephen's Green and goes through Merrion Square, Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and northbound up the N11 as far as Belfield.
As a result of the Bloom garden festival in Phoenix Park, the Ashtown gate of the park will be closed and extra traffic can be expected on roads near the park.
Motorists are being warned to avoid the area surrounding Croke Park on Friday and Sunday evenings as Celine Dion and Westlife play the north Dublin stadium. Concert traffic is also expected to cause delays in Ballsbridge on Monday evening as Paramore will perform at the RDS Simmonscourt, Ballsbridge.
South Dublin County Council is warning motorists to be cautious and to plan their journeys due to changes to the traffic layout at the M50 Red Cow roundabout (N7) junction and the Ballymount (m5) junction which will come into effect tomorrow and will last for three weeks.
AA Roadwatch is warning that delays are likely in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, during the four-day Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival 2008.
Over 320,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin airport between today and Monday and passengers are being warned to arrive at least 90 minutes before their flight departure time.
Meanwhile, a five-vehicle crash in which two men were injured closed the southbound carriageway of the M1 motorway in north Co Dublin yesterday morning.
The pile-up appeared to have been triggered at about 2.30am when a car - believed to have been stationary at the time - was crashed into by an articulated lorry. Both were on the southbound section of the motorway between the Court Lough/ Walshestown interchange south of Balbriggan and the Lissenhall interchange north of Swords.
Gardaí said that after the initial crash a Transit van travelling southbound then crashed into the lorry. Subsequent to this a second car is understood to have stopped at the scene. Within moments another lorry arrived and crashed into the second car. Gardaí said debris was extensive and the road had to be closed for about 10 hours as one of the lorries was carrying cooking oil which had to be chemically removed from the road.
Diversions were immediately put in place along the old Dublin to Belfast Road and the Swords bypass while Insp Mary Aldridge used radio news programmes to advise rush-hour motorists heading for Dublin to use the N2 and even the N3 where possible.
The two injured men were taken to the Mater and Beaumont hospitals. A spokeswoman for the Mater said the man was in a stable condition. Beaumont Hospital said the man it admitted had extensive face and leg injuries and remained in intensive care.
Also yesterday, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey opened the €216 million Carlow bypass, the first section of the new N9 Dublin to Waterford route to open to traffic. The 18.5km bypass is expected to take up to 30 minutes off the journey time between Dublin and Waterford.