THE GARDA will not be running Operation Freeflow this Christmas for the first time since 1996, due to reduced resources.
A scaled-down version of the annual campaign to help traffic run more smoothly over the Christmas traffic period has been introduced instead.
Operation Artery has “virtually all the same operational items as Operation Freeflow”, Dublin City Council said.
The campaign began on Sunday and will be implemented at “a local level”, a Garda spokesman said yesterday.
The operation will facilitate the movement of public transport and minimise disruption to the public, the Garda said.
Gardaí would play a key role in the effort to manage traffic over the Christmas period, the spokesman added.
The more “targeted plan” began on Sunday and runs until January 8th, a statement on the Operation Freeflow website said.
Transport agencies had agreed to a “reduced but targeted” plan to keep Dublin moving over Christmas, the statement added.
Among the measures included in Operation Artery are a moratorium on roadworks and an immediate response to traffic incidents.
There will also be co-ordination between gardaí and public transport operators and local authorities including daily conference calls, gardaí on duty at the Dublin City Council traffic control centre and gardaí travelling on public transport at night.