THOUSANDS OF people are on the move today as they make their way home and abroad for Christmas. Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch is predicting “a mass exodus out of Dublin” in particular.
Motorists are advised to keep speed down, ensure all passengers wear their seat belts and never to drink and drive.
Gardaí have specifically appealed to young people to drive carefully over Christmas, saying those in their late teens and early 20s have been over-represented in road traffic fatalities during the past year.
Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann expect to carry more than 550,000 people between them over Christmas and new year. Passengers are asked to book their seats in advance and to arrive early as services are expected to be very busy.
Dart and Iarnród Éireann commuter services will operate as normal today but there will be no services tomorrow or on St Stephen’s Day.
Bus Éireann will operate a normal timetable today but services will finish at 9pm. There will be no service tomorrow and only a limited Expressway service on St Stephen’s Day. There will be no Dublin Bus Nitelink service tonight, tomorrow or on St Stephen’s Day. All other Dublin Bus services will finish at 9pm tonight. There will be no service tomorrow while a Sunday service will operate on St Stephen’s Day.
Luas services finish at 8pm tonight and there will be no service tomorrow. Services on St Stephen’s Day will start late and operate to Sunday timetables.
Dublin airport expects more than 800,000 people to pass through its doors over the holiday season.
A spokeswoman for the Dublin Airport Authority said some 830,000 passengers would arrive and depart this week. Saturday was the busiest day of this week, she said, with next Saturday the second busiest, due to people leaving on winter holidays.
Cork and Shannon airports will also be busy. Passengers are advised to allow extra time to get to the airport in the event of road congestion to ensure they comply with check-in and airport security regulations. If travelling before Christmas, do not gift-wrap presents as people may be asked to open them for security reasons.
Those hoping for a white Christmas will be disappointed. Met Éireann is predicting dry, settled weather over the holiday period. However it will turn significantly colder from St Stephen’s Day onwards.
The Dublin-Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team is advising those who are planning to head for the hills to walk off the turkey dinner to plan their trip and pack essentials such as a torch and spare batteries, raingear and a hot flask.
Minister of State for Transport Noel Ahern and the Coast Guard have issued a warning about the danger of being swept off cliffs, rocks, piers, harbour walls and beaches around the coast.
People are also urged to take particular care with Christmas lights and candles over the holidays. Lights should be unplugged and candles extinguished before leaving the house or going to bed.