Number of trucks using Port Tunnel has almost halved
RETHINK: Pressure grows to drop toll prices after 42pc slump
Collins
Traffic through Dublin's Port Tunnel has declined
Wednesday November 25 2009
TRAFFIC through Dublin's Port Tunnel has declined by a dramatic 42pc since its peak in 2007.
New figures suggest the number of five-axle vehicles on the road has nosedived since the recession kicked in.
Fianna Fail's Chris Andrews has now called for a new pricing structure after a report revealed that 2,000 fewer trucks are now using it daily.
He says encouraging a greater volume of traffic could help alleviate congestion in other parts of the city.
A review of the ban on heavy goods vehicles, which came in three years ago, hailed it as a major success in cutting the number of trucks in the city.
It shows the average number of vehicles with five and more axles using the tunnel every day is now 3,013.
This is down 42pc from a peak of 5,246 in August 2007.
The report for Dublin City Council says the decline in city centre heavy traffic shows its strategy has been a success but the reduction is "also a reflection of the economic and particularly construction downturn".
"It is also noteworthy that the numbers of trucks outside the cordon hours have also declined substantially, as initially it had been feared that trucks would wait until outside the cordon hours to enter the city and this has not happened."
In order to assess traffic, Dublin City Council installed axle counters at locations in the city prior to the opening of the Port Tunnel so it could measure the level of traffic.
Dramatic
These counters provide information on a daily basis on truck movements, with key locations on the East Wall Road, North Wall Quay and Sean Moore Road, thus covering the majority of entry and exit points.
According to these measures, the HGV management strategy has resulted "in dramatic reductions of trucks within the city centre of between 88-96pc".
The number of permits for access to the cordon area is now around 60 per day.
The report has sparked calls for a review of the tunnels pricing structure -- car-users currently pay €12 during peak hours.
kdoyle@herald.ie
- Kevin Doyle, Political Reporter
