City center 5 axle truck ban from today

Membrane

The ban on 5 axle trucks came into effect today (Monday 19th February). Should make a noticable difference and demonstrate the full effect of the Port Tunnel, although there is a pay permit exemption system (E5 p. day/p. truck afaik).

Capt'n Midnight

But won't all the 4 axel artics will still be allowed, including many of the trucks that can't fit in the tunnel.

hunnymonster

And isn't it only 7am-7pm? There were certainly plenty on the quays when I came in at 6am. I hope it does make a difference but I'm sceptical.

Hermy

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

But won't all the 4 axel artics will still be allowed, including many of the trucks that can't fit in the tunnel.

Thought I was the only one who had noticed the flaw in the promise of a truck free city. As well as the four axle artics, and those trucks that don't fit in the tunnel, and those trucks with a permit, not to mention those trucks using the city between 19:00 and 07:00, as they are entitled to, there are also the rigid trucks with four axles or less - tippers, cement mixers, fuel tankers, mobile cranes etc - and that certainly won't add up to anything like a truck free city as was promised!

markpb

Hermy wrote:

Thought I was the only one who had noticed the flaw in the promise of a truck free city. As well as the four axle artics, and those trucks that don't fit in the tunnel

I thought I read something in the papers recently about a proposed nationwide truck height restriction meaning anything over a certain height (the hight of the port tunnel coincidentally) would not be allowed to operate on any Irish road.

and those trucks with a permit, not to mention those trucks using the city between 19:00 and 07:00, as they are entitled to, there are also the rigid trucks with four axles or less - tippers, cement mixers, fuel tankers, mobile cranes etc - and that certainly won't add up to anything like a truck free city as was promised!

To be fair, a truck-free city was never going to happen. Businesses, including the shops you buy food from, have to get deliveries somehow. 4 axel trucks will be gone soon which will help a lot but the rest of the construction vehicles will stay. How do you built a city without those?

The operating hours should definitely be extended. This is the same sillyness as the bus lanes and cycle lanes ending at 7pm. People do move about in the evening, something politicians and city planners seem to forget.

Victor

The ban will be extended to 4 axel vehicles in the next 1-2 years, possibly all articulated vehciles.

The problem is with identification, spotting a 5-axel truck is easy, spotting a truck of X tonnes or Y metres isn't.

markpb wrote:

I thought I read something in the papers recently about a proposed nationwide truck height restriction meaning anything over a certain height (the hight of the port tunnel coincidentally) would not be allowed to operate on any Irish road.

They can move, but I imagine only with a oversized vehicle permit. Overheight vehicles coming from the port, heading to somewhere other than the city are meant to exit via Alfie Byrne Road.

Hermy

markpb wrote:

To be fair, a truck-free city was never going to happen. Businesses, including the shops you buy food from, have to get deliveries somehow. 4 axel trucks will be gone soon which will help a lot but the rest of the construction vehicles will stay. How do you built a city without those?

Absolutely agree with you. I'm actually pro-truck as there was haulage in the family for years. I'm merely referring to the nonsensical promises of a truck free city which were to be heard quite a bit in the run-up to the opening of the tunnel.

Traumadoc

Could a truck wishing to travel on to the N4 buy a 5 euro permit leaving dublin port and go up the now freed up quays. He would save the cost of the toll bridge (4.70??) and the cost of the diesel ( 15km - 4 lit -4 euro).

Victor

Traumadoc wrote:

Could a truck wishing to travel on to the N4 buy a 5 euro permit leaving dublin port and go up the now freed up quays. He would save the cost of the toll bridge (4.70??) and the cost of the diesel ( 15km - 4 lit -4 euro).

They would need to state a delivery point for the permit and which entry / exit points they are using. If they lie, they could get caught. 8 were caught on the first day. Get caught 3 times, go to prison.

As to how much time they save, I don't know. Its something like 50 sets of light -v- 4.

markpb

Victor wrote:

They would need to state a delivery point for the permit and which entry / exit points they are using. If they lie, they could get caught. 8 were caught on the first day. Get caught 3 times, go to prison.

Is it well enforced? How are they enforcing it, ie how do they check if a driver has a permit or not, do they manually stop and check each truck?

Ciaran500

markpb wrote:

Is it well enforced? How are they enforcing it, ie how do they check if a driver has a permit or not, do they manually stop and check each truck?

License plate of the truck is on the permit so they check the plates of trucks in the city by camera.

bushy...

The proposed height restriction ( just because some muppet failed in designing the tunnel) would be a bad idea since ( afaik) they would loose one layer of pallets , meaning more truck runs. Not good for the anyone or the environment. Should really be encouraging higher/longer stuff tbh and building roads to suit

Capt'n Midnight

bushy... wrote:

The proposed height restriction ( just because some muppet failed in designing the tunnel) would be a bad idea since ( afaik) they would loose one layer of pallets , meaning more truck runs. Not good for the anyone or the environment. Should really be encouraging higher/longer stuff tbh and building roads to suit

If they reduced packaging then they would be able to transport the same weight of stuff in a smaller volume.

Many of the double layer trailers appear re-manufactured, you can see on many of them where the extra panels were rivetted on to the side of the truck.

Judging by the ten fold increase in railway bridges being hit by trucks in recent years, banning stuff like this would improve the efficiency of public transport , who wants to go by train if you will be late a few days each year because some muppet doesn't know how high his truck is.

Anyone got stats on the number of "supertrucks" blow over in highwinds or on roundabouts ?

Also a change in design of trucks would mean you could get nearly the same number of pallets by dropping the floor in the middle like a low loader or the double decker rail carriges.

Victor

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Also a change in design of trucks would mean you could get nearly the same number of pallets by dropping the floor in the middle like a low loader or the double decker rail carriges.

I get the impression that a lot of supercube vehicles are run by supermarkets, restaurants and other businesses that use grocery cages, with two rows on the bottom and three on top (compared to a total of 3 in a normal truck). The bottom of the lower row sits between the wheels of the truck. These trucks tend to be loaded from the rear, thereby making a fully low loader style bottom row (i.e. the bottom deck is lower than the axels) seriously less useful.

FunkyChicken

Old thread woo! Anyone else think the signposts look like no tie-fighters allowed?

Morgan

I had the exact same thought a couple of days ago