Freeflow

markpb

Did Operation Freeflow start this this morning? There were Gardai on duty at several junctions along the Swords road through Santry this morning.

amacachi

I don't know but for some reason the traffic on the M1 was attrocious today. Traffic seemed heavier than usual in and around Connolly though that was probably because the bus got in later than usual.

Cookie_Monster

Was the traffic much worse than normal?

If so then Operation "go slow" has probably started

trad

Yep, just checked www.freeflow.ie and it started on the 29th November.

cargo

Probably more to do with this in fairness.

M1 was mad this morning.

Jack-knifed tanker causes Dublin delays
Monday, 30 November 2009 11:12

Serious traffic disruption is expected this morning after an oil tanker jack-knifed in Co Dublin.

The Malahide Road, one of the main routes into Dublin city, is currently blocked beside Campion's Pub in Balgriffin.

Traffic diversions have been put in place.

AA Roadwatch says gardaí are diverting motorists via Baskin Lane and Balgriffin Road.

Separately in Kildare, a jack-knifed lorry is blocking the N9 Kilcullen/Castledermot road at Crookstown.

AA Roadwatch says traffic is building on both approaches.

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1130/traffic.html

Cookie_Monster

Why don't they just design traffic light sequences / junctions to cope with the aparent increased traffic volume in december rather than waste so much Garda resource?

Camera linked directly to traffic control in the Corpo building would be a far more efficient soloution and one which exist for a lot of the network anyway

markpb

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Why don't they just design traffic light sequences / junctions to cope with the aparent increased traffic volume in december rather than waste so much Garda resource?

DCC would prefer that they not override traffic signals at all (and indeed most of them don't). Their job is to enforce red lights, yellow boxes, hash marks and turning restrictions and generally stop people mucking up the traffic less than they do the rest of the year.

paulm17781

markpb wrote: »

DCC would prefer that they not override traffic signals at all (and indeed most of them don't). Their job is to enforce red lights, yellow boxes, hash marks and turning restrictions and generally stop people mucking up the traffic less than they do the rest of the year.

Isn't it great how for one month a year the Gardai are supposed to do their jobs and enforce road laws. :rolleyes:

Of course from what I saw last year, most just stand around and look bored ignoring the same infringements they ignore the other 11 months of the year.

AlekSmart

Of course from what I saw last year, most just stand around and look bored ignoring the same infringements they ignore the other 11 months of the year.

This annual DCC/Garda PR stunt has been dying on it`s feet (tyres) for sometime now.

The sight of up to 4 Gardai acting as stewards for a privately owned and operated Multi-Storey Car Park (Princes St/GPO) always raised my BP to unhealthy levels.

Notwithstanding the fact that such Multi-Story Car Parks were totally counter to the Inner Canal Cordon principle the presence of Gardai only served to underline the insanity of building the things there in the first place.

However 2009`s Freeflow is being operated in a very different environment indeed.
General private traffic levels have collapsed,with even the much vaunted Peak flows now at more than manageable levels.

By far and away the greatest cause of Dublins traffic flow problems this year is the Taxi situation.

The fact that the Taxi "Industry" as a whole has decided to seize strategic stretches of kerbside space and operate it as a Taxi Rank is now ensuring that major arteries such as the N1 and N11 are compromised in the City Centre.

The situation at the bottom of Grafton St is particularly serious and merits the immediate attention of the RSA,Gardai,NRA,DCC,Dept of Environment or whichever entity has Responsibility for the Citys safe operation.

Questions need to be asked as to when the last safety-audit was carried out on the Public Transport arrangements at this location.

It is patently unsustainable to allocate Kerbside Bus/Coach Stop to LONG-DWELL operations such as
Aircoach (Luggage/Cash Handling/Unfamiliar Visitors seeking directions from Drivers)

Dublin Bus City Tours. (Visitors)
Assorted Private City Tours.(Visitors+ Stance)
Provincial Coach Services (Luggage/Visitors)

Then,superimposed upon this Long Dwell business the Ordinary Stage-Carriage Bus Services are also expected to carry on as normal.

Notwithstanding that some of Dublins busiest routes must attempt to access their Bus Stops SAFELY,it needs to be recognised that we are also utilising some of the largest vehicles possible with 18Mtr Articulated Buses all being squeezed into a tiny useable space.

Then,in the past six months we have the Taxi fraternity suddenly deciding that the four car spaces allocated at the top of the stretch,outside Barnardo`s furriers can be extended to twenty or more with cabs queued back to TCD`s gates on occassions.

The combination of the two reduces the street to a bare single lane and often leads to total blockage as drivers are faced with arguementative Taxi Drivers and equally arguementative passengers attempting to board buses mid-street.

This is NOT rocket science.

The current problems should NEVER have been allowed to develop in the first place as the City Administration is choc a bloc with highly educated,erudite professional types capable of joined-up writing and all forms of electronic communication....except,it seems,when it comes to actually doing simple stuff....

The larger Transport Operators are currently embarked upon seriously heavy handed Internal Health & Safety programmes within their driving grades.

Programmes such as the Drivers CPC (Certificate of Professional Competency) are heavily skewed towards moving the responsibility for Safety TOTALLY on to the Bus/Coach/Truck Drivers shoulders.

This will allow the Administrators some much needed relaxation space,something which was threatened in the immediate aftermath of the Bus Éireann Kentstown accident and the subsequent corporate convictions.

It is highly noticeable that Garda monitoring of the Grafton St Taxi situation is at best patchy.
It is equally noticeable that many Taxi drivers are now emboldened to actually stand their ground and argue with individual Gardai as they reluctantly comply with a given direction.

The solution is blindingly simple and affordable.....Enforce the Existing regulations.
If it is too onerous a task for the Human Garda,then erect a Camera and send a €200 fixed penalty to every Taxi Plate who sets up shop on that bend.

As an aid it would be sensible to errect a pedestrian barrier along the kerb to make stopping or parking one`s cab impossible.

Alternatively....remove ALL Bus Stops from the location or if that was unpalatable,then simple remove the LONG-DWELL routes and City Tours to some other far-flung location.

Thats only my sugestions,which I rather suspect will represent absolote heresy to those suave,sober suited Professionals atop Civic Offices....their tactic is to wait and see ......preferring to risk a multiple fatality Bus/Coach accident to actually having to DO anything concrete.