New road signs to drive out traffic woes

DUBLIN road signs, long the bane of visiting tourists, are due for a radical overhaul designed to make it easier for motorists to find their way around the city.

Dublin City Council announced the launch of a major road sign system yesterday in conjunction with major traffic alterations in the city centre.

The plan includes several significant changes to existing traffic routes with the main purpose of further restricting motorists from accessing the O’Connell Street and College Green areas.

Major alterations to traffic flows have also come into operation in the area around North King Street.

From next Monday, there will be major restrictions on vehicular access to the southbound side of O’Connell Street. Only buses, taxis, cycles and motorcycles will be allowed to enter the city’s main thoroughfare from Parnell Square, while access to O’Connell Street for deliveries and car parks will be via Cathal Brugha Street. The current one-way flow on North Frederick Street will also be reversed.

From September 30, general traffic on Pearse Street will have to turn right onto Tara Street when the current option of driving straight onto College Green is removed.

“The plan is designed to remove traffic that really has no business in the city centre,” said Director of Traffic Owen Keegan.

“The reduction in overall traffic volume is required to facilitate the redevelopment of O’Connell Street, which is currently underway and to allow increased provision to be made for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians.”

He expressed confidence that the new road plans would have the same effect in reducing traffic in the city centre as restrictions introduced on southside motorists last year to deter them from travelling across the city via O'Connell Street. Northbound traffic on the street has fallen from a daily total of 14,000 vehicles to 6,500 as a result of the altered routes.

Mr Keegan said the creation of a public transport priority corridor through the city’s central spine will also facilitate links between north and south city bus services.

Increasingly, Dublin Bus north city services terminate on the southside of the Liffey and southside services terminate north of the city centre. New traffic arrangements also came into operation yesterday in the area around North King Street and Stoneybatter. The changes are designed to facilitate access to the new Blackhall Place Bridge which is currently under construction and due to be completed later this year.

All the traffic changes will be complemented by the introduction of almost 500 eye-catching, new road signs in distinctive purple and orange colouring.

The signs will divert all through traffic away from the city centre onto designated inner and outer orbital routes.

Dublin City Council is also planning to introduce CCTV “turn-ban” cameras that will monitor adherence to the new traffic flows by issuing fines to all offenders.

Details of the new traffic arrangements are also available on the DCC website at www.dublincity.ie.