Hauliers vow to fight height restrictions

IRISH hauliers vowed yesterday to fight any future ban on high-sided vehicles on the country’s roads after Transport Minister Martin Cullen said the height of the Dublin Port Tunnel would not be altered for safety reasons and because of time constraints.

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) said it would stand firm against moves to extend the height restrictions of the tunnel to the rest of the nation.

IRHA president Eamonn Morrissey said transporters would fight to stop the Dublin height restriction becoming the national norm, and he claimed consumers would be hit by knock-on costs.

“This is a red-letter day for the Irish road transport industry - despite all of our protests, we were ignored and now industry will have to carry the cost of increased transport costs while consumers will see a knock-on effect of more expensive products.”

But Mr Cullen said he decided not to raise the height of the tunnel primarily for safety reasons.

Raising the height of the tunnel would also have led to additional costs and delay factors of at least €33 million and up to €65m and delays of seven months or more, the minister added.

“Completion as quickly as possible of a safe tunnel facility in line with best international practice is the key priority” Mr Cullen said.

The minister said experts found that narrowing lanes to increase height would compromise safety, and that lower kerb heights may also lead to increased risks for traffic.

He added motorways and bridges around the country did not accommodate over-height Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and therefore the tunnel had no requirement to do so.

But Mr Morrissey said this was a backward step economically and environmentally.

“A decision like this today sends out a negative signal to those contemplating taking their road transport business to the next level,” he added.

Mr Cullen said the decision was taken after extensive consultation and detailed examination of three reports by Cabinet, the National Roads Authority and independent consultants.

Mr Morrissey added there was no logic in introducing a ban on high cube trucks when there was no such limit on British-registered vehicles.

Maximum height restrictions for vehicles on Irish roads are also due to be published in the coming weeks.

A HGV management plan is now being finalised by Dublin City Council to take as many trucks off the city’s streets and facilitate oversized vehicles if necessary.

The plan is due to be published next month.

Meanwhile, Labour welcomed the decision not to raise the height of the Dublin Port Tunnel but called on the minister to bring in the long-promised regulations to restrict the height of HGVs to four metres as is the case in most European countries.