Motorists braced for car ban chaos

Motorists were bracing themselves today for traffic chaos before the opening of the College Green rush-hour bus corridor.

Rush-hour commuters have been warned to plan ahead and find alternative routes for when private cars are banned from one of the capital’s busiest streets tomorrow morning.

Thousands of vehicles will be taken off the bottleneck, which weaves around Trinity College, from 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm every Monday to Friday.

To see maps and alternative routes visit www.transportfordublin.ie Motorists are also warned that the new Ikea store will open in Ballymun tomorrow, while U2 will play at Croke Park.

Gardai said bus lane regulations would be enforced, but added offences detected during the first three days would be dealt with by way of caution where possible.

Extra officers will be deployed to the area for the first two weeks while the Garda Air Support will monitor traffic in the area.

Motorists who flout the law will face a €60 fixed charge penalty, which will increase to €90 after 28 days.

Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid of the Regional Traffic Division Dublin Castle said: “We are for appealing for motorists to familiarise themselves with the new Bus Corridor and plan their journeys accordingly.”

Dublin City Council (DCC) estimates 12,883 cars use the College Green route each day, with almost 7,000 of these travelling at peak times.

City planners said the move would improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists and ease congestion for the 60 million public transport users who pass through each year.

Weekend and daytime motorists will not be affected.

AA Ireland maintains the scheme should help all road users by making the city more efficient.

Dublin Bus will mark the event with a special city centre fare of 50 cent for passengers in the city centre.