Full scale of Dublin Port's Brexit-related congestion 'evident next week'
Superintendent Liam Geraghty at a multi-agency media briefing for the operation of the port following the end of the Brexit transition period. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
The full scale of Brexit-related congestion at Dublin Port will not be seen until next week, officials have said.
Haulage representatives have said that the effects of changes to customs rules will likely not be seen this weekend due to the new year, but at a briefing at the port today, an official from the Department of Transport said that the true level of backlogs could be seen next week.
Eddie Burke said that it was unlikely that there would be new year's day scenes of trucks queueing to get in or out of Dublin Port and that any delays which do occur due to new customs checks would only be seen as the weeks go on.
"We don't expect that (there will be a backlog) on January 1, we expect Friday and the weekend to be relatively quiet. But we can expect there to be an increase in trade and in HGVs from the 4th or 5th."
Mr Burke said, however, that any traffic congestion at the port, which handles 410,000 freight vehicles a year, will be met by a contingency plan which would see up to 900 trucks "stacked" at different points on the M1 and M50 motorways.
In a worst-case, or Code Blue, scenario, HGVs will be blocked from entering the Port Tunnel and asked to wait at the northern end of the tunnel or at sites including the Blue Car Park at Dublin Airport and motorway service stations at Lusk.
However, the closures will put hauliers at risk of missing ferries, which are unlikely to delay departures.
The priority of the plan is to ensure that the Port Tunnel stays open for non-freight traffic and Mr Burke said that it will be communicated to drivers through signage along the motorways because the situation at the port can "change quickly".
"Traffic can build up at the port very, very quickly," Mr Burke said. "And that's why the communications piece of this is so important. We will be communicating through social media, websites, and the radio. The key piece will be the signage.
"Dublin City Council will be able to control that centrally. As we move, we escalate and those messages will go out. Drivers coming down from the North will see signage along the way telling them what they should do.
"The service stations will have screens which show the situation at the port for diverted drivers."
Mr Burke said that the communications of the situation can be made "immediately" from Dublin City traffic control centre.
Overall, officials from Revenue, An Garda Síochána, and the departments of Transport and Agriculture have warned people to be ready for delays around the port due to the Brexit changes, which come into effect tomorrow at midnight.
Hazel Sheridan of the Department of Agriculture said that it was not known how many businesses import from or export to the UK and this made it impossible to know how many were not ready for Brexit.
She said that "many, many people" had been in touch, but called for any business that is not ready for Brexit to contact them immediately.
"I think some people thought the trade deal would make some change that checks wouldn't be needed, but these checks will apply from Friday, so get in contact."
