Road traffic remains below pre-Covid levels, new CSO figures show

Road traffic has increased since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions but remains below 2019 figures, the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

Traffic volumes in Dublin were 12 per cent lower at the end of July than during the same week in 2019 while regional traffic was down eight per cent. Public transport journeys also remained below pre pandemic levels over the same period.

The latest transport bulletin from the CSO, published on Monday, was compiled using data collected by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Road Safety Authority, the National Transport Authority, Dublin City Council, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Transport.

There were 11 fatalities on Irish roads last month, compared to 17 in July 2021, 10 in 2020 and eight in 2019.

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Public transport journeys at the end of July were 80 per cent of the number taken at the beginning of March 2020.

The number of bus journeys in Dublin for the week beginning July 25th was 78 per cent of the level in the first week of March 2020, compared with 87 per cent for bus journeys outside Dublin and 82 per cent for rail journeys.

The number of Luas journeys at the end of last month was 81 per cent of the level for the same week in 2019 for the red line and 75 per cent for the green line.

Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic was broadly in line with 2021 data, and is up on 2019, with Dublin showing a 5 per cent increase and regional figures up three per cent.

The number of new cars licensed in July fell by 25 per cent (5,154) compared to the same month in 2021. There were 4,118 used private cars licensed last month, a fall of 26 per cent on July 2021.