Three people have been taken to hospital after a six-vehicle road crash on Dublin’s M50.
Emergency services said there were long delays as images circulated on social media of a line of crashed vehicles which included cars a four-wheel drive, and at least one delivery van. Dublin Fire Brigade posted a tweet at about 5pm saying the crash had affected the auxiliary lane and hard shoulder of the southbound carriageway of the motorway, “with severe delays on the approach”.
Those hospitalised are understood to have suffered non-life threatening injuries.
By 6pm the Garda said all lanes had reopened to traffic but delays were still being experienced in the area.
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The pile up happened as the M50 is transitioning to a “managed motorway”, with variable lanes speeds indicated by overhead signage designed to reduce the speed of vehicles during periods of heavy traffic — and so avoid pile ups of the kind experienced on Friday. In May the variable speed limit system was extended from Junction four Ballymun to the Red Cow, which is located at junction nine.
The roll-out of variable speed limits on the M50 forms part of Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s enhancing Motorway Operation Services (Emos) programme. Emos is aimed at allowing motorways managers to slow traffic in response to collisions, roadworks, adverse weather conditions and congestion; enhance safeguards for emergency responders dealing with incidents on the M50.
When complete the Emos system will control 380 “dynamic lane signs” on 98 gantries over 38km of the M50. It will be able to close lanes and reduce traffic speeds in the event of a crash or severe weather events,
