Bus passengers stranded as service stalls

DISRUPTIONS:THOUSANDS OF Dublin Bus commuters were stranded yesterday evening following heavy snow showers in Dublin and Leinster while motorists were delayed by hours.

Dublin Bus services were cancelled in the afternoon due to “treacherous” conditions when buses – unable to travel around the city – stopped “in the interests of safety”, the company said.

Traffic on many roads in Dublin were at a standstill during rush hour as motorists reported taking hours to cross the city.

There were numerous minor crashes and breakdowns, according to AA Roadwatch.

Drivers in Leinster faced further dangerous road conditions this morning due to temperatures as low as -8 degrees overnight

“Low temperatures will freeze the solid compacted snow which will be very dangerous and very slippery,” said Nicola Hudson of AA Roadwatch.

Dublin City Council was to have extra gritters on the roads overnight and had five gritters on the roads following the snow fall in the late afternoon.

Michael Philips, director of traffic at Dublin City Council, defended the condition of the city roads.

He told RTÉ news it was impossible to grit the city’s streets when snow fell during the day as gritters get caught in congested areas and people leave their offices early.

In the past few weeks Dublin City Council used some 1,000 tonnes of salt which is more than double used during most winters, a spokesman said.

Hazardous traffic conditions were making it difficult for gritting trucks to reach problem areas, return to depots and reload, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said.

It used snow ploughs to clear the main roads and said its supplies of grit were “sufficient”.

There were also 30 minute delays to Dart services and delays of 45 minutes for Bus Éireann services in the Leinster region. Luas services were extremely busy last night and the red line was running to a reduced frequency.

People travelling on main routes and in large towns in other parts of Leinster experienced difficult driving conditions following the snowfall. Delays of up to one hour was experienced on the M7 road in Co Kildare in either direction last night, according to AA roadwatch. The M9 was down to one lane between Kilcullen and Carlow due to the snow while there was heavy snowfall in Carlow town.

The N81 was also impassable between Tullow and Bunclody. The N2 in Co Meath was also down to one lane.

A 2km tailback developed in Wicklow on the N11 and delays developed in Bray and Greystones due to ice.

Wicklow County Council was being “consistently challenged” by the weather, director of services at the council Seán Quirke said.

The council had four snow ploughs on the N11 yesterday trying to clear the snow while gritting behind it as it progressed.

The council had enough grit left for three days. It has recently received additional supplies from Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

Kildare County Council said it had enough gritting material until tomorrow but it would need to get more salt to see it through the weekend.

“We will be in difficulty if no salt comes and salt supply is a critical issue at the moment” a spokesman said.

Laois County Council has sufficient salt to enable it grit the main roads until after the weekend as it received additional deliveries yesterday. “If the spell continues stocks are just about keeping up with demand” a council spokesman said.