Operation Freeflow, designed to ease Dublin's chronic traffic problems, is to move into a higher gear, Dublin Corporation announced yesterday. With immediate effect, 90 gardai will be deployed at peak times on 21 strategic routes in the city, dedicated to Freeflow duties.
The officers will be assisted by 31 traffic wardens and a special team of 10 Garda motorcyclists. An extra tow truck is being brought into service, bringing the total to four.
Dublin Bus will have on-street inspectors to reduce congestion at bus stops. The number of 12-hour bus lanes will also be significantly increased, the Corporation says.
The new Operation Freeflow campaign will be concentrated within the city canals and in urban villages on main routes, such as Ranelagh, Rathmines and Finglas. Meanwhile, the existing features of Operation Freeflow, such as roadwork restrictions, control of skips and refuse collection and the strategic hooding of parking meters, will be reinforced.
According to Mr John Henry, the chief executive of the Dublin Transportation Office, Operation Freeflow made it possible last winter for Dublin Bus to achieve 1,600 extra trips a week with the same fleet compared with the previous year.
Dublin Corporation is introducing a Freefone number for members of the public to alert Operation Freeflow of problems. The number is 1800 293949.