MORE than 5,000 motorists received on-the-spot fines and 4,300 were cautioned for traffic offences in the first two weeks of Operation Freeflow, according to figures released yesterday.
A total of 417 vehicles were towed away in Dublin city centre and 740 motorists were caught for yellow box violations in the operation, a co-ordinated attempt to free up traffic in the city.
The Dublin Transportation Office is co-ordinating the operation with the gardai, Dublin Bus and Dublin Corporation. It pointed out that traffic violations dropped by an average of 35 per cent in the second week of the operation, which started on December 2nd.
Garda statistics on the first two weeks showed that 520 motorists were caught for breaking a red light, while there were 676 bus lane violations. In the first week, 2,800 motorists received on the spot fines and 2,203 in the second week.
Dublin Bus garages reported much easier conditions within the canals and improved morning journey times. The company also reported a 2 per cent growth in bus fares. Normally there is a fall in fare income at this time because of traffic congestion.
Access to the city was greatly" improved for shoppers through measures such as roadworks control and rescheduling of refuse collections, said Mr John Henry the chief executive of the DTO.
"More people are using public transport, because it is working more efficiently and there seems to be a response to the call to Think before you Drive'," Mr Henry said.
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