major hold-ups Gardai outline plan to manage chaos at Dublin Port from tomorrow

Traffic congestion, truck parks on motorways and increased garda checkpoints in the border region are among the scenarios Brexit has in store for Ireland from tomorrow.

Plans for what the reality of the first few days of imports and exports may bring were outlined by Customs, An Garda Síochána and the Departments of Transport and Agriculture yesterday at Dublin Port.

While each agency has its own concerns, the word "delays" was common to them all.

Sophisticated steps have been taken to try to make the post-Brexit transition as streamlined as possible.

Problems

It is clear it will not be only truck drivers and freight carriers who will face potential traffic problems, but the wider public too.

Eddie Burke of the Department of Transport laid out the four-stage plan that will come into effect if traffic in Dublin Port stretches to the public road network, particularly at the M1, M50 and Port Tunnel.

A green level is when traffic is moving freely, and the response is graduated through amber, red and blue levels.

A Code Blue, the worst case scenario, would mean the port being closed.

"The plans are there to deal with each of those levels and prepare for the next one if the situation worsens," Mr Burke said.

"If a situation is worsening, we will be holding traffic back from coming into the port, and that will be done on the M50/M1 loop, effectively making that a truck park and diverting other traffic away from there to get to the city."

The blue car park at Dublin Airport will also be used as an overflow truck park, along with capacity at the service station in Lusk.

A smaller number of bays at Enfield and Kilcullen will also be used for port traffic travelling toward Dublin from the west of the city.

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Online Editors