A reduced Operation Freeflow got under way in Dublin yesterday and immediately ran into a DART stoppage, an inter-agency row about free parking in the city centre and a disagreement over the "suspension" of Luas works.
While the Dublin Transportation Office said most Luas works in the city centre "will cease for the duration of Operation Freeflow", a Luas spokesman said this was "not exactly the case". Mr Ger Hannon of the Railway Procurement Agency said many Luas sites would be completed in the coming weeks and workers would leave the site, but this would not result in the tram lines being given back to motorists. Work would continue in the remaining sites, including St Stephen's Green, as Luas had a deadline to complete its heavy construction work by Christmas and the project team intended to keep that deadline. Mr Hannon emphasised, however, that Luas work was being carried out almost entirely within its own tramlines and would not lead to further disruption.
Meanwhile, the DTO said any notices advising drivers that free parking was available in clearways was "probably an error". The office had announced free on-street parking in Dublin city centre from 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and all day on Sundays but it later said this should not apply to clearways. However, in Westmoreland Street, which becomes a clearway after 4 p.m, the city council posted a notice advising motorists that parking "is free in this pay and display area after 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday".
A spokesman for Control Plus said it would tow away any vehicles found parked there after 4 p.m.
Iarnród Éireann has confirmed it will not be running a late-night DART this Christmas, as it had done in the past. The company said there did not appear to be a demand for the service. The Nitelink bus service operated by Dublin Bus will run again, however, while Bus Éireann will run a Nightrider service to Drogheda, Navan and Newbridge.
