The ban on five-axle trucks in Dublin city centre has nearly doubled the number using the city's main ring road in its first five months. The number of trucks going through the city's West Link toll bridge has increased by 15,000 per day, according to the company operating the bridge, National Toll Roads (NTR).
The bridge takes vehicles on to the
M50 ring road around Dublin, which is the route most drivers are now forced to use because of the city-centre ban. The ban, which came into effect in February, operates between 7am and 7pm and applies to all five-axle trucks except those with a special permit.
A spokeswoman for NTR says the increase in trucks using the M50 was expected. She adds that in the same period the number of cars using the road has dropped by 4%, although this is not believed to be connected to the truck ban. "We think it is because there are a number of roadworks, which the cars want to avoid," she says.
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