Dublin City Council is proposing to allow five-axled lorries back on to the Navan Road, despite having banned them under its Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) Strategy just one year ago.
Since February 19th last, lorries with five axles or more have been banned between 7am and 7pm from a city cordon encompassing an area between the Royal and Grand canals, as well as Sandymount, Ringsend and the Navan Road from its junction with the Ashtown Road.
However, the council has now reviewed the operation of the cordon and proposes to allow lorries to come an additional 2km closer to the city on the Navan Road in what would be the first break of the cordon since it was introduced.
The reduction in the cordon is necessary, the council's roads and traffic department says, because large lorries were having difficulty accessing the industrial area of Bannow Road in Cabra.
The largest business premises in the area, the Batchelors factory, has about 74 truck deliveries each day. Since the introduction of the ban delivery lorries have had to use the narrow Reilly's Bridge on Ratoath Road to access Bannow Road, which has caused traffic congestion as well as difficulties for the lorries negotiating the bridge.
Permits are available to lorries delivering to businesses within the city cordon. But these are not of benefit to lorries delivering to Bannow Road as it stands outside the cordon, in an area where no permits are issued.
In a report to come before councillors tomorrow, Brendan O'Brien of the traffic department said that moving the cordon beyond Nephin Road would allow lorries to access Bannow Road, but would be of no advantage to other lorries which were not delivering to the area.
Councillors, who are members of the traffic committee will consider the proposal tomorrow, but could be under pressure from colleagues representing Navan Road residents not to allow the change.
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