TODAY’S LONG-AWAITED opening of Ikea off Dublin’s M50 will have only minimal effect on traffic, it has been forecast.
The AA says the new outlet of the Swedish home furnishing giant will have no impact on morning commuter traffic and only limited impact on the evening rush-hour.
Fingal County Council says the road infrastructure in the vicinity of the store in Ballymun has been improved sufficiently to cope with the expected volumes of traffic.
An event management plan has been drawn up to minimise traffic disruption caused by the opening of the store at 11 am. The plan, which is being funded by Ikea, includes traffic marshalling by motorcycle gardaí, extra directional signage and stewarding and the forswearing by Ikea of giveaway offers designed to lure shoppers to the opening.
A dedicated new slip-road to the outlet was taken in charge by Ikea at the weekend and will open for the first time today.
At 31,500 square metres, the store is over five times larger than any other retail outlet in the State and is expected to attract thousands of shoppers every week. An Bord Pleanála, when it granted planning permission for the project in 2007, imposed 13 conditions designed to minimise the impact on traffic, including late opening at 11am and a parking charge, set at €3, between 4pm and 8pm.
Although the store doesn’t open today until 11am, Ikea is opening the car-park at 7am and providing entertainment, including Irish dancers and an Abba tribute band, for early arrivals.
At 10.50am, store manager Garry Deakin will be joined by Ciarán Murray of Ballymun Regeneration for the traditional log-cutting ceremony.
The store closes each weekday evening at 9pm, though Ikea confirmed yesterday that shoppers would have an additional hour to complete their shopping.
This is in accordance with a requirement by An Bord Pleanála for the store to remain open until 10pm each evening.
Weekend opening hours are 10 am to 8pm on Saturday and 11am to 7pm on Sundays.
The car park boasts 1,825 spaces, and the store is also served by the 13 and 13A buses.
