Operation Freeflow, which gets under way in Dublin this morning, is likely to be more successful than previous years due to the completion of Luas works, additional bus services and record numbers of taxis.
The annual ban on non-essential road works and provision of extra public transport services will run from today until January 7th next.
The main elements of the plan are:
After initially rejecting plans for this year's Operation Freeflow, the Minister of State with responsibility for Dublin traffic, Mr Ivor Callely, expressed confidence that the "extra effort by all concerned" would result in easier traffic movements .
Mr Callely said he had insisted that the Luas service be kept open to the early hours and he advised all visitors to the city to "try public transport".
According to the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO), a 10 per cent increase in traffic volumes is expected between now and early January. The director of the DTO Mr John Henry said he was satisfied the extra efforts of all the agencies would "go a long way towards alleviating congestion".
The DTO has also established a website on which it intends to display information on public transport and car parking during the period. The address is www.freeflow.ie
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