Traffic chaos in parts of Dublin

There was large-scale traffic disruption in Dublin yesterday when delays in public transport, combined with poor weather conditions and an early morning crash, halted traffic over a large area of north and west Dublin.

Dart services between Bray and Greystones and Luas Green Line services were severely interrupted due to separate signalling failures. Ferries and aircraft at Dublin airport were also disrupted due to high winds.

Dublin City Council placed sandbags along the sea front at Clontarf and closed the Liffey boardwalk as high tides threatened at midday. The AA warned that cyclists were particularly vulnerable in the bad weather and said drivers of high-sided vehicles should also be particularly vigilant.

A car which overturned on the M50 southbound near the Lucan exit, at about 6.30am yesterday, brought traffic on the M50, N2 and N3 and a number of feeder roads to a standstill.

The AA said traffic was backed up almost continuously from the Lucan exit to Dunshaughlin in Co Meath, while traffic on the N2 was backed up as far as Kilshane Cross, also in Co Meath.

Joan Burton, Labour TD for Dublin West, said buses on the 39B route from Ongar were at one point taking more than three hours to cover the eight-mile journey into Dublin.

Describing the delays as "a new level of commuting hell", Ms Burton said commuters were "at their wits' end".

She described the 39 route quality bus corridor as a "fantasy QBC" as she said it uses a dedicated bus lane for only 22 per cent of its route.

Calling for "an immediate and complete review of transport services in Dublin 15", Ms Burton said more direct buses to the city centre were needed this morning to prevent a repeat of yesterday's delays.

"Electrification of the Maynooth line and the development of the interconnector at Spencer Dock must be prioritised to allow Dublin 15 commuters regular and short journeys into the city centre from their homes," she added.

The Railway Procurement Agency said a signalling fault at Charlemont Bridge resulted in afternoon Luas services running only between Charlemont and Sandyford.

Passengers were advised to expect delays up to about 5.30pm. All HSS Stena Explorer sailings on the Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead route were cancelled, as were all Jonathan Swift sailings on the Dublin-Holyhead route.

Last night Dublin City Council said it was not expecting severe flooding from the high tide which was due at midnight.

Meanwhile, 1,500 ESB customers in the Christchurch area of Dublin city were without power yesterday evening for about an hour due to a cable fault.

Traffic lights in the area were also affected.

A spokesman for the ESB said it had not yet ascertained whether the fault was weather-related.