Pilot HGV scheme goes ‘live’ in Dublin

Dublin City Council is set to launch a pilot HGV traffic management scheme in the city centre with the objective of improving traffic flow and road safety. John Loughran previews the initiative, which comes into effect on March 1.

Commercial vehicles cannot park or stop in bus lanes, but we knew that already

Dublin City Council, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association, the Food and Drink Industry of Ireland, the Beverage Council of Ireland, the Consumer Electronics Distributors Association, the National Off Licence Association and the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have agreed a new traffic management scheme that will see HGVs banned from the city centre for almost 10 hours everyday.

Restrictions will be imposed on the times during which deliveries can be made on strategic routes in the city centre. The restrictions will involve the introduction of nine and a half hour clearways on strategic routes from Parnell Street on the north of the Liffey to St. Stephen's Green on the south side of the river.

No "on street" deliveries on these key routes will be permitted between 7.00am and 10.00am and 12.30pm and 7.00pm except where there are designated loading bays and / or paid parking. Deliveries on these routes will be permitted between 7.00pm and 7.00am and 10.00am and 12.30pm, Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday.

According to Dublin City Council, the impact of the scheme will be monitored in conjunction with the other stake holders and the evaluation of the scheme, will form part its long term HGV traffic management plan for the Capital.

Not a truck in sight

The stake holders have agreed that vehicles making deliveries on the designated routes outside the permitted periods will be subject to enforcement by the Council's parking enforcement contractor and An Garda Siochana.

Dublin City Council has urged those making and receiving deliveries to make appropriate arrangements to avoid the need for enforcement action. To that end the council has urged all businesses on the affected routes to draw up a delivery management plan in consultation with their suppliers.

This plan should detail the times at which deliveries are to be made. To facilitate the process Dublin City Council is willing to assist businesses and hauliers reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
The key to the successful implementation of the commercial vehicles strategy lies with those making deliveries and those accepting deliveries, according to Dublin City Council.

In that vein the council has drawn up a code of practice for both hauliers and the affected businesses.

Outside clearway hours truckers may stop on single yellow lines

Hauliers should:
*Make sure the delivery is expected and can be accepted by the consignee.
*Ensure the vehicle arrives on time.
*Advise the consignee if the agreed time has to be altered.
*Ensure the vehicle / driver is suitably equipped to get the goods to the consignee's premises, bearing in mind the nearest loading bay may not be close at hand.
*Ensure the vehicle vacates the loading bay as soon as the delivery has been completed.
Consignees also have an important role to play in the smooth running of the initiative.
Consignees should:
*Ensure that sufficient staff and space are available to facilitate speedy acceptance of the delivery.
*Allocate realistic delivery slots to delivery companies if goods are being booked.
*Avoid scheduling too many deliveries for the same time slot.
*Advise the delivery company, as early as possible, if they will not be able to facilitate the delivery as agreed.
*Be conscious of the wider impact on the delivery schedule of delaying any individual vehicle unecessarily.
Outside clearway hours, commercial vehicles can park for the purposes of loading and unloading in the following locations:
*On single yellow lines.
*On double yellow lines.
*In loading bays
*On non mandatory cycle tracks.
Commercial vehicles cannot park or stop at the following locations:
*On clearways / bus lanes.
*Bus / coach parking areas.
*On taxi ranks / bus stops.
*In disabled parking bays.
*Pedestrian areas.
*Mandatory cycle tracks.

The IRHA made a significant imput into the pilot scheme. IRHA communications director Jimmy Quinn is urging all hauliers to give the initiative their full backing in an effort to alleviate the city centre's chronic traffic congestion .

"There is a tremendous difficilty within a half mile of the Halfpenny Bridge in terms of road space, access, commuter and HGV traffic. We had no difficulty working with Dublin City Council and other interested parties to find solutions to these problems," he remarked.

Quinn pointed out that hauliers are in the business of “creating solutions rather than problems", but has warned all the stake holders that there must be flexibility on all sides to make the initiative work. "There will have to be good will on all sides. It is in our interests to keep the city centre alive and we will make every effort to make this work."

He continued: "We are willing to give it a fair crack of the whip but this scheme isn't absolute and it will require give and take on all side. The retailers for example will have to pull up their socks. They will have to bring in staff earlier to receive the goods."

The age old practice of hauliers unloading goods and practically stacking shelves in order to execute a delivery, will be a thing of the past under the new regime, Quinn believes. "Some people insisted that the goods were put on the shelves. They are going to have to get away from that idea. The old habits of the past will have to be knocked on the head. Drivers are there to drive trucks, not stock shelves."

Dublin City Council will have to pull out all the stops in the provision of loading bays, Quinn argues. "The council will have to create more loading bays. The more loading bays we have in the city centre, the quicker we will be able to go about our business."

While Quinn admits the scheme will have teething problems he is urging all hauliers to throw their full weight behind its implementation. "We have a big part to play. We will be watching out for weaknesses in the system and flagging them, because it is in everybody's interest to make this work."