Greater Dublin Area Draft Transport Strategy 2011-2030

Managing movements of heavy vehiclesDublin City Council’s HGV Management Strategyprovides for a general ban on heavy (5+ axle)vehicles between 7am and 7pm seven days a weekfrom a designated exclusion area, with a limitedpermit scheme for 5+ axle vehicles that need toload/unload within that area.The introduction of this scheme, in conjunctionwith the opening of the Dublin Port Tunnel, hasdramatically reduced the number of 5+ axlevehicles operating within the exclusion area.Opportunities to extend the categories of excludedvehicles have been examined and while there arechallenges associated with such extension, furtherexpansion of the scheme would provide additionalenvironmental benefits for the city.Measure FRT 2:The Authority will:• Seek the extension of the current DublinCity HGV Management Strategy to include 4axle vehicles;• Evaluate the potential for the Dublin CityHGV Management Strategy to:• Be further extended to other vehiclestypes;• Have an expanded exclusion area; and to• Encompass vehicle emission parameters;• Examine the potential of introducing HGVcontrols in other town centres.DeliveriesA major portion of freight movement on roadsand streets throughout the Greater Dublin Area isassociated with deliveries to retail and commercialpremises. Changes in the delivery patterns currentlyoperated could pay significant dividends in termsof reducing congestion on roads and increasingproductivity for the transport companies involved.Options such as night-time deliveries arecommonplace in other cities, as are arrangementssuch as “breaking down” large loads andconsolidating small loads in dedicated centres atthe outskirts of urban areas, and using smaller fleet,commonly of a van type and sometimes electric,for the final delivery stage.Measure FRT 3:The Authority will:• Seek the introduction of arrangements topromote deliveries in Dublin city centreand, if appropriate, in other towns, betweenthe hours of 7p.m. and 7a.m., taking intoaccount the rights and needs of residentsliving in these areas;• Promote the development and operation ofDistribution and Servicing Plans for freightintensive developments, which will focuson creating efficient delivery and servicingprocesses that reduce the congestionimpacts associated with the development;• Seek the development of a pilot urbandelivery centre in the Dublin area for thedisaggregation of large loads and theconsolidation of small loads for finaldelivery by van type vehicles in Dublin CityCentre and surrounding areas; and• Support the use of low impact deliveryschemes in Dublin city centre and othertown centres, for example by using smallerquieter vehicles, with lower emissions,including the use of cargo-bikes andexamining the potential for certain freightdeliveries by tram.Vehicle technologyImprovements in vehicle technology will provideopportunities for more environmentally friendlyapproaches to freight logistics. In addition,improvements in communications technologiesprovide the means to better manage and coordinatefreight distribution.Chapter 11: page 10 www.2030vision.ie