Operation Artery

[Chancer]

So we've had many attempts at Freeflow, and now they give us Operation Artery. Here's the article in todays Indo. It’s an interesting read, but like all other Irish attempts at relieving our gridlock, it would want to be a very cunning plan indeed if its to work wonders.


NEW policing measures to reduce gridlock in the capital will be implemented by gardai with the start of Operation Artery today.

The plan to streamline the management of traffic in Dublin during the three-hour peak times in the mornings and evenings is the most far-reaching to date. Details of the blueprint for Operation Artery were unveiled by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne. He said if the measures are successful they will be extended to elsewhere in the country.

A chief superintendent is set to assume total control for traffic management and movement in the Dublin Metropolitan region, and as regional controller of traffic he will assume total control of traffic management and movement in the area.

CO-ORDINATION

All Garda divisional traffic units will be answerable to the controller between 7am and 10am and 4pm to 7pm.

The authorities believe the new plan makes more operational sense than tackling the traffic crisis through the current Garda divisional arrangements which do not coincide with the main traffic arteries.

Within Operation Artery, the Dublin Metropolitan region has been divided into six sectors which originate in the city centre and cover that particular area of the region to its furthest point. These sectors will also include the orbital routes in this area.

Each of the sectors will be staffed by one sergeant and five gardai from the Divisional Traffic Unit together with one sergeant and five gardai from the Regional Traffic Unit who will patrol each sector on motorcycles.

AIR LINK

A traffic sergeant will operate from the command and control centre and will co-ordinate the Garda response to traffic congestion.

The Garda air support unit will also be used to monitor traffic movement in Dublin city and suburbs and provide a regular feedback of information to the command centre.

Also under the initiative, an inspector has been appointed in each Division with responsibility for traffic management and enforcement solely.

Each day an inspector for the regional traffic unit will have responsibility for monitoring traffic congestion and flows on both the northside and the southside of the city, according to the initiative launched by Commissioner Byrne.

BLUEPRINT

The new plan will mean that more gardai will have to be deployed on traffic duties at peak hours. It will be reviewed on a regular basis to determine if the traffic flow is being improved and gridlock prevented.

If the changes prove successful, the new measures will be introduced in other large urban centres throughout the country.

Under the new measures, the gardai will be taking a pro-active role in determining where major traffic obstructions are occuring.

The gardai will liaise with engineers from each of the local authorities to limit the freeflow problems created by roadworks, as part of the new exercise.

In addition, they will exercise their powers to shut down any road works, except emergencies, which cause severe disruption during peak periods.

[WhipLash]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Under the new measures, the gardai will be taking a pro-active role in determining where major traffic obstructions are occurring. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What I want to know is when are we going to get an intelligent traffic lights system in this country? How many times during rush hour traffic do we sit in traffic jams caused by mistimed red lights, only to see that the other side with the green light to be free and empty. Why doesn't the Government spend some of those millions on upgrading the traffic control system? I suppose they're currently weighing up the varies different systems and won't make their minds up for another few years, and by the time they go to install the new system it will be well outdated :rolleyes: .

Oh, BTW, I didn't notice any difference in the traffic flow this morning!

[Tony]

Operation Free Flow did nothing for our traffic problems. In fact any time I encountered the Gardai enforcing the Free Flow initiative they were making the traffic jams far worse than they'd usually be. IMHO a complete waste of time, money, and many a drivers patience. After reading the article this Operation Artery sounds like its going to be yet another waste of time, but with a more organised approach this time around. I agree with the thought that the traffic control systems in our cities suck. The system is completely ancient and the whole lot is in desperate need of an upgrade. Intelligent traffic control systems are needed to efficiently move traffic along during rush hours, and I don’t mean human intervention here either! I'm sure the initial high cost of the upgrade would be compensated for rapidly enough though by the considerable improvement it would bring.

[Anders]

The blanket answer is "The policy is to promote public transport". So why should the traffic lights be improved, that would just make traffic run smoother, which is contrary to policy. You see, the more we suffer in cars the better those smelly smokey buses will seem. In case you don't believe me, in the Irish Times there were comments from people in the DIT (I think it was) saying that this operation artery was bad because it was trying to make traffic run smoother. Something is wrong with democracy if these morons are allowed to hold civil service jobs. But then one is not surprised to hear that nobody with half a brain wants to work in the civil service anymore due to bad pay and generally poor working conditions.

I incidently had a particularly lousy day in traffic today, and this wasn't even in rush hour traffic. I had to get to Rathgar, which meant getting passed the traffic disaster that is Dundrum. Fiasco is the only word to describe the situation.