Business owners are not breaking any traffic law

ARTICULATED trucks driving through Springfield to make deliveries to the local Centra are “causing a huge amount of disturbance”, according to a Tallaght councillor.

Cllr Vanessa Mulhall (GP) tabled a motion about the issue at a Tallaght Area Committee meeting last week, after residents had contacted her about it.

“There’s a group of residents in Springfield and, as I understand it, this issue’s been going on for years and years,” she said at the meeting.

“But they did have an agreement with the Centra store, and this agreement kind of stopped in December.

“But basically, my understanding of it is, they had an agreement, there would be no big articulated trucks going into the housing estate, and that there would be smaller trucks going on.”

Cllr Mulhall said she’d seen footage of the trucks struggling to navigate the roundabout near the shop and claimed they had damaged street furniture.

“The residents have no problem with them getting deliveries, we all know they need the deliveries,” she said.

“But these trucks are starting to come into the area from 6.30 in the morning and it’s causing a huge amount of disturbance for the local community.

“I’ve seen some videos of the trucks trying to get around the roundabout and come in, and there’s been a lot of damage done to the area.

“That tactile for visually impaired people, that’s been kind of broken in a way by the trucks, and there are different other bits of street furniture that have been damaged.”

Cllr Paddy Holohan (Ind) said he was aware of the issue as he knows the area, but pointed out that smaller vans doing deliveries would mean more deliveries in the area throughout the day.

“I do agree with the idea of maybe vans doing the deliveries here, maybe that could be some sort of solution,” he said.

“But the difference between what an articulated truck and the amount that a van can deliver is going to multiply the amount of vans and deliveries that will have to come there.”

He also referenced the recent reduction in road widths to facilitate cycle lanes, in the context of the articulated trucks navigating the existing roadways.

“It does show that the idea of narrowing the roads is going to have an effect in the future,” he added.

A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council issued a response to Cllr Mulhall’s motion and stated that the trucks aren’t breaching weight restriction or traffic bylaws.

“This location has a number of small shops serving the local community,” stated the council.

“These businesses require stock deliveries to continue in business.

“There are no weight restriction bylaws in place at this location.

“Therefore, the business owners are not breaking any traffic law to my knowledge.

“It is not true that articulated trucks are more dangerous than other vehicles on the road.

“The drivers of such vehicles are trained to appropriate standards and are licenced to safely drive goods vehicles on the public road.

“There is no evidence that HGVs cause more road traffic accidents than other vehicles.”