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Motorists used to spending frustrating hours stuck in traffic have finally received some good news – traffic levels are falling and will continue to do so.
Statistics compiled by Dublin City Council reveal there has been a near 3% decline in traffic around the capital over the past 12 months.
According to the figures, the number of cars on the roads during January and February fell by 2.6% compared with the same months last year.
The volume of traffic in the city centre tumbled by more than 1 million to 37.4 million, Dublin City Council said, fuelled largely by a decline in commercial traffic.
Volumes at some of the city's busiest junctions were down by up to 8% with traffic movements in the Parnell Street and Summerhill area down 7.7% to 1.45 million.
Other areas, which have seen major declines of between 5% and 7%, are the intersections of Clare Street and Lincoln Place, Jervis Street and Parnell Street along with the junction at Conyngham Road and the South Circular Road.
Only three junctions out of a possible 21 showed any upsurge in traffic and those increases tended to be very slight, the figures reveal.
Brendan O'Brien, head of technical services in the road and traffic department of the council, said it was too early to draw conclusions but that a downward trend was noticeable.
He said: "It shows a certain trend of some decreasing traffic and there are a number of possible reasons, which we need to take a look at.
"There has been the downturn in building activity allied with the fact that the M50 is open with barrier-free tolling. During the worst construction phase on the motorway, we would have seen a significant increase in people using the city centre. That has to be factored in as the M50 has become a more attractive option.
"It is very early to be drawing conclusions out of this but because of the way the economy is going, we are keeping a closer eye. There will always be variations and even the weather can play a part in how often people will leave their cars at home and take another transport option.
"There has certainly been a reduction in the number of heavy goods and commercial vehicles in the city centre. We have seen quite a reduction in those, which has freed up road space."
O'Brien said there didn't appear to be any evidence to suggest that the number of taxis on the streets of Dublin had increased markedly.
He said: "We have just been looking at some figures for taxi traffic comparing certain locations between 2005 and 2009. There is no apparent increase in these places."
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Mr. O' Brien says, "The weather can play a part in it" Is that right? What about 30,000 jobs lost in January alone. Car sales down by 60 per cent. What about penal parking charges of 3 Euro an hour or 9 Euro for 2 hrs and 2 minutes, as is the case in most city centre car parks. On street parking is almost as dear and you run the risk of being clamped, that is another 80 Euro's. What about people deciding, that they are not going to go into town and spend money, because they are too worried about the recession. Also, the fact that they might not have a job tomorrow. How come, in Ireland, we always look for the most convoluted explanation? When the truth is staring us in the face. Usually, it is because the truth does not suit us and in this instance, DCC. Please, not another quango or tribunal to distort the obvious. The reasons for the drop in traffic is simple. However, it is most, unwelcome news for Dublin City Council. Finances in DCC are in chronic order and they were depending on the congestion charge to be a major money spinner. Hence the "mystery" of cars not coming into the city. Personally, I would say that the number of cars coming into town is down not by 3 per cent but by at least 10 per cent and I drive in the city centre most days. Of course, I am only an ordinary citizen and Mr. O'Brien who parks for free, like most other public servants, in the city centre, is an expert!