Operation Freeflow 2008

Operation Freeflow aims to help buses beat those winter jams

Operation Freeflow commences on Sunday the 30th of November 2008.

An additional 166 Gardai have been transferred to the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

These probationers will be solely deployed on traffic duties for the duration of Operation Freeflow.

In addition to the 166 members there will be

• motorbike patrols
• members of the Garda Mountain bike unit daily
• Daily Traffic patrols (am and pm) of the Air support Unit
• The Garda Mounted Unit
• Mobile patrols

An Garda Siochana encourage people to use Public Transport especially over the Freeflow period.

Schedules, timetables and availability of Public Transport Services can be accessed via the Public Transport icons attached to the web-site.

• Keep junction free
• Avoid illegal parking
• Look out for VMS signs
• Do not clog yellow boxes

Safety message - Security on Public Transport at Night.

–As part of our commitment to Operation Freeflow An Garda Siochana has undertaken to provide Gardai dedicated to ensuring the safety of persons travelling on, and in the vicinity of public transport Centres in the City. The unit will consist of one Sergeant and six Gardaí, who will patrol city centre transport centres and on the various modes of transport.

As part of ‘Operation Lifesaver’ (run in conjunction with Freeflow) on-going checkpoints will be held enforcing the Road Traffic Legislation. The following offences will be specifically targeted

• Drink Driving
• Speed
• Inappropriate driving
• Seatbelts
• HGV offences
• Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT) checkpoints will be held regularly over the Freeflow period

Traffic Control Centre, Harcourt Square will be the hub for the daily management of Operation Freeflow in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. The Traffic Control Centre has live video conferencing with the Dublin City Council traffic centre, who help regulate the flow of traffic through out the city.

ONE IN TWELVE – Mixed Doubles

A selection of some of the double-deck shots that I dug out this month, but just didn’t get room for.

Click on any picture to see it fullsize

The short-lived Rail-Link livery was soon lost under overall adverts.

September 2000 and Donnybrook's KDs and KCs are enjoying their last days on the Rock Road routes.

Hello Billy! The bus which gave its name to a prolific Garaiste poster waits at the Enniskerry terminus of route 44. RV563 is now a Harristown bus.

Kennealeys ECW bodied Atlantean on Waterford City Services in 1996

RV482, one of a batch of buses which have worked the 48A (and now also 14/A) for 8 of the last 9 years, missing only a short few months when they were moved to the Bray Road for the launch of the 145.

ONE IN TWELVE – The Last Double-deckers in Limerick

We’re in to the last two days of our ONE IN TWELVE FEATURE for November, celebrating 12 years of this website.

Watch out for double updates on Saturday and Sunday, with evening as well as morning updates as we head towards the end of the month.

Later on Saturday we will have our double-deck clearout, but for now, back to the very birth of this site, which was just after the last deckers were withdrawn from Limerick’s streets.

KD193 survived the end of double-deck operation in Limerick and was transferred to Cork. Here it is seen in Limerick city centre operating the busy route 8 at Christmas 1995.

Bombardier KD50 spent its entire life in Limerick, and retained its original offset reg plate until the very end. Also in the picture are KE3 and DVH4.