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Updated 22:50
VEHICLES THAT ARE higher than 4.65 metres tall were banned from Ireland’s roads from today.
The ban has been on the cards for almost seven years – since January 2007 – but was held over until now to allow truck owners and operators time to phase out the vehicles.
In a statement, the Department of Transport said the new height limit is being brought in mainly for rail safety and to protect expensive physical infrastructure, such as bridges which have been hit by excessively tall vehicles.
The ban is also designed to ease the number of big vehicles in urban areas: vehicles which are higher than 4.65 metres (15.2 feet) already cannot use Dublin’s Port Tunnel, the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork or Limerick Tunnels and have to be diverted through urban areas.
The Department said there may be some ‘exceptional circumstances’ on the country’s roads in future in which a tall lorry may be allowed, but stressed that the existing regime for ‘abnormal loads’ would have to be used and that it could only ever be for an extraordinary event.
First published 07:15.
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