There will be a rolling series of road closures across Dublin this weekend, with access severely restricted and public transport options curtailed as more than 20,000 runners take part in the Dublin Marathon.
Even before the Sunday start, the impact of the race will be felt, with Merrion Square South already closed while other streets around the start and finish lines will begin closing from Saturday morning.
The race starts on Sunday at 8:40am on Leeson Street Lower although it will take some time for the 22,000 participants to cross the starting line.
Once under way the marathon will head through the city centre before crossing the river close to Heuston Station and going through Stoneybatter, the North Circular Rd and into the Phoenix Park.
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After that, it will cross the river again and head down the South Circular Road and Dolphin’s Barn and on through the city’s suburbs in advance of the finish line on Mouth Street Upper.
While the top athletes will have their race run by 11am, the gruelling event will continue for hours after that with some runners unlikely to cross the finish line until closer to 5pm.
Some of the roads affected by the closure will start to reopen from 11am with the north side of the city likely to be clear of runners by 2pm after which roads south of the Liffey will begin to reopen at half-hour intervals.
Some of the roads closest to the finish line will remain cut off until 8pm on Sunday with the south side of Merrion Square the last road in the city to reopen at 2pm on bank holiday Monday. A full list of road closures is available here.
The weather is likely to be a mix of sunny spells and showers across much of the weekend, with more persistent rain pushing in from the west over the course of Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Garda has stepped up its roads policing operation for the bank holiday weekend, with 20 drivers arrested for driving while under the influence of drink or drugs since Thursday and more than 200 detected speeding.
Chief Supt Jane Humphries of the Garda Roads Policing Unit stressed the holiday weekend posed challenges for drivers with the clocks going back and a change in the weather. She urged people to “take time for their journeys” and make sure their cars are roadworthy, especially tyres.
“Every arrest that we make for either drink- or drunk-driving, we are saving a life on the roads and we have prevented that person going on ahead, causing a collision, which could quite easily take their life or the life of somebody else,” she said.
She highlighted how average speed cameras have now been deployed on the M5 and M3 and stressed they were there to “change people’s behaviours. It’s really important that people understand that they are not there to punish anybody. The cameras are simply there to save lives. If we can change people’s behaviour behind the wheel of the car, then we will save lives. It really is as simple as that.”
She reiterated her key messages: “Quite simply, when you’re socialising, do not get behind the wheel of a car if you have drink or drugs in your system. When you’re in a vehicle whether as a driver or as a passenger please ensure that you’re wearing your seat belts, do not be distracted in any manner via mobile phone or by passengers and please keep your speed at an appropriate speed for the weather and for the road conditions.”
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