Gridlock is expected during peak times on Dublin roads today as up to 50,000 DART and suburban rail commuters face the possibility of a complete suspension of services.
Traffic is expected to double on primary routes along the eastern seaboard in the morning, with as many as 30,000 peak-time DART commuters seeking alternative transport.
A further 10,000 DART commuters at off-peak times and 10,000 rail commuters on the Dundalk, Arklow, Maynooth and Kildare suburban lines also face severe transport difficulties.
The Garda Siochana has announced it will not police bus corridors today, allowing other vehicles on to the lanes. A spokesman said additional gardai will be on duty to try to ease traffic congestion at key junctions.
Dublin Bus said it would be unable to provide any additional services today as all its drivers and vehicles were already committed to normal peak-time services.
Lobby groups have urged Dublin commuters to share vehicles or avoid travelling into the city at peak times if possible.
Mr Robert Kelly, senior planner at the Dublin Transportation Office, said the strike would "have the equivalent effect of placing a barrier across the Rock Road and Clontarf Road. The potential effect is to block up both those roads and probably the Malahide Road and a good portion of the Stillorgan Road".
Mr Turlough O'Sullivan, director of IBEC, said it was "intolerable that the travelling public will be seriously inconvenienced by unofficial action. Clearly the industrial relations machinery of the State has not been exhausted and the trade unions involved, SIPTU and NBRU, should instruct their members to report to work".
The Small Firms' Association warned the strike would cost small businesses in Dublin more than £1 million.
"It will also create a day of misery for commuters whose aim is to get to work in order to earn a living," said Mr Pat Delaney, director of the body.
Mr Trevor Keegan, of AA Roadwatch, advised motorists to "try to avoid being on the road in the peak morning rush between 7.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. If people arrange to car pool, it will go a long way towards freeing up road space".
According to the AA, almost half of commuters in the eastern seaboard area use public transport, mainly DART, compared to 2030 per cent in other parts of the city.
As a result, seaboard routes between Howth and Bray are likely to be worst affected by the strike.
Mr Owen Keegan, Dublin Corporation's director of traffic, said "except for car sharing, absolutely nothing can be done to alleviate the consequences of the action. There is no capacity on the suburban bus network and roads to facilitate any more commuters. Unless people are going to take bikes or walk there will be no avoidance of significant additional congestion".
The Minister for Environment, Mr Dempsey, said the Garda, Dublin Corporation and Dublin Transportation Office would attempt to minimise the disruption. He criticised the unofficial dispute, saying it would not do any good to the train workers' case. He said he expected a public backlash against the workers like that following the taxi drivers' unofficial dispute last year.
