Motorists warned to avoid Luas trams

Motorists have been warned to be more aware of the Luas tram service after a minor collision with a car on the outskirts of the…

Motorists have been warned to be more aware of the Luas tram service after a minor collision with a car on the outskirts of the city.

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), which manages the new light rail system, appealed to drivers to take extra care and use common-sense when driving along the two tram routes.

The car and the tram suffered superficial damage after a rush-hour collision near the Red Cow Roundabout on the line running from Tallaght to Connolly Station.

Tom Manning of the RPA said: "We are trying hard to make sure motorists get the message. We are experiencing some difficulties on that front.

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"We have got a job to do to wake people up and alert them, it is almost all common-sense. We try to emphasise to people that if it is an orange light don't go faster to get through.

"If people go into the yellow boxes it can cause difficulties as the tram can't go through the lights, and it holds up the people on the tram." Mr Manning said the RPA had done a lot of safety promotions, especially as there was a lot of street transit on the new line.

One of the trams on the Red Line also collided with a car near Capel Street last month, with minimal damage and in July a car collided with the front carriage of a Luas, breaking the indicator, on Harcourt Street.

The RPA said there had been no major problems since the first line, running from Sandyford to St Stephen's Green, opened at the end of June.

Mr Manning said they were delighted with the way people had adapted to the service, with parents using it to send their children to school.