Protesters are demanding price caps on fuels (petrol capped at €1.10 per litre, diesel capped at €1.20), the scrapping of the carbon tax and the resignation of Transport Minister Eamon Ryan.
According to the pumps.ie fuel price comparison site, the average price of petrol is between €1.75-1.77 per litre, while diesel costs around €1.83 per litre.
Blocking the Tom Clarke Bridge in Dublin was one of the first actions the protesters took.
According to the Irish Times, by 10 am these were the most affected areas by the protest.
- Dublin Tunnel, southbound, congested
- East Link Toll Bridge blocked
- East Wall Road roundabout blocked
- Sean Moore Road roundabout blocked
- Delays: Irishtown, Point Village
- Kildare Street closed
However, further outside the city, traffic seems to be undisturbed – based on Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s online cameras on the M50.
Around 11 am, protesters were urged to unite their forces and gather at the 3Arena, but the number of trucks appeared to below the organisers’ expectations.
Trucks, tractors and vans are blocking up roads around the 3Arena as part of the #Irishfuelprotest.
The demonstration is not as large as previous truck protests with around 20 vehicles in total.@NewstalkFM pic.twitter.com/u1LBPyoj7r
— Josh Crosbie (@JoshCrosbie3) April 11, 2022
The group itself also seems to be disappointed in the relatively small number of showing up of the people. Writing on their Facebook Page, the organisers posted:
“Where are all the people that promised to be here. You only let yourself and your future down. People here costing money taking fines and getting banned of the road. here are all the people that promised to be here. You let your country down!”
For those who have not been following the story, the protest is not associated with the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), however, the group formerly used a very similar name “The Irish Truckers & Haulage Association Against Fuel Prices”.
Our regular readers may recall that the same group organised a haulier protest over high fuel prices last year.
Its slow-moving convoys caused a noticeable agree of disruption in Dublin, and also received plenty of media attention. However, the protest the Irish Government did not initially change its policy following the demonstration. However, the government did cut fuel duty following the hike in fuel prices that occurred after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Photo credits @ Aj Grab Hire/ Facebook