Truck drivers taking part in a protest in Dublin blocked both ends of the Tom Clarke Bridge, commonly known as the East Link, today, with about 15 lorries still gathering in the area this afternoon.
The striking hauliers have been protesting since 6am over the rising cost of fuel.
Gardaí said there were still a number of vehicles gathered near the 3Arena, but the Dublin Port and East Link areas were cleared this afternoon.
Gardaí were advising commuters to plan for potential traffic disruption due to the protest.
The protest was organised by a group which calls itself 'The People of Ireland Against Fuel Prices'.
Gardaí are monitoring the demonstration and have issued protesters with fines for obstruction under the Road Traffic Act.
The initial penalty is for €40 and continues to rise in increments of €20 if the fine is not paid within 28 days.
Gardaí have advised the protesters that they should end the protest and move on. If they continue to ignore the request they will be issued with two penalty points on their driving licence for failure to comply with a garda direction.
The protest was advertised on social media and demonstrators said there is no spokesperson or representative available to speak to the media.
The group organised two protests in the capital last year - one in November and another in December - under the name 'the Irish Trucker and Haulage Association against Fuel Prices'.
It is not affiliated with the Irish Road Haulage Association.
It invited hauliers and truck drivers - as well as drivers of other vehicles - to gather from 3am at points on four motorways into the city.
Politicians were invited to the protest, with Independent TD Richard O'Donoghue photographed in attendance.
Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín said that truckers felt forced to protest being at the forefront of the energy crisis.
"For the third time in a matter of months, truckers are forced up to Dublin to protest about the spiralling cost of fuel which is depriving them of their very livelihood. What does it say about the desperation of these working men and women that they are engaging in a week long protest to disrupt the capital as much as possible until the Government listens to them?
"There is a complete absence of leadership from Government Buildings and the Government has the full regulatory and taxation powers at their disposal to tackle this crisis. Now is the time to act," he said.
The Government has said a wide range of supports are available for the haulage sector.
An €18 million support scheme recently opened of €100 per week for each licenced heavy goods vehicle and runs for the next eight weeks.
Businesses that are registered for VAT may deduct the VAT charged to them on the purchase of business inputs, such as road diesel and other motoring costs.
Last month, excise duty was reduced by 20 cent per litre of petrol, 15 cent per litre of diesel and 2 cent in the excise duty charged on marked gas oil.
Protesters on foot were instructed to gather at the GPO on O'Connell Street from 9am.
The scene at #GPO 9.05am this morning - very quiet @TodaywithClaire pic.twitter.com/4mBHDPPtcn
— Evelyn O'Rourke (@evelyn_orourke) April 11, 2022
The group's previous protests caused traffic disruption in the capital.
CEO of Dublin Town Richard Guiney said protest and disruption is not what the city needs as it remains in a fragile state after the pandemic, with footfall hovering at between 80% to 85% of 2019 levels.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that protests held before Christmas did not impact as negatively as feared and hoped it would be the same situation today.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"The city is being used by people to meet their friends and family, particularly now that we're coming out to the pandemic. That's something that we see an awful lot where people, they may not be engaging with the businesses in the city, but they're using the city as a meeting point to meet their friends and family. And that's something that I think everybody should respect."
Additional Reporting: Dimitri O'Donnell, Kate Carolan
