I wonder does it just look a low quieter as volumes drop to what the roads network can comfortably handle before the gridlock builds? October volumes on the M50 are 75% of 2019 numbers, numbers on the main entry points all look around the same. Lot of talk about Carlow earlier, volumes there are over 90% of 2019.
There could be an element of that, although usually the grid lock has already started on the Clontarf road, Howth road, Malahide Road approaches to the city. If there is gridlock, it must be kicking in a lot closer to the city centre. So the traffic volumes must be down by a certain % or it would start upstream?
A 25% drop might be enough to do it, to free up the usual bottle necks.