Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

[article] New bus terminus should be on Dublin's 'periphery'

Options
2»

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    Airmail
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Airmail


    How about Heuston for the new bus terminal (post Transport 21). ie.the dublin bus site on Parkgate Street/Conyngham road.

    If a bridge was built connecting this site to heuston carpark you would have one main terminal for all intercity bus services and the majority of intercity trains. It would offer considerable time advantages over a docklands terminal.

    There would be the interconnector-dart and luas connections.


  • Options
    #33
    dowlingm
    Registered Users Posts: 5,309 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    metrobest has a point (maybe he should stick to buses?) If Ryanair can get on and off stand in 25 minutes with 189 people on a 737 a bus should not be at a gate any longer than 15-20 allowing for loading/unloading.


  • Options
    #34
    John R
    Registered Users Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    dowlingm wrote:
    metrobest has a point (maybe he should stick to buses?) If Ryanair can get on and off stand in 25 minutes with 189 people on a 737 a bus should not be at a gate any longer than 15-20 allowing for loading/unloading.

    They are not, loading is usually 10 minutes and unloading is less than 5 minutes with the buses usually leaving the station immediately.

    Metrobest as usual has a half-correct idea surrounded by rubbish.

    There is a certain amount of bunching on the hour although many services are scheduled to leave on the half hour and some at 15/45 past.

    There is no need to re-use gates, that is not where the main capacity problem is. Most gates at Busaras only cater for 1 or 2 different routes.

    It would be impossible to schedule arrivals for a particular gap, the traffic approaching Dublin is too unpredictable

    The problem is that there is not enough space for bus movements inside the station and the approach/departure route is very congested.

    Metrobest did happen upon a location I think would have potential for a good bus station; Hawkins House.

    That monstrosity could really do with being demolished. It is a fairly large central site, close to DART and metro and with a bit of work it could give reasonable road access to/from most major routes.


  • Options
    #35
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    Arrivals may be tricky to schedule. Departures aren't.

    Why does Busaras schedule several buses to depart at the same second, and then nothing from several gates for 60 minutes. It's archaic. It's the way they've always done it, so why bother changing? That's the attitude, unfortunately.

    * No two buses should be scheduled to depart at the same time.
    * Each gate should comfortably handle three scheduled departures per hour at peak times.
    * Most inbound passengers don't want to arrive at Busaras - set-downs could be organised for George's Quay and Eden Quay during the peak which would elimate conflicting movements at Busaras.

    The railings around Busaras contribute to the problem - they "fence in" the buses, making it difficult to manouvre. The railings shuld be removed, and the footprint of Busaras extended. This could allow a new exit-only portal directly onto Amiens Street.
    That monstrosity could really do with being demolished

    I agree. It's such an eyesore, it needs to be shut down.

    Hopefully if the Trinity-Tara metro station is developed, Hawkins House can be demolished and a new office/retail tower built, underneath which a travlator will connnect the metro platforms at Hawkins Street and DART at Tara. There would be space for buses, too.

    It would be a fantastic addition to the city.


  • Options
    #36
    craigybagel
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭craigybagel


    Most gates may only be used every hour but using them more frequently causes problems. Gate 3 on a Sunday sees the 17:45 Sligo followed by the 18:00 Cork, a bus i use regularly. The queue outside this gate from 17:30 onwards is always chaotic, with a lot of confusion over which bus is going first, as the displays change at 17:47 regardless of whether the Sligo bus has departed or not (and it usually hasnt). By the time it finally does go theres then only a few minutes left to load up the cork (usually two buses at least). So realistically, at peak hours the gates can only be used every 30 mins to still be reliable, and on that basis Busarus must be close to capacity.

    Dont know how relavant this is to other routes but on the cork buses at most 3 people get on or off at Newlands Cross, with everyone else continuing in to the city centre. So unless we have a reliable and fast way of moving people to the centre from the centre (cue hollow laughter) this cant be a good idea.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    Craigy, wouldn't you say that that's down to poor enforcement of scheduled departure times.

    If the 17.45 Sligo service started loading at 17.31, departed on time, and the Cork service begain loading at 17.46, would these queues still exist?

    There is a culture of confusion and chaos at Busaras which makes passengers arrive ridiculously early because of the problems you mentioned.

    Most of the human congestion at Busaras is passengers waiting for buses to start boarding. You've got empy buses sitting for minutes at departure gates while 100+ passengers form a queue snaking around the hall.

    Why anyone in Busaras can't implement simple solutions to rectify these problems is beyond me.


  • Options
    #38
    monument
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,072 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    Metrobest wrote:
    * Most inbound passengers don't want to arrive at Busaras - set-downs could be organised for George's Quay and Eden Quay during the peak which would elimate conflicting movements at Busaras.

    Most/all buses from Ballina already stop just before or after O’Connell Street – from my limited experience half or sometimes more of the passengers depart at this point.


  • Options
    #39
    craigybagel
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭craigybagel


    Metrobest wrote:
    Craigy, wouldn't you say that that's down to poor enforcement of scheduled departure times.

    If the 17.45 Sligo service started loading at 17.31, departed on time, and the Cork service begain loading at 17.46, would these queues still exist?

    There is a culture of confusion and chaos at Busaras which makes passengers arrive ridiculously early because of the problems you mentioned.

    Most of the human congestion at Busaras is passengers waiting for buses to start boarding. You've got empy buses sitting for minutes at departure gates while 100+ passengers form a queue snaking around the hall.

    Why anyone in Busaras can't implement simple solutions to rectify these problems is beyond me.

    You make a good point but for the Cork to start boarding as soon as the Sligo departs it has to be somewhere nearby waiting,with a driver onboard and in Busaras at that time of night thats almost impossible. Though i do agree earlier boarding would help it seems to be at the moment that drivers leave it as late as possible to waddle out to open up their bus.


Advertisement