Luas and the nation of whingers and sneers

HelterSkelter

What is it about this country that people have to sneer and jeer at anything new that is build? They complain about projects such as LUAS and the Spire being such a waste of money. Yet the same people still piss all their own money away down the pub every night. Ironic.

I could see the delight in some people's faces yesterday when the LUAS had its first hicup, some eejit jammed "an object" between the doors and the tram couldn't carry on. People had the knifes out looking to blame Connex, The Government, the RPA.

It's no wonder that we are such a backward country, the minute someone shows any kind of initative and comes up with an idea everyone takes the piss out of them...:rolleyes:

Sarky

The government should have better things to do than make Dublin look a little shinier on the surface.

Sleipnir

LUAS is a transport system and, while it is shiny, actually serves a purpose in that it is a measure to combat the traffic system.
It's not a toy as you seem to be suggesting.

Illkillya

What is it about this country that people have to sneer and jeer at anything new that is build? They complain about projects such as LUAS and the Spire being such a waste of money. Yet the same people still piss all their own money away down the pub every night. Ironic.

I could see the delight in some people's faces yesterday when the LUAS had its first hicup, some eejit jammed "an object" between the doors and the tram couldn't carry on. People had the knifes out looking to blame Connex, The Government, the RPA.

It's no wonder that we are such a backward country, the minute someone shows any kind of initative and comes up with an idea everyone takes the piss out of them...

Your point has some truth behind it but is very badly presented. The Irish public are entitled to waste their own money in the pub. Theres no irony here; if some man decided to take on a personal project and build a light rail system out of his own money on his own land then fair enough, but that is not the case here. The Irish public are entitled to complain (I would say encouraged) if they believe the government are wasting money or making a shambles of a particular project.

Irish people generally support positive new developments, but when an incompetent government starts making a mess of it then you can see where the people are coming from. Complaints and piss-taking from the Irish public has not made this a backwards country; on the contrary, I think we should always expose these inadequacies and incompetence. And the sneers develop over time, with experience.

HelterSkelter

Originally posted by Illkillya
... The Irish public are entitled to complain (I would say encouraged) if they believe the government are wasting money or making a shambles of a particular project...

I agree totally. But what I am talking about is this sneering attitude, hoping something will go wrong, or that the whole thing will be a failure so they can say "I told you so". Do you know what I mean?

HelterSkelter

Originally posted by Sarky
The government should have better things to do than make Dublin look a little shinier on the surface.

Making Dublin look nicer is good for us all. It brings in tourists, investiment, jobs, etc and makes the city a nicer place to live.

flogen

was looking at LUAS.ie, and It doesnt seem to mention the proposed tracks for the future... just the red and green lines that have opened or are opening in a month or two.... anyone have links to maps of the upcoming lines?

flogen

ambasite

Originally posted by HelterSkelter
Making Dublin look nicer is good for us all.

rubbish. $700m+ - good for people living along the Green & Red lines - don't see how that benifits 'all of us'. there is life beyond south Dublin.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by ambasite
rubbish. $700m+ - good for people living along the Green & Red lines - don't see how that benifits 'all of us'. there is life beyond south Dublin.

So your saying it does not benefit you at all?

Sarky

Yup, having a substandard rail system in Dublin certainly brings in tourists to the other 99% of the country. I'm sure the job offers will come rolling in, too, now there's a extra public transport a hundred odd miles away.

And forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't spending a few hundred million quid on better houses make the city even nicer to live in?

But don't mind me, I'm just an uncultured swamp donkey with no grasp of civilisation. This post is actually being typed by someone recieving my badly spelled letters in the posht. It's expensive, but they won't be inventing this internet thing out in the wesht for another while yet...

ambasite

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
So your saying it does not benefit you at all?

Well i wouldn't think so, if you are living, say, in Dingle.

HelterSkelter

Originally posted by Sarky
But don't mind me, I'm just an uncultured swamp donkey with no grasp of civilisation. This post is actually being typed by someone recieving my badly spelled letters in the posht. It's expensive, but they won't be inventing this internet thing out in the wesht for another while yet...

Bit of a chip on your shoulder there eh?

Sarky

Yes. It balances the little space alien that only I may see and hear, and who tells me to burn things.

oneweb

Originally posted by flogen
anyone have links to maps of the upcoming lines?

flogen

Yup, from the Dublin transportation Office:

(these aren't definite plans tho)

[edit] Abobe Reader filetype not allowed - rename it as PDF to view

Greenman

Originally posted by flogen
anyone have links to maps of the upcoming lines?

This might work better!!!

http://www.dto.ie/fig7.pdf

flogen

cheers for the links/files... just what I was looking for!!

the whole thing will be brilliant once finished (if its as planned, that is)...

/me sits and waits for afew years...:D

one thing, is the suburban rail the arrow, or something else..??

flogen

BuffyBot

It's the (now defunct) Arrow brand, and services to Maynooth, Dundalk, Arklow etc

thejollyrodger

i think they should defintely press on with the Metro/Luas. Having just 2 lines in Dublin is a bit of a white elephant.

Bertie never had the vision thing. He is great in gettting deals done but cant look to the future. Rail (of the various types) is the way to travel.

There is support for brennans position from Harney. Obviously she thinks its good for Dublin and the rest of the country.

Hopefully Brennan will put forward the €2,5bn Metro from Sword - Airport - to somewhere in the city centre in August and it will get Cabinet backing.:)

segadreamcast

After looking at it and analysing it consistently - I have to admit, this is the way forward.

However, having said that, this project *needs* to be fully completed (no half-assed jobs) and it has to be pushed forward soon, in this time of economic prosperity, in order for it to look viable

The Real B-man

luas is cool but when i went on it it felt like one of those disney land type trains except it doesnt go to the magic kingdom:mad:

John R

Magic Kingdom...
Sandyford industrial estate

I can see where there may be an element of dissappointment.

However all the RPA desk jockeys in purple polyester standing on the tracks trying to herd the crowds did have an air of mickey mouse about them.

BrianD

However all the RPA desk jockeys in purple polyester standing on the tracks trying to herd the crowds did have an air of mickey mouse about them.

They are actually Connex employees!

P11 Comms

What is it about this country that people have to sneer and jeer at anything new that is build?
[end quote]

Before the coming of the Iron Horses known as DART and LUAS, the sacred centre of Dublin was the domain of a war-like people known as The Company Car Drivers who roamed free across the land moving from tribal tax free private parking space to parking space.

When the first Iron Horse came, the tribe known as the Indos called upon their shaman Dr. Sean Barrett to destroy the “green elephant” whom he prophesied would die of starvation before if would destroy their sacred traditions of corporate travel expenses and company car remuneration packages. He was wrong.

For a score year, they tried to destroy the DART devil, but the green invader kept growing stronger and stronger until the Shaman Dr. Sean Barrett disappeared into academia.

Then the second prophecy came to be and the LUAS Iron Horse moved across the lands of the Company Car Drivers. Again, the native company car commuters of the Sunday Business Post tribe called upon their own shaman, Pocahontas Connolly to rid them of the purple and yellow devil, but it was a not to be. The Iron horse had divided their hunting grounds in two and no longer could executives drive from their workplace in Charlemont Street to their spawning ground in Ballsbridge.

The End

www.platform11.org

BrianD

Well written!