Idiots allowed make decision on N32 bus lane!

ButtermilkJack

I have just read the article in today's Irish Times (Motors, back page) about the decision to remove the bus lanes from both sides of the N32 in Dublin. These bus lanes were put in place to help airport traffic during construction of the Port Tunnel. They have not been used by a scheduled bus service in over a year so Dublin City Council have decided to remove them.

'Great' I hear you all say. Not so my friends, because those in power have decided they would be better as hard shoulders... and not driving lanes.:eek:

Why is it that the idiots are always allowed make the decisions? At least now, as bus lanes, we are able to drive in them after 7pm Monday-Saturday and all-day Sunday. As hard shoulders, we will never be allowed drive in them.

A spokesman said that they had numerous calls from drivers wondering what was happening with these lanes as they never saw any buses on them. And by the sound of it, I'd say he's well happy with himself to be able to announce the removal of these unused bus lanes.:rolleyes:

Why the hell don't they just have two driving lanes in each direction? Considering that the road is joined at each end by two driving lanes in each direction - the M50 on one side, the Malahide Road on the other - and that the traffic is very heavy on the road as it is.

Can somebody please explain to me the method in their madness? I am getting really annoyed that the clever people are not involved in running this country anymore!

ando

"hard shoulder"? wtf. Their slapping us in the face with a wet fish here

hardCopy

This place is f*ckin joke.

Kashkai

Couldn't agree more with you Jack.

I use this road when I come off the M50 when travelling to the parent's house. I've often been stuck in mile long jams as a perfectly good and EMPTY lane sits there. While I've often been tempted to use it, the boys in blue are usually waiting in their "unmarked van" to catch anyone who tries to get to their destination in a reasonable time.

We live in a city rules by eejits who hate cars and would like nothing better than to have us all back on horse and cart just to satisfy the green lobby. If there was a decent public transport service, I'd use it. However, there isn't and since I paid a small fortune in VRT, tax, insurance etc for my car, I'll use it. Can't wait for the next election when I can roast the b***ard politicos (whatever their party, as they're all the bloody same!!!)

Big Balls

Nevermind jumping into it.. I often use the lanes legally (after 7 and all day Sun) and it cuts down the journey time as so many other Irish drivers don't understand the whole "it's not a bus lane after 7!!!!!!!!!!!".

Fu*kin idiots.

A mate of mine was travelling in one of them a few weeks back, guard pulls him over.. "what are you doing driving in a 24 hour bus lane"..."eh look at that sign up there guard"...was the reply! They had just changed them in the last few weeks and the copper assumed they were still 24 hour ones. Priceless look on his face when all he could say to my mate was on you go.

Tipsy Mac

Perhaps it's going to be used as the Bertie Lane to ferry him and the rest of them to and from the airport at speed.

Traffic

As the N32 is a National Primary Route any decision made to remove the bus lane and replace it with a hard shoulder was made by the National Roads Authorithy and Not by Dublin City Council.

Heinrich

Traffic wrote:

As the N32 is a National Primary Route any decision made to remove the bus lane and replace it with a hard shoulder was made by the National Roads Authorithy and Not by Dublin City Council.

Is that Gay Byrne's baby?

Wishbone Ash

Even when they were 'in use' I only remember seeing the now defunct Aer Dart? using them. Did Dublin Bus ever utilise them?

Tipsy Mac

Traffic wrote:

As the N32 is a National Primary Route any decision made to remove the bus lane and replace it with a hard shoulder was made by the National Roads Authorithy and Not by Dublin City Council.

Can a national primary route have a speed limit of 60kmph?

subway

great
what does that road need a hard shoulder for?
theres plenty of side roads and even a grass verge to pull onto if it was an emergency....

no point getting a taxi to save time getting to the airport anymore.

ButtermilkJack

Traffic wrote:

As the N32 is a National Primary Route any decision made to remove the bus lane and replace it with a hard shoulder was made by the National Roads Authorithy and Not by Dublin City Council.

You say Potato...

Ok, apologies to anyone in Dublin City Council if they thought I was calling them idiots. That's how I read the article. Either way, idiots made the decision.

Wishbone Ash

Tipsy Mac wrote:

Can a national primary route have a speed limit of 60kmph?

Yes and even 50kph.

miju

fucking idiot decision makers , that road gets so bad sometimes the traffic is backed up the full length of the N32 , i presume they'll turn the bus lanes into hard shoulders around the same time they turn on the traffic lights at the M50 end (another clever move there)

surely someone has to be held accountable / lobbied

Praetorian

I travel on that road twice a day.

It's a really stupid bus lane. They are really stupid cops for enforcing it. They are really stupid civil servants changing it into a hard shoulder. What a bottle neck

Orlee

This country just disappoints me more day after day. Hard shoulder makes no sense!

mike65

Moved to Commuting/Transport.

Mike.

peter1892

As far as I know the only (scheduled) bus service on that route was the aerbus which linked Howth Junction station & the airport. This went out of business some time ago.

Other buses may well use it to avoid the port tunnel works. I travel on the N32 twice daily & it's dman frustrating seeing the 'empty' space there.

FX Meister

Where's the N32?

Wishbone Ash

FX Meister wrote:

Where's the N32?

North Dublin. It's at the very end of the M50 (northbound) and brings you to Coolock/Clarehall or from Coolock/Clarehall to M50.

blastman

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Even when they were 'in use' I only remember seeing the now defunct Aer Dart? using them. Did Dublin Bus ever utilise them?

Nope, the Aer Dart was the only route that ever used the lane.

murphaph

This sounds truly moronic if it is factually correct. Just take the signage down and erase the 'LANA BUS' markings from the road and you have another traffic lane until such time as scheduled bus services need the bus lanes reinstated.

ButtermilkJack

mike65 wrote:

Moved to Commuting/Transport.

Mike.

Ooops! Sorry 'bout that.

ButtermilkJack

murphaph wrote:

This sounds truly moronic if it is factually correct. Just take the signage down and erase the 'LANA BUS' markings from the road and you have another traffic lane until such time as scheduled bus services need the bus lanes reinstated.

Indeed. This is the article from the Times website. Although, as a previous poster mentioned, it wasn't Dublin City Council that made the decision, but rather the NRA, so we have to wait to see exactly what details are correct!

markpb

It was a hard shoulder before it became a bus lane. It was always known that if the bus lane was removed, it would become a hard shoulder again.

Whatever about changing it back to a hard shoulder being silly, it's even sillier that the Dept. of Transport stopped Dublin Bus using it after AerDart went bust.

DubNside

Buses going back to Harristown garage use it! And of course taxi's to/from the airport

Not any use to your average commuter though!

They should narrow the centre median and put in place a crash barrier, widen the two lanes and get the lights working at the junction with Clonshaugh lane.

I would also say that lights are needed at the settled travellers yard as well, ive seen many a car just fly outta there without looking!

cor

Have to agree it's a crazy thing to do putting a hard shoulder in. There's definitely enough traffic weekdays and weekends to warrant two lanes in both directions.

There used to be a cycle lane on the N32 before the bus lane. I heard on the DCAL traffic programme on the radio that the bus lane was installed while the Port Tunnel works were going on, and when the works were completed the bus lane would go.

bibibobo

My guess, off the top of my head, is that maybe given that the road has a national status 'N' then maybe it requires a breakdown / emergency lane by specification.
I agree that the NRA have alot to answer for. That road should have at least 4 lanes to cope with the rush hour traffic and there is plenty of unused land at the north side to add on hardshoulders if needed.
I think that the country is run by a bunch of jokers. The lights at Clarehall used to have a roundabout instead. On the new M1 junction with the N1/R132 Donabate / Lissenhall Junction there is a roundabout which is overloaded at peak times and is going to be replaced by, guess what, Traffic lights!!! Bunch of bleedin wasters throwing money at problems. I think the job should be done once and done right.

bibibobo

cor wrote:

...There used to be a cycle lane on the N32 before the bus lane.....

As for cycle lanes - they are everywhere and I have yet to see many of them being used. Stupid civil servants are wasting our money trying to meet EU targets on lengths of cycle ways just to look good in europe....who gives a shlT if no one uses them ?? In fact haven cycled on some of them they are of poor quality with plenty of shores, bumps and hollows!!

Stark

bibibobo wrote:

In fact haven cycled on some of them they are of poor quality with plenty of shores, bumps and hollows!!

That's part of the problem. The cycle lanes are thrown down with little thought as well. The most likely place you'll see a cycle lane is where it's least needed. Just before things get hairy, the cycle lane will abruptly end. It's no wonder people don't use them. Cycling would be a great mode of transport within the city if more than lip service was paid to it.

darkman2

F**king thick DCC. Sack the whole lot of them. Why are we subjected to this stupidity.:mad: