Another Commuting Question

chamar

I live in Wexford & am looking at a part-time (3 days per week) role in Ballsbridge & am trying to figure out how I may get there every day. The company has no parking & I assume there will be nowhere to else to park in the vicinity so I was thinking of parking at Greystones & getting the dart to Lansdowne. Does anyone know the situtation re. parking near Greystones Dart Station and/or have alternative suggestions? Advice much appreciated.

sandyg

Maybe you would be better driving to Bray and parking there. There are some free parking places there and at least you would have a better choice of train times.:D

Alun

There's a free P+R car park at Greystones. Note that this isn't the normal car park in front of the council offices, but the one behind the offices. It's a short walk to the station from there, but as sandyg says, the choice of departure (and return!) times is more limited than for Bray.

As regards Bray, unless you get there really early the legal free car park on the seafront will almost certainly be full. There are plenty of 3-hour spaces all along the seafront though, and the chances of getting caught plus the small fine make many people take that chance, and view any fines they might get simply as a parking fee.

Keedowah

yeah Bray would give you much better dart times. the one to greystones is a lot less regular.

chamar

Oh right, thanks for replying. Well, I would never make the legal car-park in Bray. If you parked illegally (pay 3 hours) do they not clamp you? How much would the fine be? I thought the parkies up there were like the stasi??

Alun

chamar wrote:

Oh right, thanks for replying. Well, I would never make the legal car-park in Bray. If you parked illegally (pay 3 hours) do they not clamp you? How much would the fine be? I thought the parkies up there were like the stasi??

No clamping .. and the last fine I had was only €19. Now, I have to say that I don't park there that often, probably only a couple of times a month, but I guess that I'd get done maybe only a couple of times a year at most. If you're doing it more regularly than that your chances of getting caught increase of course. You pays your money and takes your chance, I suppose.

dools

Wuld you not consider the Bus (Bus Eireann) or the Diesel Train and not bother driving at all?

loyatemu

Alun wrote:

No clamping .. and the last fine I had was only €19. Now, I have to say that I don't park there that often, probably only a couple of times a month, but I guess that I'd get done maybe only a couple of times a year at most. If you're doing it more regularly than that your chances of getting caught increase of course. You pays your money and takes your chance, I suppose.

you'll get caught, a lot. the parking wardens in bray love the seafront - it's easy pickings.

The park and ride in Greystones never fills up and there are 5 trains back from Lansdowne between 1700 and 1830. Its easy access back onto the N11 from the P&R too (though its currently a fiddle getting into greystones from the northbound N11 - you would need to learn the route down through Kilquade)

if you can find parking in ballsbridge you'd probably be as quick driving though.

chamar

Thanks again - don't think I'd ever find parking in Ballsbridge - otherwise i would just drive in. I guess UCD is also a no no??

Re. bus eireann/cie - i would definitely do that if it were available. First bus to leave wexford is at 7am though and wouldn't get up till about 10. Likewise with the train - leaves close to 8am! You would think there would be a commuter service on at least one of these modes of transport! There is a commuter train from Gorey I believe (the price of which isn't on their website) but to get back you would have to make sure to get to the dart at 17.30 and I know that would be unlikely with the work. Also there is the problem of where to park in Gorey! Oh well, looks like Greystones it is.

MarkoP11

From Jan 14th there is a extra train Gorey Dublin getting in at 8am (and it stops in Lansdowne Rd as does the current one), there are two out in the evening leaving Dublin at 17:25 and 18:35

There is no win win situation best off looking at all the options and working out the best. You may need to do a trial run to see if it really works

Slogger Jogger

Hi,

I got a parking fine pre Christmas for parking near Greystones DART station. Since then I've used the Park n Ride even though it annoys me that that positioned it more than 5 mins walk away, which in bad weather can leave you wet for your journey into town. Anyway, last Thurs I got back from Dublin to see that a host of cars (I estimate around 10) had windows broken. At least 2 cars had 2 windows broke. My car was okay. Whether they were random vandalism attacks or not is not clear. It seems that you are damned wherever you park in Greystones so, if the proper car park isn't given any decent security...

Regards,

Mick

SickCert

Ive heard of cars being broken into here before.
Park as near to the road as possible or near a light and leave your interior empty of all contents.

John R

chamar wrote:

Thanks again - don't think I'd ever find parking in Ballsbridge - otherwise i would just drive in. I guess UCD is also a no no??

Re. bus eireann/cie - i would definitely do that if it were available. First bus to leave wexford is at 7am though and wouldn't get up till about 10. Likewise with the train - leaves close to 8am! You would think there would be a commuter service on at least one of these modes of transport! There is a commuter train from Gorey I believe (the price of which isn't on their website) but to get back you would have to make sure to get to the dart at 17.30 and I know that would be unlikely with the work. Also there is the problem of where to park in Gorey! Oh well, looks like Greystones it is.

I don't know where you are getting that information from but it is incorrect.

Bus Eireann have had an early bus on the Rosslare-Dublin route for a number of years now. It departs Wexford at 05.55 and is due in Busaras at 08.55. The next bus is at 07.30 and that gets in at 10.00.

They set-down and pick up at Vincents Hospital (Nutley Lane) which is a 15min walk or a short local bus trip to Ballsbridge.

The return services are at 16.00, 18.00, 19.00 and 20.30. The 18.00 takes the backroad from Gorey which is quicker than the N11 and is scheduled at 20.40 in Wexford. There is also a 17.30 from Busaras only but that goes down the N81 (Tallaght-Blessington-Tullow) and is not reccomended.

http://www.buseireann.ie/site/your_journey/printed_timetable_pdfs/expressway/2.pdf

chamar

Yes - you're right. The timetable I checked didn't have those early services but I've since seen them. It's all academic now anyway as I heard today that they won't hire me.......:(

loyatemu

chamar wrote:

Yes - you're right. The timetable I checked didn't have those early services but I've since seen them. It's all academic now anyway as I heard today that they won't hire me.......:(

they probably thought you'd be late half the time...

Victor

Sorry, but thats a daft commute.

Alun wrote:

No clamping .. and the last fine I had was only €19.

All those fines are now €40.

FrCrilly

chamar wrote:

I live in Wexford & am looking at a part-time (3 days per week) role in Ballsbridge & am trying to figure out how I may get there every day. The company has no parking & I assume there will be nowhere to else to park in the vicinity so I was thinking of parking at Greystones & getting the dart to Lansdowne. Does anyone know the situtation re. parking near Greystones Dart Station and/or have alternative suggestions? Advice much appreciated.

Hi Chamar,

Firstly I’ll give you a Gorey free route from Wexford to Dublin. (You don’t say where exactly in Wexford).

It’s possible to go through Bunclody, Carnew, Aughrim, Rathdrum and then come out onto the main Dublin Road at Rathnew from which you would have dual carriageway all the way to Dublin. This is not a foolproof route but it may be worth experimenting with if you have to go through Gorey at peak times.

In terms of parking, Shankill Dart Station has a long estate road which as far as I’m aware is free parking. To avoid traffic congestion on the Bray/Shankill bypass, it is possible to take the Fassaroe exit (from the Bray/Shankill bypass) and take backroads to come out beside the Esso station near the church in Shankill, which in turn is near the Dart station. (Look this up on a good OS map).

An advantage of these 2 routes combined is that if you hear on AA roadwatch of a crash between Rathnew and Dublin causing major delays, which seems to happen quite regularly, you could avoid the whole thing by taking backroads from Rathdrum to Shankill via Enniskerry. I think from memory, a good portion of these roads are not lined but fairly straight. (Again, look this up on a good OS map)

Again I say, these routes are not foolproof but may be worth at least experimenting with.

Hope this helps

chamar

Hi FrCrilly,

Thanks for your advice. I had heard there is way to Dublin via Bunclody etc. but have never taken it. I would travel from Wexford town though so I'm guessing that the old coast road to Gorey is still quicker. And to be honest, the hold up in Gorey is not that bad when you approach it from that side (you can navigate a back road which brings you to the main st. and avoid the lights & most north-south congestion - you just have to hope that some kind soul lets you out....;) ....few and far between these days..:( )

Anyways, I didn't get the job in the end. I'm now thinking of commuting to Kilkenny if I can get something there - about an 1hr 10mins but the road is TREACHEROUS which would worry me....

Thanks again.

FrCrilly

chamar wrote:

Hi FrCrilly,

Thanks for your advice. I had heard there is way to Dublin via Bunclody etc. but have never taken it. I would travel from Wexford town though so I'm guessing that the old coast road to Gorey is still quicker. And to be honest, the hold up in Gorey is not that bad when you approach it from that side (you can navigate a back road which brings you to the main st. and avoid the lights & most north-south congestion - you just have to hope that some kind soul lets you out....;) ....few and far between these days..:( )

Anyways, I didn't get the job in the end. I'm now thinking of commuting to Kilkenny if I can get something there - about an 1hr 10mins but the road is TREACHEROUS which would worry me....

Thanks again.

That road certainly is treacherous. You’re probably planning to follow signs for Kiltealy from Ferrycarrig (ie via Killurin and Killanne) and then follow signs for Kilkenny.

Between Kiltealy and Kilkenny, the road is very windy. In the town of Gowran, there is a handy way to pass out slow moving vehicles. Instead of taking a right turn off the main street signposted for Kilkenny, go straight and take the next right turn. (I think the Church is on this road). Drive to the end of this road where you come to a Y junction. Take a left. You’re now on the main road to Kilkenny again and unless you’re unlucky, you’ve just passed out the slow moving vehicle. This probably works better coming from Kilkenny, but still worth trying out.

(I think it’s Gowran, if not, it’s the town where you have to take a right turn off the main street.)

Hope this helps