Knocklyon to City Centre

DaveD

I may be looking to moving to Knocklyon soon, i work in the city centre (Harcourt Street). Just wondering what the traffic is like in the area. I'd probably be looking to drive to the Luas and get that into town. Any idea how long it would take to get to the Luas station.

Also any other comments on the area ? Good or bad ?

Thanks.

LiamD

Luas isn't of much use to you, the closest would probably be milltown which still takes quite a while to get to and has no park and ride. The Tallaght terminus would be more accessible but the Red Line will not bring you to Harcourt.

The traffic from Knockylon to town at rush hour is shocking. My commute each day takes about 3 hours (yes 3 hours) when I have to be in college for 9 and leave to go home at 5. And that's on the EXPRESS bus which supposedly has priority over cars on the roads. Choke points are Terenure and Rathmines or you could try the kimmage -> Harolds cross route which can also get a bit hairy and would leave you driving half way around the city to get to Harcourt st.

I'm getting a moped ASAP (funds permitting) for when I go back to college in town in October. I estimate my total commute each day will be 1 hour (30 mins each way regardless of time of day) - the way it SHOULD be!

youcancallmeal

I cycle in and out of town from Knocklyon every day and its only around 25mins each way. Otherwise I get the bus which is usually at least an hour. Main options in knocklyon are the 15 or 49. I think there is new bus route the 74 running as well, not sure where from exactly? Driving to and from Harcourt st. at peak times would be a total nightmare I'd imagine. You would be pretty limited in your choice of routes and they are all guaranteed to be jammed! Another option is to drive to the park and ride in Dundrum and get the Luas, don't know what traffic would be like to Dundrum though?

Kinetic^

The 15 or 49 bus will serve you well.

DaveD

Thank for the replies everyone.

The wife works in Leopardstown and would hope to drive there via the M50. She reckons it would only take 10/15 mins, is that correct ?

seamus

The M50 portion may only take 10/15 mins yeah

Seriously, getting onto the M50 at the Knocklyon junction is something of a nightmare. Particularly when the schools are back. I remember talking to a girl who told me that one morning it took her almost an hour to get from her house in Woodstown to the M50 (a journey that you'd walk in ten minutes).

I grew up in Knocklyon, and obviously still know a lot of people there. Where you buy will have a big impact on your journey times - especially going into the future. Some estates are at a virtual standstill in the mornings, others are generally OK.

lodgepole

The road connecting Knocklyon and the M50 is a nightmare, it's incredibly slow in the evenings and in the mornings. Once Taylor's Lane re-opens, you could travel via Marley Park in the same direction, i'd suspect it would be quicker. If you do end up on the 15, it's not that bad... It takes about an hour to get to town but that's pretty much a normal commute on a bus these days. It's a reliable bus, and the only real problem with it is that it's pretty loaded with school kids going to Terenure and Our Ladies, so be prepared for the noise that is associated with that.

Do you know exactly where in Knocklyon or have you just decided on the area?

I grew up in Knocklyon too, and am now living in Dundrum, on the Luas line.

DaveD

We were looking at houses in Woodstown village. Looks like traffic over that way isn't as good as we thought

seamus

Lodgepole wrote:

If you do end up on the 15, it's not that bad... It takes about an hour to get to town but that's pretty much a normal commute on a bus these days. It's a reliable bus,

I don't know about that. From what I remember, and from what people have said about it now, its service hasn't much improved over the years. It usuallys leaves too early or too late, or sometimes they don't bother keeping to the schedule at all (if a scheduled bus breaks down or is full, they don't bother sending another one out).

If you're at the terminus for the 15 in the morning, you should be OK. As said though, it gets jammed with Terenure and Our Lady's kids. Often it'll go straight past bus stops in Knocklyon and Templeogue because it's full, only to be completely empty when it hits Terenure.

Traffic is horrific around the whole Ballycullen area in the mornings. It was one of the first places that the whole building boom really took off in, so it suffers from having too many houses with not enough services, so everyone has to drive in the mornings to get their kids out, get to work, etc. As the development in Stocking Avenue continues, it's only going to get worse. Bus services are slightly better than they used to be, but nothing remotely approaching what they should be for an area of that size/with so many young families.

youcancallmeal

seamus wrote:

I don't know about that. From what I remember, and from what people have said about it now, its service hasn't much improved over the years. It usuallys leaves too early or too late, or sometimes they don't bother keeping to the schedule at all (if a scheduled bus breaks down or is full, they don't bother sending another one out).

If you're at the terminus for the 15 in the morning, you should be OK. As said though, it gets jammed with Terenure and Our Lady's kids. Often it'll go straight past bus stops in Knocklyon and Templeogue because it's full, only to be completely empty when it hits Terenure.

Traffic is horrific around the whole Ballycullen area in the mornings. It was one of the first places that the whole building boom really took off in, so it suffers from having too many houses with not enough services, so everyone has to drive in the mornings to get their kids out, get to work, etc. As the development in Stocking Avenue continues, it's only going to get worse. Bus services are slightly better than they used to be, but nothing remotely approaching what they should be for an area of that size/with so many young families.

Yep I've lived in Knocklyon all my life and all this is very true! Its going to get even worse over the next few years with the Knocklyon road re-alignment due to begin sometime this year and probably wont be completed for another 4 years. Even then its believed that this new road will only make things worse for people who live in Knocklyon and simply act as quicker route through the area for people who live elsewhere. Also the amount of house being built up at Stocking Avenue is ridiculous, I hear its already bedlam in the mornings up there!

KC61

seamus wrote:

I don't know about that. From what I remember, and from what people have said about it now, its service hasn't much improved over the years. It usuallys leaves too early or too late, or sometimes they don't bother keeping to the schedule at all (if a scheduled bus breaks down or is full, they don't bother sending another one out).

If you're at the terminus for the 15 in the morning, you should be OK. As said though, it gets jammed with Terenure and Our Lady's kids. Often it'll go straight past bus stops in Knocklyon and Templeogue because it's full, only to be completely empty when it hits Terenure.

Traffic is horrific around the whole Ballycullen area in the mornings. It was one of the first places that the whole building boom really took off in, so it suffers from having too many houses with not enough services, so everyone has to drive in the mornings to get their kids out, get to work, etc. As the development in Stocking Avenue continues, it's only going to get worse. Bus services are slightly better than they used to be, but nothing remotely approaching what they should be for an area of that size/with so many young families.

The bus services are to improve over the course of the summer when the all day service is introduced on routes 74/74A and enhanced frequency and running time is added to the 15 group of routes.

Scuba_Scoper

I live in Knocklyon and work on Harcourt St too :eek: My experiences for what they are worth....

Luas. Drive to Sandyford Terminus at 7:30am.Takes 10 minutes on the M50. Sitting at my desk at 8:15am. Go home at 5:30pm arrive at house around 6:30pm. Costs 8 euro per day travel and parking.

Bus. 15 from the terminus at 7:45am arrive at work at approx 9:00am (during school tims). Going home can be very hit or miss due to the bus passing full.
I usually end up taking a 15B and walking the last mile. Takes about 60-90 minutes depending on traffic chaos.

Driving. Could take anything from 50minutes to 1:30 then there is the parking issues.... I dont have a space so feeding meters is an expensive hobby.

Motorbike. 15 minutes there . 15 minutes home.

No contest really.;)

Luckycharm

DaveD wrote:

We were looking at houses in Woodstown village. Looks like traffic over that way isn't as good as we thought

I live up in hunterswood and commute to the Docks each morning. There are 2 new buses up there the 74s. 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening, I believe it takes an hour and both go through rathmines.

Some of the traffic has been taken off that roundabout with the opening of the new road, also they are widening the road onto the M50 and it looks like building a new entrance close to the M50 roundabout from Woodstown.

As other say I go in on a Moped 30 mins in and back - reckon save 7hrs a week commuting.

crosstownk

DaveD wrote:

We were looking at houses in Woodstown village. Looks like traffic over that way isn't as good as we thought

I used to live in Woodstown. One of the reasons I moved was because of the unbelievable delays in getting out of the estate. Some mornings it took me over an hour to get onto the Ballycullen Road. I've often seen the traffic backed up to the second roundabout at Woodstown Rise. I've also heard stories of people getting up early and parking the car at the Spar and then going home to have shower, breakfast, etc - then walking back to the car and avoiding the traffic.

It's almost 2 years since I moved out so things may have improved. The only bus service at that time was the 49. There was talk of the 15 service being extended - but I don't know if that has happened yet.

ambro25

Not 'quite' Knocklyon, but a couple of minutes from Taylor's lane, which is a stone's throw away. I work off Leeson Street (D6). And yes, traffic all around the general Knocklyon area is an absolute 'mare at rush hour.

So much so that after a year or so of car commuting, I put the catchy convertible on bricks and became a scooter/biking convert

If you don't have kids, a bike/moped is your only real option for hassle-free commuting and quality of life: on average, Taylor's Lane to D6 (or return) is a 15 mins trip any day of the week, any time of the year.

The Sisco Kid

I live in Woodstown and work in Sandyford Ind. Estate and I reckon you would be best getting a lift with the wife and getting the Luas from Sandyford.

Having said that, the M50 is very hit and miss. Last week it took me 10minutes door to door at 8.30, but it can take up to 40-50 mins when the kids are in school and it is wet (most of this time is queuing to get on and then queuing to get off the motorway - both exits are bad). However, there are other options e.g. Taylor's lane, back of Marlay Park, Johnny Foxes (if you are really desperate), taking Dundrum M50 exit, or taking Leopardstown M50 exit

The traffic in Woodstown Estate has improved dramatically in the last year as the gardai now help direct traffic over the motorway junction, the problem was that cars travelling northbound on the M50 would take a shortcut onto the exit and back down the entrance and this bunged things up, I can only remember getting stuck once recently and that day the motorway was particularly bad with a couple of accidents.

I used to work in Harcourt Street and tried driving and bus. The 15 was the better option but always got stuck in Terenure and Rathmines (I would usually walk from the Garda Station). You have to remember that it is not an easy direct route into town from Knocklyon.

Hope this helps...