Dublin 15 traffic

PauloMN

Ok so let's hear it - your take on the Dublin 15 traffic problem. As was posted on the Ongar thread earlier:

Ah Ongar that place when usually mentioned is often then followed with swearing about how that place and those who live there are responslible for the awful traffic.

Must say that comment annoyed me and seemingly it annoyed others. I'm not from Ongar, but rather Castaheany, but I guess if people are cursing Ongar for traffic problems, they're probably cursing Castaheany and our thousands of houses also.

So come on, how are Ongar residents responsible for the awful traffic? Are residents of other D15 areas not responsible for traffic problems (because that's how that quote reads). Are people from other areas of D15 really sitting in their cars on the N3 every morning giving out about Ongar residents causing traffic when they themselves are as much - if not more - a cause of the traffic?

Gaspode

I'm not a resident of Ongar, but I nevertheless find it ridiculous that residents of an estate could be held responsible for the traffic problems of the wole area!
Responsibility surely lies with our so-called planners (what a misnomer!) and elected councillors who allowed such developments take place without any consideration whatsoever being given to the knock on effects on the already strained transport infrastructure in the area.
Considering the pathetic bus services to the area, and the poor train services it seems only natural that residents would drive to work.

Blame also surely should lie with those lazy residents all over D15 (and Dublin, Ireland and the rest of the western world) who choose to drive to schools, shops and work when they could easily walk. In particular the school runs, its shameful the amount of people driving less than a mile to school. I know one family who drive to CCC yet they live near the roundabout at coolmine train station.

Mind you, mea culpa too! In the past I've often hopped into the car to nip up to the local spar in the mornings, adding to the traffic already on the roads (I've stopped now honestly - we've a new shop 250m away from the front door)

Stark

PauloMN wrote: »

So come on, how are Ongar residents responsible for the awful traffic? Are residents of other D15 areas not responsible for traffic problems (because that's how that quote reads). Are people from other areas of D15 really sitting in their cars on the N3 every morning giving out about Ongar residents causing traffic when they themselves are as much - if not more - a cause of the traffic?

Yeah it's all your fault.

jeffk

I wouldn't label it as one estate or one town in general thats just crazy!
Its a lot to do with the lack of a public transport alternative(i spent years banging me head of a bus stop waiting on 38sss) and the fact that D.15 is more or less last port of call before meath.

So looking @ that it can be said its the likely reason why its swamped,people heading back to meath from work pass through here.I say meath as three of my friends do or will have moved to there and many more dublin people have to.Im sure theres counties people commute after meath!

Then theres people taking shortcuts,where i live(corduff/blanch)people take the shortcut through to avoid blanch road north.That is a killer because people living where i am hit a line of traffic.Which most times leads to people having to go over to the other side of the road an overtakle this traffic just to get into the estate.

Carpooling is taking of now so that should/could be looked @.After 20 odd years using cie/dublin bus i dont see them proforming miracles and having people leave the car @ home.The louie,lol where will you put that,underground if your lucky.

Lets not even mention abbostown and the might/might not bertie bowl!

Nevyn

It was an off the cuff comment, but one which I hear repeatedly from family.

No it is not the residents fault it is the poor planning and the fact that just about all the traffic on the center side of the N3 has to run several ill flowing routes.
The volume of which has increased substantially with the developments up at ongar.

The sooner there is a free flowing fly over that means traffice heading to the city is not tailing back due to the roundabout at the m50 junction the better.

If the area also had more bus routes which served the area properly
ie spliting the 38 into two routes and the 39 in three routes with a decreased journey time into town and a local shuttle in and out of the centre people just might take the bus rather then feeling forced to take the car.

Finglas got yet another bus route this week the 140 which bring it up to having 9 bus routes ( escluding the two nite links ) 6 of which run to the city center and 1 that runs to contarf.

The greater D15 area has a denser population growth and is still expanding and only has 3 bus routes and one well over subscribed train route which is not accessible for over 2/3 of the area and has no proper shuttle buses.

Yes some of the 38s and 39 will go up the ramps for the new 'park' station but this will only ad on more time to an over long bus journey.

Zaph

I normally get the train into Connolly in the morning. Last Thursday I needed to take the car, which meant leaving the house at 6.50am to avoid sitting in a tailback at the N3 roundabout. It took 45 minutes to get into the IFSC at that hour. Had I left 10 minutes later I probably could have added an extra 20 minutes as the traffic was already starting to back up.

On Friday evening I got the 39 bus into town. I got on in Hartstown at 6.10pm, and it was 7.15pm before I finally got to Westmoreland Street.

Neither of these trips were at peak hours and they still took a ludicrously long time. The bus trip at that hour particularly amazed me as I thought I'd be going against the traffic.

I was genuinely shocked by how poor the transport infrastructure, both the road network and public transport, is in Dublin 15 when I moved here a little over 3 years ago. All I can see it is getting a lot worse before it gets any better. The new M50 junction will make a huge difference, but it's a more complex junction than the N4 junction from what I've seen, so we could be waiting quite a while for it. The lack of decent bus routes and parking at the train stations is nothing short of scandalous, and I seriously hope people remind candidates of this when they come looking for your vote at next year's local elections.

Nevyn

Any chance of pics of the plans for that m50 junction Zaph ?

Zaph

I saw them on the Commuting & Transport forum, here are some links:

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/40424/49842.jpg

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/138697/49880.jpg

There was another pic I was looking for but I can't find it. It was a computer generated image of what the junction would look like after it was finished from a much lower vantage point and looking across the junction.

DublinDilbert

Thaedydal wrote: »

Any chance of pics of the plans for that m50 junction Zaph ?

When i read your post i remember seeing it over on commuting/transport forum....

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/40424/49842.jpg
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055219152

Based on the drawings below it looks like the N3 motorway is basically going to go between the hospital & the gym.... I'm not sure how the works they are doing in front of the hospital will fit into this...

Pat Dunne

I can't understand all this fuss about traffic congestion.

I commute to work four days a week by road. I leave my home in Clonsilla (normal morning rush hour times) and without fail I am sitting at my desk in Merrion Square in 30 minutes.

I don't use a car, I don't use a public transport, I don't cycle, but I do use the road. So how you might say can I cover this distance in 30 minutes?

I commute by motorbike. it mightn't suit everyone but for those that is does suit, it is the least stressful commute of the lot. One hour total commute time each day from Clonsilla to Merrion Sq and return.

On a wet morning you won't even get as remotely wet as walking to the train station or waiting for a bus. No problem with congestion as it doesn't exist for a bike. Just imagine all you car owners, too be at to the top of every traffic light que every time.:p

There is a flip side, but provided you keep you wits about you and avoid the car drivers who don't see you. Gawd, if I had a tenner for every clown behind a wheel who said that to me!

Here are some of my costs involved. Compare it with you weekly outlay.
Cost of petrol per week E12.50
Cost of Insurance per week E6.00
Maintanance and servicing per week E4.00
I am not going to include depreication as my bike is 28 years old and is actually appreicating.
But the the best saving of all, is the time saved in comparison to other forms of commuting and I couldn't even start to calculate that.

As I say it mightn't suit everyone.

Nevyn

Lucky for you that you have a solution that works for you but if you had ot try the bus for two weeks you might change your mind or if you found yourself trapped in your estate by traffic.

PauloMN

Pat Dunne wrote: »

No problem with congestion as it doesn't exist for a bike. Just imagine all you car owners, too be at to the top of every traffic light que every time.:p

Congestion doesn't exist for a bike eh? That alone gives me a fairly good indication of how you ride your motorbike. Of course, those behind the wheels of cars are the clowns, not the chap on the motorbike. :rolleyes:

Anyway motorbikes are not hugely suitable for those with families who maybe need to ship kids around as part of their daily commute.

Murt10

Thaedydal wrote: »

The greater D15 area ...... only has 3 bus routes and one well over subscribed train route.

Don't know about that

37, 38, 39 and 70 and others going to Ballymun Lucan etc

I personally hate going into Town on the bus. They need to open up the Pheonix Park to Dublin Bus. They could go straight down onto the QBC which runs the full length of the quays. It would knock hours off the daily commute for most people, avoiding some of the traffic blackspots. Buses coming from Blanch and Castleknock could go through Castleknock Village. Buses on the N3 could turn off at the Halfway House and enter the Park at the top of Blackhorse Ave. Naturally they should have preferential tratment over the many single occupancy cars using the Park as a rat run.

As for the QBC on the Navan Road. Someone should compain to the authorities about misleading advertising.

Pat Dunne

PauloMN wrote: »

Congestion doesn't exist for a bike eh? That alone gives me a fairly good indication of how you ride your motorbike. Of course, those behind the wheels of cars are the clowns, not the chap on the motorbike. :rolleyes:

Anyway motorbikes are not hugely suitable for those with families who maybe need to ship kids around as part of their daily commute.

A bit touchy eh PauloMN, sitting too long in your car?

The reason why congestion doesn't exist for motorcyclists, is we only take up only one third of road space of that of a car and are considerably more manoeuvreable.

I have been a motorcyclist for almost thirty years, I abide by the rules of the road, over the years I have taken advanced motocycling training to improve my riding skills. So that will give a fairly good indication of how I ride my motorbike.

The "clowns" I refer to are the one's who utter that immortal phrase "I didn't see you".

Perhaps your lifestyle may not suit the use of a motrbike. However I did preface and close my remarks by saying "it mightn't suit everyone". It suits mine and I actually enjoy my commute to work each day and my return home each evening.

PauloMN

Pat Dunne wrote: »

A bit touchy eh PauloMN, sitting too long in your car?

No, my commute is even quicker than yours for the most part as I have an office in my house and I work a few days per week from home.

The other couple of days is not too bad depending on what time I leave, although avoiding kamikaze motorcyclists who themselves are "avoiding" congestion is definitely part and parcel of the journey.

As for traffic in general from Ongar and Castaheany, so long as Dublin Bus only offer pathetic alternatives like the 39 and no bus shelters, it will continue to get worse. Alternatives need to be attractive, and doing a tour of D15 housing estates for an hour before you actually get on the road to the city centre is not my idea of an attractive alternative.

I agree that the Park should be opened to buses. Then a new route for Ongar and Castaheany could run straight down the N3 and into the Park either up Auburn Ave or at the Halfway House as Murt says. The new QBC down the quays is the perfect route into town for buses coming from D15, not battling down the Navan Road through Hanlon's Corner/Stoneybatter.

Nevyn

Murt10 wrote: »

Don't know about that

37, 38, 39 and 70 and others going to Ballymun Lucan etc

The 70 barely serves any part of d15 it is about as much as d15 bus as the 19a is finglas bus.

Where as route wise finglas has the 40, 40a, 40c, 40b, 40d, the new 140
and the 104 which will get you from finglas to clontarf dart station
it also has cross country buses, the 220 servers d15 and finglas to ballymun so that is a shared service it.

Still it has more routes, more options and more buses esp heading into the city centre and please don't give me the speil about the trainline, when I was growing up in finglas I was a closer walk to the train station then any of the ones in d15 to where I am now.

Apprenlty Dublin bus are looking at re arranging all the routes when the blanch road south is sorted and has it's bus lanes, but will they get it right this time.
Certainly more handful of 39a each way would be a great improvement.

Pat Dunne

Dublin Bus are due to announce a review of their routes and timetables in Dublin 15. However it amazes me that the have not bothered to consult their customers as to what they want!

PauloMN

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Dublin Bus are due to announce a review of their routes and timetables in Dublin 15. However it amazes me that the have not bothered to consult their customers as to what they want!

...and also their potential customers. The people they want on buses are not currently using them.

Zaph

Very little of what Dublin Bus do, or don't do, amazes me any more.

murphaph

2 wheels all the way for me too. Hartstown->Walkinstown and back in a maximum of 25 minutes regardless of traffic conditions.

I have had accidents. The last one was as I was crossing the Naas Road with the lights in my favour when a car driver just cuts across me and hits me head on.

Of course that was probably my fault too Paulo, which is weird cos he left the scene without stopping and the guards are looking for him!

Zaph

They'll always blame bad drivers, but in my experience many motorcyclists seem oblivious to the fact that just like there are appalling drivers, there are also some appalling motorcyclists out there. I'm not saying that they are responsible for as many accidents as drivers, but you do wonder how some of them passed their tests looking at their antics as they weave in and out of traffic at inappropriate speeds.

Gaspode

Murt10 wrote: »

They need to open up the Pheonix Park to Dublin Bus. They could go straight down onto the QBC which runs the full length of the quays. It would knock hours off the daily commute for most people, avoiding some of the traffic blackspots. Buses coming from Blanch and Castleknock could go through Castleknock Village. Buses on the N3 could turn off at the Halfway House and enter the Park at the top of Blackhorse Ave. Naturally they should have preferential tratment over the many single occupancy cars using the Park as a rat run.

PauloMN wrote: »

I agree that the Park should be opened to buses. Then a new route for Ongar and Castaheany could run straight down the N3 and into the Park either up Auburn Ave or at the Halfway House as Murt says. The new QBC down the quays is the perfect route into town for buses coming from D15, not battling down the Navan Road through Hanlon's Corner/Stoneybatter.

Oh No! No no no!
I diagree with those proposals of opening the park up to buses!
The park is an amenity for everyone to enjoy (somewhere to go to chill and relax after the stress of being in traffic); if we fill it up with even more traffic then its not longer a park.
There's already far too much traffic in the park. The only way I could see buses being allowed in is to ban private cars (of course providing car parks just inside the gates for those users who need to drive to get to the park).

Destroying another public green space amenity is not the way to resolve traffic issues though. I would suggest that the operation of regulated private bus services needs to be allowed since Dublin Bus have neither the will nor the capacity to improve the situation in D15. The train service just isnt close enough to the majority of people to be viable, and the metro is a long way off being a reality.

PauloMN

How exactly would allowing buses through the park "destroy" it?

The Phoenix Park is almost 1800 acres in area, I honestly do not see how allowing buses on Chesterfield Ave would have any negative impact. In fact, it might encourage more people to use the facilities in the Park.

The frequent tour buses I see in and out of the Park don't have any negative impact IMO.

Gaspode

PauloMN wrote: »

How exactly would allowing buses through the park "destroy" it?

The Phoenix Park is almost 1800 acres in area, I honestly do not see how allowing buses on Chesterfield Ave would have any negative impact. In fact, it might encourage more people to use the facilities in the Park.

The frequent tour buses I see in and out of the Park don't have any negative impact IMO.

Parks are meant to be quiet open spaces for relaxation; anything that takes away from that is therefore destructive.
There's already too much traffic in the park, and the noise and smell from it as you walk down the main avenue is getting nearly as bad as that on the Navan road. Crossing that road can be tricky enough as it is.

Stark

I would be in favour of allowing the buses but banning the cars.

Nevyn

Yes bus more buses on better routes hopefull will mean less cars in the park.

Enii

I'd love to see a decent bus service between Tyrrelstown and Blanchardstown centre. It is so isolated in Tyrrelstown with no car - it's too far to walk to the centre.

Stark

Why not get a bicycle?

athtrasna

Stark wrote: »

I would be in favour of allowing the buses but banning the cars.

And where do the cars go? The Navan Road crawls because of the schools traffic (I swear one day I saw a car turn right of a driveway on one side of the lights near the schools on the Navan Road and then block traffic to turn right into the school a whole 50m away!)

Blackhorse Avenue is one long stress! You get the cars illegally turning left off the Ashtown roundabout road (no left turn 7-10) while cars queue from the Castleknock side. Then you get the cars who despite driving at 20kmph, insist on braking 10m before each speed bump. :mad:

I prefer to take the park because it's usually a much calmer experience, even with the queue for the main gate getting longer every week.

The bus does not work for me as I have to go from work in the city centre to Wicklow in the evenings and then back to Blanch around 11pm

Stark

athtrasna wrote:

I swear one day I saw a car turn right of a driveway on one side of the lights near the schools on the Navan Road and then block traffic to turn right into the school a whole 50m away!

In my utopia, lazy people would be banned from owning cars.

Zaph

Stark wrote: »

In my utopia, lazy people would be banned from owning cars.

Admit it Stark, this is your utopia, isn't it?

Stark

No that's cyclopath's utopia I like cars. I just think there's loads of gimps who don't deserve the privilege of one. I don't like having to put up with chronic congestion, Kyoto fees and the like because people don't like to walk 5 minutes to the shop or mass or the train station or whatever.

quank

Sheesh, it seems I'm one of the few people here with good access to public transport. I'm a 10 minute walk from either Castleknock or Coolmine train station and I usually only need to use them when they're relatively empty. I have no qualms with the trains as they seem to be pretty frequent.
I'm only a few minutes walk away from Blanchardstown village too where I can get the 38, 39 or 70 and I usually only have to wait 20 minutes max which I don't really mind, but I guess time and peak hours are a bigger issue for people commuting.
Why don't more people cycle to work? One of my friends used to get the 76, I think, to Ballyfermot for college but because he had too many bad experiences (terrible traffic, sometimes the bus doesn't even show up) he started walking and began cycling.

athtrasna

I don't cycle mainly because I value my life!! Shared bus/taxi/cycle lanes are not safe nor are the cycle lanes at the side of narrow roads (Old Cabra Road etc) so it's a no brainer. That and the fact that I need to be in Wicklow 3 or 4 nights a week after work!

Stark

Cycling's not as dangerous as some people make it out to be. As long as you don't do stupid things like cycling without lights/visible clothing at night and stay clear of HGVs, your chances of getting killed or seriously injured are negligible. The most dangerous method of commuting in the city is by motorbike imo. If you go through the Park, then you've a totally safe route most of the way into the city.

Jip

athtrasna wrote: »

You get the cars illegally turning left off the Ashtown roundabout road (no left turn 7-10) while cars queue from the Castleknock side.

To be honest I've always wondered what the point is with the ban on left turns there. It's the cars trying to get into the park that block the traffic coming from Castleknock, not the cars going left onto Blackhorse Avenue, it's one of the most pointless ban on left turns that I've ever seen. It would in fact make more sense having a no right turn onto Blackhorse Avenue or into the park coming from the direction of Castleknock as that's what causes the delays, cars going left onto Blackhorse Avenue from Ashtown have the right of way and the traffic flow.

They even tried putting a no right turn onto Glenbeigh Road in the evenings a couple of months ago at the other end of Blackhorse Avenue coming from the NCR direction. It's not as if there's many cars turning right there in the first place, and those that do don't hold up traffic anyway. Thankfully it was shortlived and the sign was removed within a few days.

LostinBlanch

I spent an hour and a quarter getting from Blanchardstown Road North to O'Connell St yesterday.

FFS that's ridiculous. But going by previous attempts at getting the bus I should count myself lucky to have actually caught one. The timetables are nothing but complete fiction. :mad:

daymobrew

athtrasna wrote: »

I don't cycle mainly because I value my life!! Shared bus/taxi/cycle lanes are not safe nor are the cycle lanes at the side of narrow roads (Old Cabra Road etc) so it's a no brainer.

I've been cycling for about 30 years. Never collided with a vehicle (though I'd touched a few peds in town that jumped out in front of me). Stark is right - my behaviour has a big influence on my accident free stats. Obviously there someday there might be a situation that is beyond my control but that risk applies to driving, walking and taking the bus or train.

athtrasna

Why oh why has the N3 inbound dual carriageway been reduced to a single lane from the train station to the half way house? The lengthening of the ghost lane has increased the journey time on that section by a good 15 mins this week and don't get me started on people going up one side of the train slip road and back down!!

Enii

Stark wrote: »

Why not get a bicycle?

Have cycled over a few times but it is not too pleasant cycling back with a packpack of grocerie.

LostinBlanch

athtrasna wrote: »

Why oh why has the N3 inbound dual carriageway been reduced to a single lane from the train station to the half way house? The lengthening of the ghost lane has increased the journey time on that section by a good 15 mins this week and don't get me started on people going up one side of the train slip road and back down!!

Don't complain here, complain to the roads department or whatever it's called of the city council, and kick up a fuss with tds, councillors etc. No doubt the roads dept will give you some half arsed excuse but if enough people send in written complaints maybe they might be forced to back down.

Dr Galen

the roundaabout into the ShoppingCentre at the Heaven Bar place is an absolute nightmare.

Between people coming down the Snugboro road into the SC thinking that its a slip lane and ploughing on regardless through to the mad pedestran lights which slow everything up at the AIB can take ages to get either into the SC or further down the Snugboro RD to the junction.

Maybe if the road was widened properly and it became two lanes into the SC, allowing for a slip system it might help things along