Why did you take the car today?

cormie

Right, after getting stuck in red cow madness and having to postpone a job to another day because I was going 1km every 20 minutes, I'm a bit stressed out. Something really has to be done about that traffic, I don't think the M50 will sort it, it's everywhere! I reckon open bus lanes to commercial vehicles, ban private vehicles from city centre, something, anything!

bazzachazza

I took the car today because i work at the airport and its 51km's from my house to work.

I can't cycle.

It would take me ages to walk to work.

For ever on the bus and train as i work shift work.

No one else to car pool with so just little old me in the car.

Oh there is no easy quick fix to the traffic issues.

You have to force people to use public transport and the current fuel prices which i see rising may just do it.

Tipsy Mac

I have paid through the nose for use of my car and as a mode of transport in this country for me and the journeys I do it is the most reliable and quickest available and I think this for me will continue to be so for the near future. I have no intention of limiting my travel or switching to our backward public transport. When petrol gets to €3 a litre or when I am tolled off the road then I will consider it.

return guide

Had to go to Donegal and Dundalk from Dublin ( Great weather in Donegal today, pleasure to drive on the open mountain roads) and back.

bazzachazza

People look at me now and say ouch look at the price of your diesel.

Then i say well i only have a 55 litre tank that i can only ever get 51 litres in max and my fuel consumption is 25% better than yours so i'm still golden compared to you.

One guy in work pays €75 to fill his 2.5 Lexus and gets less than 500k's out of it.

It costs me only €60 and i get 800k's from mine.

So it will be a very very very long time till i change my mode of transport.

Rowley Birkin QC

I take the car to college most days because:

• I hate waiting on public transport, also I hate being on public transport
• It annoys the eco-mentalists in my class and also the lecturers when we discuss these matters, I'm studying Town Planning btw
• It's quicker
• People on the bus can be headwrecking
• It's more convienient for shopping etc.
• It's a ready made excuse to avoid after college pints that turn into 3 day benders with homeless people and crossdressing, although that was a good night now that I think about it :D
  

deRanged

because of the train "drivers".

I much prefer to get the train and walk. It takes about the same amount of time too.

cormie

deRanged wrote: »

because of the train "drivers".

I much prefer to get the train and walk. It takes about the same amount of time too.

Oh was that strike today? Maybe that's why it was so bad? I don't go that road too often thank funk.

bazzachazza

bigkev49 wrote: »

I take the car to college most days because:

• I hate waiting on public transport, also I hate being on public transport
• It annoys the eco-mentalists in my class and also the lecturers when we discuss these matters, I'm studying Town Planning btw
• It's quicker
• People on the bus can be headwrecking
• It's more convienient for shopping etc.
• It's a ready made excuse to avoid after college pints that turn into 3 day benders with homeless people and crossdressing, although that was a good night now that I think about it :D

Have to say it Bloody students!;)

Sqaull20

bazzachazza wrote: »

People look at me now and say ouch look at the price of your diesel.

Then i say well i only have a 55 litre tank that i can only ever get 51 litres in max and my fuel consumption is 25% better than yours so i'm still golden compared to you.

One guy in work pays €75 to fill his 2.5 Lexus and gets less than 500k's out of it.

It costs me only €60 and i get 800k's from mine.

So it will be a very very very long time till i change my mode of transport.

40miles to gallon, what you driving?

towel401

# People on the bus can be headwrecking

so true. bus i was on today was full of skangers

L1011

I took the car today as I'd have needed to leave my house at 6:40 for a 7am train to get in reliably, whereas I sauntered to my car at 8am and had time to stop and get the paper and a coronary-in-a-baguette on the way in. Return tram+train would have had me home about 7:30pm, I was back in the door at 6:15

Plus the fuel was less than the tickets. This is due to the Dublin transport networking being hub/spoke and not radial - I need to head to the dead centre of the city to change modes...

bazzachazza

Volvo 2.0d but I'm slightly hard on the acceleration at times. Must do an experiment and see how much i can actually get out of a tank.

return guide

bazzachazza wrote: »

People look at me now and say ouch look at the price of your diesel.

Then i say well i only have a 55 litre tank that i can only ever get 51 litres in max and my fuel consumption is 25% better than yours so i'm still golden compared to you.

One guy in work pays €75 to fill his 2.5 Lexus and gets less than 500k's out of it.

It costs me only €60 and i get 800k's from mine.

So it will be a very very very long time till i change my mode of transport.

Where you buying your derv Bazz, good price 117 cent these days

Scottie99

Had to go to the doctors for a minor procedure and it was raining:mad:

vectra

I took it out today simply because after what I paid for it I would hate to see it just lying there

Nah,
Honestly
I need it as a fomr of transport due to medical issues

bitemybanger

I travell 35 miles to work and 35 miles back and i aint gonna rely on public transport or anybody else to get me to where i need to go to make a living, unfortunatly thats life

bazzachazza

return guide wrote: »

Where you buying your derv Bazz, good price 117 cent these days

Sorry should have said that was a couple of weeks ago at €1.25 or so for the max i get is 50litres into the tank. Going to fill it know will tell you shortly how much it costs.

Seth Brundle

I can't wait for next month when the driving licence laws become enforced!
Loads of cars off the road - woohoo!

bazzachazza

Just got it for 136.9 in Enfield.

Computer said 100k's left.

Cost me €59.70 for 43.5 litres.

So maybe €72 for a full tank if it would take another 10 litres which i doubt.

His Lexus at the Garages prices would take €82.50 to fill.

arse..biscuits

I cycle everywhere, almost free, no traffic and loads of exercise:)

kluivert

Took the car to go to work 20 miles away in Dundalk.

No public transport what so ever.

Steve

cormie wrote: »

Right, after getting stuck in red cow madness and having to postpone a job to another day because I was going 1km every 20 minutes, I'm a bit stressed out. Something really has to be done about that traffic, I don't think the M50 will sort it, it's everywhere! I reckon open bus lanes to commercial vehicles, ban private vehicles from city centre, something, anything!

It was desperate. feckin white vans everywhere thinking they own the place:mad:

Cars should be allowed use the bus van lanes as well.:D

bazzachazza

kluivert wrote: »

Took the car to go to work 20 miles away in Dundalk.

No public transport what so ever.

Thats a huge problem. No public transport options for a lot of people. I live beside a rail line and the service is poor mainly aimed at those who commute for 9-5 jobs.

RICARDO1982

I took the car today to enjoy it while i still can....!

2 Espressi

80 mile round trip commute, no direct bus link, no combination of road and/or rail public transport would get me into the office by 8.15, and I've just installed a new stereo! And I still only spent an hour and a half travelling!

quarryman

bazzachazza wrote: »

People look at me now and say ouch look at the price of your diesel.

Then i say well i only have a 55 litre tank that i can only ever get 51 litres in max and my fuel consumption is 25% better than yours so i'm still golden compared to you.

One guy in work pays €75 to fill his 2.5 Lexus and gets less than 500k's out of it.

It costs me only €60 and i get 800k's from mine.

So it will be a very very very long time till i change my mode of transport.

i know which i'd prefer to be driving

(not the volvo).

Zube

I took the car out today because it's much easier to kill cute puppies and kittens and little baby lambs by driving over them than by using the plank with the nails through it.

FX Meister

2 Get 2 Work

DJ Hafez

Bus costs more and is uncomfortable and it means walking in rain for a period. Hate giving Bus Eireann 1.45 for a each way when it costs me about 2 euro max for the petrol to get there and i get to leave at the time I want and when it is more viable.

bazzachazza

quarryman wrote: »

i know which i'd prefer to be driving

(not the volvo).

Thats why I'm changing at the end of the year getting bored with it its over 3 years old.

Tipsy Mac

kbannon wrote: »

I can't wait for next month when the driving licence laws become enforced!
Loads of cars off the road - woohoo!

This won't happen, there's a referendum to be voted on, enforcing that law would be a disastor for it

angelinthemakin

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I have paid through the nose for use of my car and as a mode of transport in this country for me and the journeys I do it is the most reliable and quickest available and I think this for me will continue to be so for the near future. I have no intention of limiting my travel or switching to our backward public transport. When petrol gets to €3 a litre or when I am tolled off the road then I will consider it.

well said Tipsy we do pay enuf not to have know alls telling us we cant use our cars how dare they !!!!!!:mad::mad::mad:

Mitch Connor

I drove today because if i didn't; my 35minute commute to work (and 45 minutes home) would become a 2 hours 30minutes in and 3 hours out. I don't think I really have a choice to make.

snickerpuss

Don't be too hopeful about learners off the road. The SGS centre near me is passing 7 out of 10. 5 people I know have passed in the last month, I know only 1 learner now!

Anyway I drove because the trip takes 2 hours on a bus, involves me getting a bus to town and a bus back out. Ditto way home.
Driving takes about 35 mins. Also I'm now deep into research and have laptop, chargers, various books, folders, printouts. Weighs a ton.
Be finished driving that far in August anyway.

Lord Nikon

I took the car today so I could drive up the price of fuel.

galwaytt

+ 1 to Tipsymac.

I pay through the nose just to own the car (taxes, that is..) - my 2 x car tax's prop up the exchequer, and I'm not going to appease some half-assed cyclist just 'cos he feels guilty about something. No sirreee, not me. It's my oil, too, remember, and I'm doing all I can to get my hands on my share of it.

Oh, and if we all give up driving - who's going to pay for the schools/hospitals then? Cyclists ?? gimmeabreak..........:rolleyes:

Zube

Does anyone anywhere imagine that any of that oil is going to be left in the ground? I mean, no matter what technical innovations come along, we all know that all the extractable oil is going to be extracted and burnt.

Even the Greens must realize that no-one is going to shift to a more eco-friendly option until it costs less. Carbon taxes will only save the planet if China and India adopt them: good luck with that.

So it's just a matter of when and for how much the oil is sold. All that carbon is going into the atmosphere whether you like it or not.

arse..biscuits

Oil is running out, prices are going to continue rising, this will make it more expensive to drive to work than your days pay. The time of living miles from your work is coming to an end.

ninty9er

bazzachazza wrote: »

People look at me now and say ouch look at the price of your diesel.

Then i say well i only have a 55 litre tank that i can only ever get 51 litres in max and my fuel consumption is 25% better than yours so i'm still golden compared to you.

One guy in work pays €75 to fill his 2.5 Lexus and gets less than 500k's out of it.

It costs me only €60 and i get 800k's from mine.

So it will be a very very very long time till i change my mode of transport.

His tank is the same size as yours and it now costs you as much to fill up on diesel at €1.43 as seems to be the average round these parts compared to the guy with the nice smooth Lexus who probably couldn't give a sh1t that he's getting 300km less from a tank


On topic....I walked, but it was windy and cold:(:(:(, I did get from home to work in 15 minutes though:D:D

ART6

angelinthemakin wrote: »

well said Tipsy we do pay enuf not to have know alls telling us we cant use our cars how dare they !!!!!!:mad::mad::mad:

Absolutely!! I am sick of being ordered about by the ban everything brigade that seems to have taken over government in this country. Memo to politicians of (apparently) limited reasoning ability -- We pay your feckin wages. We pay you to represent us, not to punish us. Wake up or go:mad:

Elessar

Because I can. I could easily walk the 15 minutes or so to work from my house but I couldn't be bothered. 5 mins in the car

Nice.

R.O.R

As my car is a bit poorly, yesterday morning I got a lift in to town with the missus, Luas Red line then 20 minute walk to the office. Took just over 2 hours and I arrived Cold, Wet and Miserable (although it only cost €2.20 - she was driving anyway).

Getting in is the easy way. Getting home would involve the 20 minute walk to the Luas, 45 minutes in to town - probably missing the train by about 10 minutes so having to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. 1hr 20 on the train then a 25 minute walk home from the station. Bugger that, borrowed a car in work but due to the wonderful M50 still took me 1hr 40 to get home.

This morning, straight run stopping only for the toll - in in less than an hour. It's about 60km each way for me and Public transport isn't really an option.

itarumaa

Well, I drive everyday from Celbridge to Ballycooling and no traffic at all:)

Today I left the house 6.37 and I was in Ballycooling 7.09, I drive everyday these nice back roads and I dont get stuck in traffic well basically never:)

Why I would like to take a bus???

ShayK1

I COULD take a train but then I couldn't fall out of bed and make breakfast at my own pace. I'd have to be in the station at least 10 minutes before departure time because Irish trains are so unpredictable that they could be early OR late. The cost of a weekly ticket it €65. I fill my diesel tank once a week for €80. My car is much more comfortable than the piece of sh1t trains that are on offer and in my car I control the temperature.

Ever been on a train on a cold morning or worse again.... On a hot evening ?? Not Nice at all!!!!

So I'll gladly continue driving 100 miles a day and paying ridiculous price for fuel until such time as the irish goverment hire some germans to come over and sort out our trains!!

Oh and driving is quicker too.

ambro25

I've been in Dublin 4 years. In that time, my commute hasn't changed: 10ks each way, south side into center, and back.

The first year, I used the car, cos' I had it, I earned it, it was nice and I wanted to enjoy it. Big n00b mistake: 1000s in fuel, insurance, tax, servicing, for a speed average (at rush hour) of about 10kph. Big quality of life issue, losing 1h30 to 2h a day for that measly commute. WTF, I could nearly walk it faster (I know, I tried a few time).

I haven't taken the car in 3 years (still have it as weekend/holiday toy). I've been taking the bike/superscooter instead: 15 mins each way, few 100s in fuel, insurance, tax, servicing, for a speed average (at rush hour) of about 40kph.

I'm moving back to the UK this Summer, not in a heavily congested area, with v.good roads/network/infrastructure. Guess what: first thing I'm doing when I get there is a DSA fast-track motorbike license course, and getting a biggish super-scoot.

Unless you need to cart people/kids/goods, go 2-wheels, that will ease your mobility challenges and travel costs + contribute to solve congestion.

Way I see it, atm GVT should incentivise two-wheels and car-pooling (insofar as private vehicles/cars are concerned).

L1011

If you're taking a bike in Ireland would its licence not transfer to the UK?

mkdon05

I do pretty much half and half. Drive to parents house 10K and cycle to town from there 7.5k

I will eventually cycle the whole way, a lot cheaper and healthier.


To all the "Dont ban us learners, we pay taxes too" brigade, GO PASS YOUR FUNKING TEST!

ambro25

MYOB wrote: »

If you're taking a bike in Ireland would its licence not transfer to the UK?

Not a provisional it wouldn't

cormie

ambro25 wrote: »

I've been in Dublin 4 years. In that time, my commute hasn't changed: 10ks each way, south side into center, and back.

The first year, I used the car, cos' I had it, I earned it, it was nice and I wanted to enjoy it. Big n00b mistake: 1000s in fuel, insurance, tax, servicing, for a speed average (at rush hour) of about 10kph. Big quality of life issue, losing 1h30 to 2h a day for that measly commute. WTF, I could nearly walk it faster (I know, I tried a few time).

I haven't taken the car in 3 years (still have it as weekend/holiday toy). I've been taking the bike/superscooter instead: 15 mins each way, few 100s in fuel, insurance, tax, servicing, for a speed average (at rush hour) of about 40kph.

I'm moving back to the UK this Summer, not in a heavily congested area, with v.good roads/network/infrastructure. Guess what: first thing I'm doing when I get there is a DSA fast-track motorbike license course, and getting a biggish super-scoot.

Unless you need to cart people/kids/goods, go 2-wheels, that will ease your mobility challenges and travel costs + contribute to solve congestion.

Way I see it, atm GVT should incentivise two-wheels and car-pooling (insofar as private vehicles/cars are concerned).

Good stuff, hopefully more people will catch on too. Going SouthSide to centre in the morning is absolutely mad. At 7.30am ish it takes about 1:30 from about Dun Laoghaire to Vicar St area.

If you need help moving to the UK, let me know

G-Money

I think people aren't going to leave their cars at home unless they have a better way of making their journey. When I lived in Dublin I was quite close to the 46A bus route which ran into town quite frequently. However I was lucky enough to work near where I lived so I never had to take it into town during the rush hour. However I imagine it's like any other form of public transport, it's uncomfortable, cramped, overcrowded during rush hour. It also seemed to stop at every hole in the hedge as well on the way into town.

However it was handy at times as I don't know the traffic system in Dublin and I've no idea where to get parking so I pretty much would refuse to drive in the city centre and instead would take the bus in.

I bought a car as I was sick of having to rely on public transport to get me home to the north and back. I always had to take the Enterprise train and while it was comfortable, it was very unreliable. I remember the last time I took it, I had left the car at home as I was moving abroad and had to go back to Dublin in order to fly out. Thankfully my flight wasn't until a few days later. Sure enough the train got delayed for about 4 hours. It was an hour late arriving then broke down just outside Dundalk. It was due into Connolly about 12.15pm and I think it was after 4pm when we finally got there. I then had the option of taking a taxi to my house (20 euro at least) or walking for 5-10 mins to O'Connell St to take the bus (30 min journey), or take the DART and walk 20 minutes from the DART stop to my house. Factor in the 30 minute drive to the train station in the north that was a journey that lasted between 5-6 hours. To drive it door to door, would take 1hr 50 mins.

Even when I lived in Dublin, if you were off one of the main bus routes, you were screwed. I used to travel from Blackrock to Dundrum before I had the car and my only option was the 75 bus which goes to Tallaght, or walking for 20-25 minutes to the Luas stop. The 75 had the weirdest schedule ever and didn't run at regular intervals. You could easily have to wait an hour for the next scheduled bus (if it was on time which it rarely was). To walk the distance would take 45 minutes at least. There were so many times where I miss timed it and seen the bus driving off and knew I had to wait at least an hour for the next one.

To drive it would take less than 10 minutes.

I know there is no easy solution, but until you have a better way to make your journey, people will stick to their cars. You simply can't expect people to ditch their cars for public transport when the public transport makes the journey longer and more unpleasant.