Traffic - why can't it be like this all the time?

Howitzer

Now that schools are off 90% of my morning traffic is not there.
Why can't it be like this all the time?

Surely there can't be that many people away on holiday at the moment?

What has to change and who do you lobby to make that change?

[this type of thread probably rears it's head every half-term...]

rp

Howitzer wrote: »

Now that schools are off 90% of my morning traffic is not there.
Why can't it be like this all the time?
What has to change

price of oil

and who do you lobby to make that change?

OPEC

unionman

Howitzer wrote: »

Now that schools are off 90% of my morning traffic is not there.
Why can't it be like this all the time?

Surely there can't be that many people away on holiday at the moment?

What has to change and who do you lobby to make that change?

[this type of thread probably rears it's head every half-term...]

Well, I think this mornings traffic fairly blows that particular theory out of the water. As bad as any 'bad' day this morning, with the usual moronic dives out into the Bus lanes. No mirror, no signal, just the explosive manouvers of a minority of moronic motorists who feel the rules of the road shouldn't apply to them.

Alliterative rant over.

kenmc

mine's been fine today and yesterday. loving the schools being off, hopefully the government will see to it that they all close down permanently! ( :rolleyes: ).
Now that we're in the doldrums of winter though, I've decided to get in for 8, and leave at around 4:30 or so, so I can beat the traffic in the mornings and the dark in the evenings as much as possible.

Roddy23

I've been following the same stratergy as Ken, in early and home before the sun goes down. Only bad thing about this time of year, is with the kids off, and Halloween approaching, lot more of the fcukers out and about with their bangers and what have you. Was nearly home yesterday when some bright spark decided to start throwing bangers at the bike. Would've given the Roy Keane stare :mad:, but was nearly home.

Bunnyhopper

kenmc wrote: »

loving the schools being off, hopefully the government will see to it that they all close down permanently!

The trouble is, if they were all closed permanently, how long would it take for hordes of bored school-kids to start organizing themselves into packs of feral bike-thieves?

I think the DTO line is that the improvement in the traffic when the schools are closed during the summer is due to a percentage of people being away on holiday and not really anything directly to do with the schools being closed. Hmm, yeah...

If they'd spent a few Celtic Tiger yoyos on a proper school bus service it would have worked wonders in all sorts of ways. If they could get the kids cycling to school then that would help, but then they might all decide they wanted nicer bikes and then they'd be off organizing themselves into packs of feral bike thieves...

It's a quandary, I tell you.

TinyExplosions

Bunnyhopper wrote: »

If they could get the kids cycling to school then that would help,

It'd help create big huge traffic jams of bikes... imagine how bad it would be having to avoid scores of school kids on their bikes.... give me cars any day :P

oobydooby

kenmc wrote: »

hopefully the government will see to it that they all close down permanently!

they're doing their best:mad:

As for kids cycling to school, create the facilities first, including the alternatives for those days when there are hurricanes, floods, musical instruments to carry.

I also think that having hordes of kids cycling safely to school would slow down traffic rather then speed it up (presumably the objective of any such experiment)

dub_skav

Bunnyhopper wrote: »

I think the DTO line is that the improvement in the traffic when the schools are closed during the summer is due to a percentage of people being away on holiday and not really anything directly to do with the schools being closed. Hmm, yeah...

I think the theory behind that is that nobody drives long distances or on major roads dropping kids to school, e.g. mummy isn't driving on the M50 to drop little Timothy to school.
I believe there is probably some truth to that, but they do cause mayhem on any minor roads and anywhere near schools.

Backing up their thinking the traffic was brutal yesterday but fine today, so it seems that schools certainly contribute but maybe are not the deciding factor.

kenmc

dub_skav wrote: »

I think the theory behind that is that nobody drives long distances or on major roads dropping kids to school, e.g. mummy isn't driving on the M50 to drop little Timothy to school.
I believe there is probably some truth to that, but they do cause mayhem on any minor roads and anywhere near schools.

Backing up their thinking the traffic was brutal yesterday but fine today, so it seems that schools certainly contribute but maybe are not the deciding factor.

Ah yeah, but any moron can see that all major roads eventually must lead to a minor road. If the minor roads are jammed, then the major roads have no-where to go to.

oobydooby wrote:

I also think that having hordes of kids cycling safely to school would slow down traffic rather then speed it up

Well that in itself would have a positive knock-on effect for cycling - if the traffic gets even slower than it is now, then more people would probably try cycling instead of driving.

oobydooby

kenmc wrote: »

Well that in itself would have a positive knock-on effect for cycling - if the traffic gets even slower than it is now, then more people would probably try cycling instead of driving.

No doubt. However, I think the momentum behind 'encouraging cycling' or 'pro-public transport' initiatives is often provided by people who have little intention of cycling or using public transport. I detect an attitude of "how can I get all these people out of their cars so that the road will be clear for me to drive comfortably?"

OK, I'm a bit sick and cranky today so I don't mean to be so cynical but I was pleased to read that there would be a dedicated Dublin Cyling officer appointed. And I feel that such a person should actually be a (commuting) cyclist. Otherwise the focus of any 'pro-cycling' initiatives are misguided. If the aim is to get kids cycling to school then that should be the focus of some initiative, regardless of whether that actually slows up commuting traffic.

rubadub

Howitzer wrote: »

Now that schools are off 90% of my morning traffic is not there.
Why can't it be like this all the time?

it could, schools should start earlier or later like some other countries, maddness that most places start at 9.

TinyExplosions wrote: »

It'd help create big huge traffic jams of bikes... imagine how bad it would be having to avoid scores of school kids on their bikes.... give me cars any day :P

Yep, most of the time I prefer cycling in traffic jams. I seriously hope there is a not a big uptake of cyclists with this work scheme. People wavering all over the cycletracks on half pumped mountainbikes.

72hundred

kenmc wrote: »

I've decided to get in for 8, and leave at around 4:30 or so.

I read this intially as leaving at 4.30am to be in for 8am! :eek:
....and tried to work out where you were coming from that you'd be 3.5hr's on the bike and how the hell could anyone do that!

Then realised it was 4.30pm heading home!