€170,000 Bus Stop

El Guapo!

This is one of the worst cases of blowing money on something fukn stupid that i've ever seen.

COUNCILLORS last night said they were "flabbergasted" to discover €170,000 was spent on a new bus stop and shelter, more than the cost of a two-bed apartment in Dublin.
The "crazy" spending by cash-strapped Dublin City Council took place despite massive cuts imposed by the council in recent months.
The bill for the stop outside Dublin City University (DCU), on Collins Avenue, came to €100,000, including the "upgrading" of the stop for wheelchair use. But the cost swelled by a further €70,000 because of "coincidental" works, said officials.
The actual bus shelter itself was provided by Bus Eireann, at a cost of around €30,000, but the taxpayer did not have to pay this sum as it was financed by advertising revenue.
The mammoth spend comes despite stringent cutbacks by the council. Last year it introduced €30m in spending cuts -- a move which included a 5pc cut across many services.
But last night independent Dublin councillor Cieran Perry called for an investigation into the cost of the bus stop.
"I am flabbergasted and stunned at the crazy amount spent on this project," he said.
"There should be an immediate investigation launched into this to ensure the money was legitimately spent."
Dublin city manager John Tierney recently admitted income looked like it would fall further next year and it is understood the council is facing into a potential €25m deficit for 2011.
In a bid to save €1m, plans were drawn up this year for the controversial closure of swimming pools at Sean McDermott Street, Crumlin and Coolock in June.
Difficulties
However, following an intense campaign by locals, €300,000 was found to keep them open until the end of the year -- but their future is uncertain.
Figures released by the council show that €100,000 of the bus stop bill was spent on re-laying electrical cables, uprooting seven trees, planting replacement trees in a new location and moving an existing bus stop to make room for dedicated car-parking spaces for wheelchair users. A low wall had to be built to hold in earth that was disturbed behind the shelter, while the existing bus stop was upgraded with a new surface, pole and sign.
The €70,000 spend included the laying of 200 metres of footpaths in front of DCU, re-planting grassy areas in front of the college and installing public lights.
The costs are believed to have soared because of unforeseen difficulties with the bus stop's location.
The bill will ultimately be paid by the taxpayer, as the cost will be reimbursed to Dublin City Council by the Department of Transport.
Last night, a spokeswoman for Dublin City Council refused to comment on calls for an investigation into the upgrade.
The Department of Transport also refused to comment on the revelations.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/this-bus-stop-cost-euro170000-to-build-politicians-want-to-know-how-such-a-bill-can-be-justified-2272431.html

Sometimes this country makes me sick. :mad:

caseyann

Dean09 wrote: »

This is one of the worst cases of blowing money on something fukn stupid that i've ever seen.


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/this-bus-stop-cost-euro170000-to-build-politicians-want-to-know-how-such-a-bill-can-be-justified-2272431.html

Sometimes this country makes me sick. :mad:

Wast it the paint or the labour that cost that much

tommyhaas

Fcukin disgrace. The worrying thing is that there's probably countless more examples of such over spending

There should be an immediate investigation launched into this to ensure the money was legitimately spent

Maybe Ivor could lead the investigation

UrbanSea

In fairness it was for helping the disabled.
Was spending 600 euro on Mary Harney's hair in Florida not a bigger waste,even if not the same amount financially?

pablo_escobar

In fairness it was for helping the disabled.
Was spending 600 euro on Mary Harney's hair in Florida not a bigger waste,even if not the same amount financially?

That's not really the point.

Why does a bus shelter cost €170,000?

squod

greetings wrote: »

In fairness it was for helping the disabled.
Was spending 600 euro on Mary Harney's hair in Florida not a bigger waste,even if not the same amount financially?

Every other disabled stop costs >€50k. Spending €170k isn't helping anyone.

Insulting_Bitch

The worst part is that this bus stop is hardly used and only an unreliable bus serves it.

The main stop for DCU is served by 6 buses

tommyhaas

greetings wrote: »

In fairness it was for helping the disabled.

Im sure theres better was of helping the disabled then spending the €170,000 on a bus stop for them. It should have only cost a fraction of that

OPENROAD

tommyhaas wrote: »

Im sure theres better was of helping the disabled then spending the €170,000 on a bus stop for them. It should have only cost a fraction of that

This is Ireland though

Coriolanus

I'd like to know what the coincedental works were.

Fukuyama

pablo_escobar wrote: »

That's not really the point.

Why does a bus shelter cost €170,000?

Plenty of brown paper envelopes I'd imagine.

Einhard

greetings wrote: »

In fairness it was for helping the disabled.

If it's gonna cost €170,000 of my hard earned tax dollars so they can take the bus, then they can bloody well walk from now on!!

starbelgrade

Is this what Brian Lenihan meant today when he said we should be getting "more bang for our buck"?


Sounds more like a case of "banged for our bus".

pablo_escobar

Plenty of brown paper envelopes I'd imagine.

have to agree.. someone is cooking the books and keeping the money for themselves, it happens in most councils throughout ireland.

johnmcdnl

what is necessary at a bus stop for disabled people like - like seriously..

what had to be build... A bus shelter is basically 4 poles driven down into the ground and a few panes of glass or plastic or whatever it is and a roof stuck on it... how the f***ing hell did it cost 170000 euro to do this job...

it's no wonder out country is in the mess it is

Sanjuro

Sure by the time Dublin Bus jack up the prices of the bus fare in time for the turn-over in government, it'll have paid for itself. And then they'll build a new one when some drunk/knacker/generic stereotype smashes the thing up.

Karl Hungus

Dean09 wrote: »

This is one of the worst cases of blowing money on something fukn stupid that i've ever seen.

****ing hell, think how many sex changes that could pay for!

philologos

The buses don't even have the electronic time updaters to tell you when the next bus is coming like they have in a lot of UK cities, no doubt for a lot less than €170,000 each!

Killer Pigeon

I don't need a shelter, an umbrella does me fine. The government should invest more in umbrellas. They should have a sign on bus stop poles saying;

"We apologise for the inconvenience but due to the economic downturn, C.I.É. no longer provides bus shelters for our costumers. Please use an umbrella instead. Thank you."

UrbanSea

Einhard wrote: »

If it's gonna cost €170,000 of my hard earned tax dollars so they can take the bus, then they can bloody well walk from now on!!

Lol the point is they can't walk.

Einhard

greetings wrote: »

Lol the point is they can't walk.

...

philologos

Einhard wrote: »

If it's gonna cost €170,000 of my hard earned tax dollars so they can take the bus, then they can bloody well walk from now on!!

You personally pay €170,000 in tax? How much do you earn? :pac:

banquo

That's right by my house! I was wondering why it was taking so long to build a bus stop.

This kills me. I used to work in a school for whom a fraction of that money would fix the holes in the roof above the classrooms.

It's a lot of money. Can we have it back please?

Run_to_da_hills

For €170,000 it would want to be Gold plated ffs.

squod

http://www.macswarehouse.ie/index.php?productID=44

Granite Kerb stone



Price: €35.00 Product code: g603

In stock: yes

We're up to €300 here so far. Anything else we need to deduct from our €170,000?

oppenheimer1

Unforeseen circumstances. It sounds like someone ****ed up, work had to be undone then redone

D.R cowboy

Dun laoghaire rathdown county council should get more money than the North dublin county council fact!!

D.R cowboy

banquo wrote: »

This kills me. I used to work in a school for whom a fraction of that money would fix the holes in the roof above the classrooms.

where did you go to school Africa, your obviously just looking for attention if you have to tell lies:rolleyes:

banquo

Tough.

My money. Mine.

sdanseo

Dear god. €35,000 is bad enough.

My mam got our entire driveway excavated, paved, walls built, plastered and cappd for four grand last year. Less material, surely less time and probably less labour would be involved in a BUS STOP of all things.

As for the shelter - a few metal posts, a bench and some sheets of glass. €2,000 maximum.

Jesus ****ing h christ I'm apalled.

Mal-Adjusted

come on, is anyone really surprised by this s&%t anymore?

OutlawPete

If there used unbreakable glass they would have saved millions over the years.

Everywhere you go in Dublin, there seems to a few bus stops smashed up.

Mr Simpson

Jakkass wrote: »

The buses don't even have the electronic time updaters to tell you when the next bus is coming like they have in a lot of UK cities, no doubt for a lot less than €170,000 each!

That bus stop has the screen for the RTPI when it is finally implemented.

msg11

Personally I can't belive they bought a bus shelter for €30,000 in the first place let alone they paid €170,000 to get the thing fitted up.

Sure, €170,000 ..

A large garden shed fully fitted 12′ X 8′ €1070

So thats, a stagerring 158 large garden sheds fully fitted or

BREVILLE KETTLE €64.99 , you could have 2,615 of them if you wanted.

Bag of tesco pink lady apples €3.99 , you could have 4,260 of them.

Feel free to add your own..

Einhard

Jakkass wrote: »

You personally pay €170,000 in tax? How much do you earn? :pac:

More than you.

artanevilla

msg11 wrote: »

Personally I can't belive they bought a bus shelter for €30,000 in the first place let alone they paid €170,000 to get the thing fitted up.

Sure, €170,000 ..

A large garden shed fully fitted 12′ X 8′ €1070

So thats, a stagerring 158 large garden sheds fully fitted or

BREVILLE KETTLE €64.99 , you could have 2,615 of them if you wanted.

Bag of tesco pink lady apples €3.99 , you could have 4,260 of them.

Feel free to add your own..

85,000 double cheese burgers. Mmm. *runs off to get some*

starbelgrade

The contractor who charged this price must've built himself a friggin' house behind the bus stop, for that price!

OutlawPete

starbelgrade wrote: »

The contractor who charged this price must've built himself a friggin' house behind the bus stop, for that price!

I started a similar thread about contractors being paid too much at the hands of the Government here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055846253

starbelgrade

OutlawPete wrote: »

I started a similar thread about contractors being paid too much at the hands of the Government here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055846253

Oh yeah.. the one million euro shop, made mostly of glass walls, that basically turns into a greenhouse on sunny days & melts all the chocolate.

Worth every penny, that was.

artanevilla

artanevilla wrote: »

85,000 double cheese burgers. Mmm. *runs off to get some*

They were closed in case you were wondering.

hitbit

A Fianna Fiddler's brother must have gotten the job. Next we'll hear he owes €170,000 to Anglo, NAMA have bailed him out and, good news, wer'e all shareholders in a f****** bus stop on Collins Ave. The bad news, none of us have the money to go to DCU and Dublin Bus have cancelled the route.
Someone needs to be beaten with a big stick.

hitbit RSAIB. FFV.

Reluctant Shareholder Anglo Irish Bank.
Fianna Fiddle Victim

maninasia

OutlawPete wrote: »

If there used unbreakable glass they would have saved millions over the years.

Everywhere you go in Dublin, there seems to a few bus stops smashed up.

When the US army needs armoured glass for its vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan what do they use? Proven 2 year old Dublin bus stop glass...the toughest of 'em all!

Dravokivich

They can't just put up a bus stop anywhere... they are possibly including admin costs also in that...

why it'd cost a total of 170k I havent the slightest idea... but that's what would of taken up alot of the money.

General Zod

pablo_escobar wrote: »

That's not really the point.

Why does a bus shelter cost €170,000?

Because it involved major structural and electrical work to the surrounding area, not just stiucking down a new bus stop.

General Zod

msg11 wrote: »

Personally I can't belive they bought a bus shelter for €30,000 in the first place let alone they paid €170,000 to get the thing fitted up.

They didn't. Dublin Bus supplied the bus shelter which had been paid for through advertising revenue.

Does noone read the article?

Motley Crue

caseyann wrote: »

Was it the paint or the labour that cost that much

No matter what it was, I'm in the wrong profession! 70K for "Co-Incidental costs"

General Zod

Which are explained in the article.

pickarooney

hitbit wrote: »

A Fianna Fiddler's brother must have gotten the job. Next we'll hear he owes €170,000 to Anglo, NAMA have bailed him out and, good news, wer'e all shareholders in a f****** bus stop on Collins Ave. The bad news, none of us have the money to go to DCU and Dublin Bus have cancelled the route.
Someone needs to be beaten with a big stick.

hitbit RSAIB. FFV.

Reluctant Shareholder Anglo Irish Bank.
Fianna Fiddle Victim

It's like mikom and Biggles had a baby. This makes me a little uncomfortable.

JustAddWater

FYP!

You were a few apples short :P

msg11 wrote: »

Personally I can't belive they bought a bus shelter for €30,000 in the first place let alone they paid €170,000 to get the thing fitted up.

Sure, €170,000 ..

A large garden shed fully fitted 12′ X 8′ €1070

So thats, a stagerring 158 large garden sheds fully fitted or

BREVILLE KETTLE €64.99 , you could have 2,615 of them if you wanted.

Bag of tesco pink lady apples €3.99 , you could have 42,600 of them.

Feel free to add your own..

ejmaztec

€170K for a bus stop isn't a fare price.

El Guapo!

General Zod wrote: »

Because it involved major structural and electrical work to the surrounding area, not just stiucking down a new bus stop.

General Zod wrote: »

They didn't. Dublin Bus supplied the bus shelter which had been paid for through advertising revenue.

Does noone read the article?

General Zod wrote: »

Which are explained in the article.

Are you honestly defending the fact that 170k was spent on a poxy bus stop?