Changes to Timetables

antoinolachtnai

For instance, this poster describes how Dublin bus altered its schedule today without notifying customers, contrary to the PSC.

http://boards.ie/tre/2056021793

AlekSmart

Antoinolachtani posted....

.For instance, this poster describes how Dublin bus altered its schedule today without notifying customers, contrary to the PSC.

Hmmmm,with respect Antoin,I see a post about a 70 minute gap in place of a 20 minute one.

My schedule was altered alright,radically so,but with absolutely no input from Dublin Bus.

It was altered by a combination of c 80,000 attendees at Croke Park and the almost total lack of any effective measures to regulate or monitor their movements within a relatively small area.

How you can manage to convert that into Dublin Bus altering it`s schedules is beyond my ken,although perhaps you are posting tongue-in-cheek...or just being disingenuous ?


With Swords Express utilizing the Port Tunnel,perhaps the All Ireland finals would not have impacted upon your schedule to the same extent

However for any Dublin Bus service utilizing the Drumcondra area this annual event resulted in some of the worst delays I have experienced in a decade.

I would go further and suggest that Dublin Bus take full page adverts in the papers each day leading up to these fixtures advising all North City/County cuctomers that they will experience Serious and prolonged disruption to their Bus Services as a result of the Garda Traffic Management "Plan" in place for these events.

This Garda Traffic Management "Plan" appears to centre around ...

1. Maintaining full access to Licenced Premises around the locality by facilitating mass gatherings of fans outside these premises

2. Facilitating access and egress from the Clonliffe College Car Park onto Drumcondra Road for private car users.

3.Ignoring totally the serious and rapidly worsening Public Safety situation at the Bus Stops in the vicinity of Clonliffe Road/Fitzroy Avenue.

I remain in some awe of a Planning Process which allowed an organization such as the GAA to devise and construct a public stadium in a central location whilst totally ignoring the essential element of Public Transport.

Since Antoin mentions PSC`s and since the NTA is now responsible for their administration perhaps this body will succeed where every other has failed.

It is interesting to speculate what excuse can be given for the total collapse of Bus Services to North Dublin ....Unforseen Occurence ?....hardly.....more like Force Majeure...or even Act of God ?

Whatever PR spin is put on it,the authorities have a major developing Public Safety situation here and their ongoing refusal to address it will result in Fatalities...it`s only a matter of time.

With the football finals on September 19th,it`s wise to warn people that unless the Gardai,Gaa and Dublin Bus get their fingers out the usual nonsense will once again prevail. PSC or No PSC.

Perhaps Antoin might have some suggestions as to how to maintain services along the Drumcondra corridor at festive times such as these.????

antoinolachtnai

Well, I don't see anything mentioned on the Dublin Bus site about there having been any problems or that there were any problems expected.

Anyway, that is small stuff (unless you are the guy standing in the rain for 70 minutes). There are plenty more serious examples. Bus Eireann running against a private service in Cavan unlawfully (complaint made and upheld); operating unlawfully from Carrickmacross in the mornings (complaint made and upheld); operating unlawfully on the Portlaoise-Urlingford route (complaint made and upheld); Complaint re services in the Newcastle Road area (finding by Department of Transport that Dublin Bus lied to customers about licensing/regulatory situation; that DB operated services without following proper procedures). I have a big binder full of these.

AlekSmart

MOTE TO MODS: As per Chris`s concerns please feel free to split thread at your discretion,however I believe the issue is a natural progression from the OT.

Antoinolochtanai posted...

I have a big binder full of these.

Antoin,does anything in that binder indicate what happened next in the cases you outline ?

In my 38 years as an employee (Nothing More,Nothing Less) of the CIE group I have never encountered a situation where I was required or encouraged to break a single law.

I have no doubt but it has happened and that it continues to happen,generally as a result of ignorance or personal issues but rarely,if ever,as a result of Corporate policy.

In the examples given by yourself did BE persist with the illegality once it had been decided upon ?

If any orders were made in these cases,did the Company comply with them ?

The final one regarding Dublin Bus and the Lucan/Newcastle area is,I understand,still the subject of Legal proceedings which will eventually lead to a definitive ruling one supposes.

As for Croke Park yesterday..

.I don't see anything mentioned on the Dublin Bus site about there having been any problems or that there were any problems expected.

Indeed you don`t and won`t see a mention,but that does not mean there was no disruption.

There was in fact total chaos,as is the usual for these events and the refusal of the relevant Authorities to recognize this is my point.

I would far prefer to see Dublin Bus being upfront about it and detailing the core problems surrounding the lack of Traffic and Public Transport management of Croke Park fixtures,but that might ruffle some very feathery bodies indeed.

This is not at all "Small Stuff" and any management which continues to define it as such need not be surprised to see it`s customer base dwindling rapidly.

Again I would say the Croke Park problems are basic ABC stuff and will not benefit one iota fromAVLS or any other hi-tech gadgetry...this reverts back to the situation on the ground and it`s effective management at that location.

And now back to you in the NTA studio....

-Chris-

AlekSmart wrote: »

MOTE TO MODS: As per Chris`s concerns please feel free to split thread at your discretion,however I believe the issue is a natural progression from the OT.

New thread created.

antoinolachtnai

As regards drumcondra, the all Ireland final can be many things but it can hardly be calledunforeseen. It is certainly not force majeure or AOG. At least not any more than Christmas is.

What happened in these cases? It appears some of the private operators went wallop. The issues often took years for DoT to deal with.

As for deliberate, what about the senior DB official who promised to run a private operator out of business?

You are quite right that fancy technical knickknacks will do no good if the company decides to just ignore problems and hopes they go away.

AlekSmart

As for deliberate, what about the senior DB official who alledgedly promised to run a private operator out of business?

...

There....that should keep the thread open for a wee while longer

All I can do is repeat my statement that as an employee,I have never been required to break the law or to engage in any nefarious practices...but perhaps every other employee has..??

As for the All Ireland`s etc...I believe that the most important element in finally roasting this hoary old chesnut is the closure of the Clonliffe College Car Park and it`s replacement with a series of remote park n ride locations.

This,combined with the extension of the current Bus Lanes on Big Match Sundays would allow for maximum efficiency for P n R services.....exactly what the concept is designed for ?

The reality is that Croke Park Big Match days has not recieved any dedicated Public Transport planning and the continuance of this disregard for the wider customer base is IMO unsustainable.

antoinolachtnai

I am obviously happy for you that you have never engaged in nefarious practices either on your own initiative or at the behest of others.

I don't remember typing the word in red in the quotation which you refer to above. I am fairly certain I did not type that word. (If I had, I would like to believe that I would have checked the spelling of it.) Anyway, the facts of what was said on that occasion are not disputed by anybody.

AlekSmart

I am obviously happy for you that you have never engaged in nefarious practices either on your own initiative or at the behest of others.

Antoin,thank you for your kind words of support and empathy ,

However I would`nt go so far as to say "at the behest of others"....nope, just never been asked or required to do break the law by my employer...merely as a counter to various accusations of widespread corporate wrondoing within Bus Eireann & Dublin Bus.

To return however to the timetable alterations,whether planned or forced I am drawn,yet again (Yawn) to my old freinds at Lothian Buses,who tend to have a somewhat more developed understanding of "Communication" than ourselves....

http://lothianbuses.com/more-info/news/traffic-news/449-the-papal-visit.html

Just look at the breath & scale of information being given,paying particular attention to those area`s where the company is uncertain of the situation.....It actually tells it`s customers so and advises appropriate caution and preparation :eek:...In our case we simply keep schtum in case any such admission might be seen as weakness or whatever...simply telling it as it is never appears to occur to anybody at the top of Dublins Traffic & Transport Administration.

In our case I would simply copy Lothian Buses but tipp-x out The Popes Visit bit, scribble in "The All-Ireland Finals" and work from the Ordanance Survey Map of Dublin......Sorted !

I don't remember typing the word in red in the quotation which you refer to above. I am fairly certain I did not type that word. (If I had, I would like to believe that I would have checked the spelling of it.)

Not a problem Antoin,your memory is 100%,the word in red is all mine own,although I readily admit to the occasional spelling malaprop,I try not to make a habit of them..:)

Just for the record,which DB official are you referring to and is there a record of the success or otherwise of his threat ?

Presumably,as you say,with the facts of the statement not being an issue there is no problem with referring to whatever "occasion" is in question ?

alleged...allegation....allegedly...alligator....there,I think I have it now :P :P

Carawaystick

Letter in the IT today about how the trams were disrupted as some warmongerer was touting some book at the weekend.

foggy_lad

Carawaystick wrote: »

Letter in the IT today about how the trams were disrupted as some warmongerer was touting some book at the weekend.

some hippy waster types decided to hold a protest that they let get violent, it was aimed at the visit of tony blair to promote his book.

antoinolachtnai

AlekSmart wrote: »

Antoin,thank you for your kind words of support and empathy ,

That's what boards.ie is for, we all have to be here for one another!

However I would`nt go so far as to say "at the behest of others"....nope, just never been asked or required to do break the law by my employer...merely as a counter to various accusations of widespread corporate wrondoing within Bus Eireann & Dublin Bus.

I am very upset to hear about this and again I offer support and empathy. However, there is a question over who really runs Dublin Bus. Who really decides what happens and what doesn't happen? Does the Board really have the final say?

In our case we simply keep schtum in case any such admission might be seen as weakness or whatever...simply telling it as it is never appears to occur to anybody at the top of Dublins Traffic & Transport Administration.

Dublin Bus also unfortunately puts itself in breach of its contracts by doing this.

By the way, there is no longer a need for an Ordnance Survey mapping licence to carry out this task as used to be the case. The excellent OpenStreetMap is perfectly suited to the job, especially in the Dublin area and can be used completely free.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=53.3713138103485&lon=-6.25295877456665&zoom=15

Just for the record,which DB official are you referring to and is there a record of the success or otherwise of his threat ?

I hope you are not trying to draw this discussion toward controversy.

devnull

However I would`nt go so far as to say "at the behest of others"....nope, just never been asked or required to do break the law by my employer...merely as a counter to various accusations of widespread corporate wrondoing within Bus Eireann & Dublin Bus.

Alek - You are one of the reasonable posters on this forum and I for one minute know that even if asked that you would not carry out some of these actions which have been alleged by different people at different points in the past.

Although I have seen some members of Dublin Bus staff on the street which have been very disparaging about other operators, when asked questions about them, which gives off an unprofessional attitude and creates some of the suspicions which have been brought up by others in this thread.

Personally from my point of view, and from my totally unrelated industry if someone was to speak to me about a competitor I would simply stick to the facts about them, if I could not help I would not say anything and tell them I simply didn't know, I wouldn't make comments about them saying they are bad for this reason and that reason or why I wouldn't go with them, but unfortunately there are some staff like this.

Whilst what Anton says is nowhere near as widespread as he seems to think it is, I think we are all being a little naive if we believe it doesn't happen anywhere in the company.

antoinolachtnai

Alek's text in bold type is open to some very grave interpretations.

Cookie_Monster

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Alek's text in bold type is open to some very grave interpretations.

his employer is dead









:P

-Chris-

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Alek's text in bold type is open to some very grave interpretations.

That's a bold and completely unfair comment to make imho. Snide at best.

Clarify your accusation or retract it, says I.