Dublin Bus UCD - Routes 142 & 145

dublinman1990

Dublin Bus have announced recently that the 142 will have it's terminus re-routed from Rathmines to UCD from Monday the 9th of September.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/News-Centre/General-News/Route-142-Timetable-Change/

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/14211/

The revised route from Rathmines is through Dartry, Dundrum Road, Bird Avenue & terminates outside the UCD Sports Centre. (The former 11b bus terminus).

It adds an extra 15 minutes journey time to the route.

At least the bus terminus is being used for something after being abandoned for some considerable time since the chop of the 11b. Was there not meant to be the 33 bus from Skerries serving there instead?

Also the 145 is getting two new departures from UCD Belfield at 15:45 & 17:30.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/News-Centre/General-News/Route-145-Timetable-Change/

It is probably to relieve pressure of the traffic jams from within the CC in the evening time.

coylemj

dublinman1990 wrote: »

Also the 145 is getting two new departures from UCD Belfield at 15:45 & 17:30.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/News-Centre/General-News/Route-145-Timetable-Change/

It is probably to relieve pressure of the traffic jams from within the CC in the evening time.

And I suspect it's also to fix the problem of jam-packed Kilmacanogue buses full of commuters from the CC breezing past the students waiting at the Montrose at 6 p.m.

MGWR

dublinman1990 wrote: »

Dublin Bus have announced recently that the 142 will have it's terminus re-routed from Rathmines to UCD from Monday the 9th of September.

Route 142 Timetable Change

142 Revised Times

The revised route from Rathmines is through Dartry, Dundrum Road, Bird Avenue & terminates outside the UCD Sports Centre. (The former 11B bus terminus).

It adds an extra 15 minutes journey time to the route.

At least the bus terminus is being used for something after being abandoned for some considerable time since the chop of the 11B. Was there not meant to be the 33 bus from Skerries serving there instead?

Also the 145 is getting two new departures from UCD Belfield at 15:45 & 17:30.

Route 145 evening departures from UCD Belfield (to Kilmacanogue)

It is probably to relieve pressure of the traffic jams from within the CC in the evening time.

That extra fifteen minutes (each way) will make the 142 less reliable and more unpredictable in terms of its departure times from the city centre. (Departure times from Belfield only are listed.) Is DB trying to discourage ridership?

LXFlyer

MGWR wrote: »

That extra fifteen minutes (each way) will make the 142 less reliable and more unpredictable in terms of its departure times from the city centre. (Departure times from Belfield only are listed.) Is DB trying to discourage ridership?

Needless to say you have obviously studied the traffic patterns and in the area to make such a statement?

Leaving UCD and travelling as far as Rathmines, the bus is going to be going against the traffic flow, and should not really be held up anywhere.

I suspect that people will be able to use both the on-street RTPI signs or the available apps to check on their bus in the city centre, as they do at present.

I'm not sure what difference the additional 15 minutes going to UCD will make to reliability as the buses then go out of service when they reach the terminus. But of course, you seem to know different.

This change will mean that for the first time a direct route will be available for students living in Rathmines to get to/from UCD which is a welcome addition to the network.

markpb

lxflyer wrote: »

I suspect that people will be able to use both the on-street RTPI signs or the available apps to check on their bus in the city centre, as they do at present.

I agree with the rest of your post but I just can't get my head around this idea that RTPI makes buses more reliable. It does not. If I finish work at 5:30 and my bus is late, it's still late. Knowing it is late because RPTI tells me does not make it any less late.

Equally, and possibly worse, if my bus is late in the morning, knowing it is late does not stop me being late for work. There may be a few people who can choose an alternate bus if they know their bus will be late but I suspect they're few and far between.

LXFlyer

markpb wrote: »

I agree with the rest of your post but I just can't get my head around this idea that RTPI makes buses more reliable. It does not. If I finish work at 5:30 and my bus is late, it's still late. Knowing it is late because RPTI tells me does not make it any less late.

Equally, and possibly worse, if my bus is late in the morning, knowing it is late does not stop me being late for work. There may be a few people who can choose an alternate bus if they know their bus will be late but I suspect they're few and far between.

I never said RTPI made the bus service more reliable. Of course it doesn't. But it is a very useful tool that people can use to judge what time to be at their stop. This is particularly appropriate at mid-points on cross-city routes.

Given Dublin Bus timetables only have departure times - how is anyone to judge whether a bus is late or not at a mid-point of a route?

I use the timetable going to town as I'm near two termini, but for any route where I'm joining the bus at a mid-point I always use RTPI.

The idea that extending the 142 to UCD is overnight going to destroy its reliability is poppycock as it simply will not encounter any significant traffic en route between UCD and Rathmines.

However, just as at present, if buses are delayed, at least people now know this from the RTPI system and can make a decision to change their route home if needs be and options allow it.

the groutch

lxflyer wrote: »

Given Dublin Bus timetables only have departure times - how is anyone to judge whether a bus is late or not at a mid-point of a route?

how about the real time info on the electronic signs at most major bus stops?
or the real time info on dublinbus.ie?
or the Dublin Bus app?
or texting the stop number to 53035?

Victor

MGWR wrote: »

That extra fifteen minutes (each way) will make the 142 less reliable and more unpredictable in terms of its departure times from the city centre. (Departure times from Belfield only are listed.) Is DB trying to discourage ridership?

You will note that many routes have been allocated city centre departure times, e.g. Route 145 From D'Olier St. towards Kilmacanogue. http://www.dublinbus.ie/PageFiles/6350/145_from_D%27Olier_st_towards_Kilmacanogue.pdf

I was on a 32x last week that held at St. Stephen's Green for 3-4 minutes.

LXFlyer

the groutch wrote: »

how about the real time info on the electronic signs at most major bus stops?
or the real time info on dublinbus.ie?
or the Dublin Bus app?
or texting the stop number to 53035?

That tells you when the bus is due at a stop in real time.

It does not tell you the timetable for a particular stop.

There is a difference.

stop

lxflyer wrote: »

This change will mean that for the first time a direct route will be available for students living in Rathmines to get to/from UCD which is a welcome addition to the network.

Indeed having done this commute for years (alas not any more) I would have found this route extremely useful. Hopefully a bit of marketing is done by DB during freshers events to draw attention to it.


Also - what happens to these buses when they get to Belfield? Running empty back to the garage (Harristown?) seems very wasteful.

StreetLight

Most likely back to Rathmines to start as an 83, or from Dartry as a 140, or from the Rock Road as a 4, working back over to Harristown, depending on need.

xper

I hear that an RTPI sign is going to be installed in the central pedestrian area of the campus, i.e., well away from the bus stops, which is a novel idea (for Dublin anyway). I wonder could we see these things popping up inside shopping centres and the like.

dfx-

Victor wrote: »

You will note that many routes have been allocated city centre departure times, e.g. Route 145 From D'Olier St. towards Kilmacanogue. http://www.dublinbus.ie/PageFiles/6350/145_from_D%27Olier_st_towards_Kilmacanogue.pdf

A lot of those middle times are nominal I'd say. The Xpressos and the last buses (certainly) might be different. I know the 56A timetable "from Drimnagh Rd" is a guideline only and if it is early to the stop, the bus ain't hanging around. Same with the 13.

StreetLight wrote: »

Most likely back to Rathmines to start as an 83, or from Dartry as a 140, or from the Rock Road as a 4, working back over to Harristown, depending on need.

That's what they used to do. In the recent days that the 83 was regimentally RV-run, you could spot the 142s by the low-floor buses on the 83.

Victor

xper wrote: »

I hear that an RTPI sign is going to be installed in the central pedestrian area of the campus, i.e., well away from the bus stops, which is a novel idea (for Dublin anyway). I wonder could we see these things popping up inside shopping centres and the like.

Already done at Connolly and Heuston, where you can see real-time bus and tram departure times from the station concourse.

dublinman1990

Victor wrote: »

Already done at Connolly and Heuston, where you can see real-time bus and tram departure times from the station concourse.

And TFI have done similar with maps only outside the Dun Laoghaire Station & at the shopping centre in Marine Road.