Should I buy in the commuter belt? [Split from Central Bank Thread]

by the seaside

The Spider wrote: »

Not viable for everyone though, and you'd have to be a pretty experienced cyclist to cope with that traffic in the mornings, and that's not to mention that cycling in Dublin is ridiculously dangerous.

It's probably ok for young fit people, and I know there's plenty of older fit people too, but more than likely they'll take the car or the bus.

Of course your job would have to have showers etc, if you were going to cycle into work everyday.

Agree that it sounds fine in principle, but rain and the need to shower, manage a change of clothes at work usually puts me off.

The Spider

by the seaside wrote: »

Thanks, Spider. I agree with what you say from a commuting perspective, but I want to live by the seaside!

Ha me too, so I'd say you're on the dart line, northside will be cheaper if you go to a commuter town like skerries or balbriggan, greystones can be quite expensive. We did consider Greystones but in the end we're really glad we didn't buy there.

by the seaside

The Spider wrote: »

Ha me too, so I'd say you're on the dart line, northside will be cheaper if you go to a commuter town like skerries or balbriggan, greystones can be quite expensive. We did consider Greystones but in the end we're really glad we didn't buy there.

Why are you glad about Greystones - house prices?

So the DART / commuter looks great if I'm working somewhere on the same line, but if I have to go over towards St. James' it looks like driving may be a better option, but I reckon the traffic will be bad enough f I time it wrong.

The Spider

by the seaside wrote: »

Why are you glad about Greystones - house prices?

So the DART / commuter looks great if I'm working somewhere on the same line, but if I have to go over towards St. James' it looks like driving may be a better option, but I reckon the traffic will be bad enough f I time it wrong.

Dart and the Luas will get you there. Greystones is nice but even when we were looking to buy in 2012 the bottom, they were still pretty pricey.

Having spent a lot of time in Greystones over the past while we were glad we didn't, no pubs to speak of, not that we get out to the pub much but it's good to know you have the choice. Zero shopping, no boutiques etc, you'd have to go into Dublin for it. Few restaurants but nothing to write home about.

The sea walks are nice, but from our point of view it was too far from family and seems to have an elderly population, we at least wanted some hussle and bussle.

desertcircus

The Spider wrote: »

Not viable for everyone though, and you'd have to be a pretty experienced cyclist to cope with that traffic in the mornings, and that's not to mention that cycling in Dublin is ridiculously dangerous.

It's probably ok for young fit people, and I know there's plenty of older fit people too, but more than likely they'll take the car or the bus.

Of course your job would have to have showers etc, if you were going to cycle into work everyday.

Cycling in Dublin really isn't that dangerous or difficult, and doing anything under six or seven kilometers won't leave you sweaty if you dress right. I understand it's not for everyone, but ignoring it in the discussion is futile.

by the seaside

The Spider wrote: »

Dart and the Luas will get you there. Greystones is nice but even when we were looking to buy in 2012 the bottom, they were still pretty pricey.

Having spent a lot of time in Greystones over the past while we were glad we didn't, no pubs to speak of, not that we get out to the pub much but it's good to know you have the choice. Zero shopping, no boutiques etc, you'd have to go into Dublin for it. Few restaurants but nothing to write home about.

The sea walks are nice, but from our point of view it was too far from family and seems to have an elderly population, we at least wanted some hussle and bussle.

Thanks for that. The other consideration is that we have young kids (6 an 3) and I have a nasty feeling about getting them into schools where there is a system of 'put their name down at birth' so this may be a determining factor.

GaGa21

by the seaside wrote:

So the DART / commuter looks great if I'm working somewhere on the same line, but if I have to go over towards St. James' it looks like driving may be a better option, but I reckon the traffic will be bad enough f I time it wrong.

The dart will bring you to city centre and you hop on the luas to the st james stop. As someone that has lived in Greystones and currently lives by St. James, I didn't like the commute. Depending on where you live in Clontarf, the dart is not that close. It will be a good walk, cycle or even bus to. If it were me, I would try live southside rather than make my way from northside. Plenty of areas by the sea here with hopefully an easier commute.

The Spider

by the seaside wrote: »

Thanks for that. The other consideration is that we have young kids (6 an 3) and I have a nasty feeling about getting them into schools where there is a system of 'put their name down at birth' so this may be a determining factor.

Yeah I get a feeling in Greystones that you'd have to be 'known' in the area, and you'd really have to buy in one of the better estates and that will cost you.

Charlsland to be avoided and like I say the established older areas are pricey.

Enduro

The Spider wrote: »

Not viable for everyone though, and you'd have to be a pretty experienced cyclist to cope with that traffic in the mornings, and that's not to mention that cycling in Dublin is ridiculously dangerous.

It's probably ok for young fit people, and I know there's plenty of older fit people too, but more than likely they'll take the car or the bus.

Of course your job would have to have showers etc, if you were going to cycle into work everyday.

A lot of crap there. Coping with large volumes of traffic is often a lot easier than coping with light traffic, as the motorised traffic tends to be moving much slower as a result. No huge experience is required. Just awareness and good sense. Cycling in Dublin is not ridiculously dangerous. Can you provide any statistics to back up that assertion?

Plenty of people of all ages would be capable of cycling their coummute, and more and more people of all ages are doing so (Have a look at holland or denmark for examples of scoieties where large numbers of people seem to manage fine). There are still plenty of people who are well capable of coming up with excuses of why they can't though.

My Job has showers. I cycle into work every day. I don't need to use the showers. Some people may need them, but plenty don't. Again look at holland and denmarkl for examples where huge numbers of people simply cycle into work in their work clothes without fuss.

The Spider

Enduro wrote: »

A lot of crap there. Coping with large volumes of traffic is often a lot easier than coping with light traffic, as the motorised traffic tends to be moving much slower as a result. No huge experience is required. Just awareness and good sense. Cycling in Dublin is not ridiculously dangerous. Can you provide any statistics to back up that assertion?

Plenty of people of all ages would be capable of cycling their coummute, and more and more people of all ages are doing so (Have a look at holland or denmark for examples of scoieties where large numbers of people seem to manage fine). There are still plenty of people who are well capable of coming up with excuses of why they can't though.

My Job has showers. I cycle into work every day. I don't need to use the showers. Some people may need them, but plenty don't. Again look at holland and denmarkl for examples where huge numbers of people simply cycle into work in their work clothes without fuss.

I don't think so, not in Dublin anyway see link below, if you're looking for statistics.

http://www.thejournal.ie/cycling-dublin-bikes-safety-1898001-Jan2015/

Personally I'd rather not cope with traffic and as for showers? I think that would be prerequsite in any professional occupation.

Enduro

The Spider wrote: »

I don't think so, not in Dublin anyway see link below, if you're looking for statistics.

http://www.thejournal.ie/cycling-dublin-bikes-safety-1898001-Jan2015/

Personally I'd rather not cope with traffic and as for showers? I think that would be prerequsite in any professional occupation.

The link abaove provides no statistics which show cycling to be unsafe. It does provide statistics to show that cycling is rapidly increasing in popularity. So I'll take it that you don't actually have any statistics to show that cycling in Dublin is "Ridiculously Dangerous", to use your own words.

How do you expect to get into a workplace in Dublin without coping with traffic? If you drive you have to cope with traffic. If you cycle you have to cope with traffic. If you cross the road at any point as a pedestrian then you have to cope with traffic. Hard to avoid unless you live on the same street as your workplace.

Thinking that showers are a pre-requisit for any professional occupation just illustrates your total ignorance/inexperience on the subject. For example, the MD of the last company I worked for (who employs 400+ very expensive professionals, many of whom also cycled to work, and indeed to clients) cycled into work extremely often without needing to shower.

The Spider

Enduro wrote: »

The link abaove provides no statistics which show cycling to be unsafe. It does provide statistics to show that cycling is rapidly increasing in popularity. So I'll take it that you don't actually have any statistics to show that cycling in Dublin is "Ridiculously Dangerous", to use your own words.

How do you expect to get into a workplace in Dublin without coping with traffic? If you drive you have to cope with traffic. If you cycle you have to cope with traffic. If you cross the road at any point as a pedestrian then you have to cope with traffic. Hard to avoid unless you live on the same street as your workplace.

Thinking that showers are a pre-requisit for any professional occupation just illustrates your total ignorance/inexperience on the subject. For example, the MD of the last company I worked for (who employs 400+ very expensive professionals, many of whom also cycled to work, and indeed to clients) cycled into work extremely often without needing to shower.

Think you're going off topic, the thread is should I buy in the commuter belt, not should I cycle to work, you're obviously very passionate about cycling and that's fair enough but in my opinion cycling in Dublin is dangerous.

And to be honest cycling to work really isn't going to sway someone from buying what they can afford in the commuter belt as opposed to something that they'll be stretched to buy in Dublin city.

I still think you'd need a shower after cycling 10km by the way.

The_Conductor

The_Conductor wrote: »

Different people- at different stages in their lives, value different things differently- that is really the point I was making........

For me one of the major factors on how long Id be willing to commute would be where I was commuting from. i.e. I'd be willing to put up with a much longer commute if it meant I could live at or in the area I am from. If living elsewhere I would generally try to be as close to work as is practically possible.

NotCominBack

ezra_pound wrote: »

It's actually not legal for taxis to use bus lanes unless they have a fare.

Show me 1 recorded case of this law being enforced - just 1

Enduro

The Spider wrote: »

Think you're going off topic, the thread is should I buy in the commuter belt, not should I cycle to work, you're obviously very passionate about cycling and that's fair enough but in my opinion cycling in Dublin is dangerous.

Its not totally off-topic, but then you're the one who filled a whole post with uninformed nonsense on the subject. Your opinion on cycling being dangerous is no more than that... an opinion of one person who has, apperently, zero experience to base it on. I await some actual statistical evidence.

The Spider wrote: »

And to be honest cycling to work really isn't going to sway someone from buying what they can afford in the commuter belt as opposed to something that they'll be stretched to buy in Dublin city.

The ability to cycle to work within a resonable timeframe (in my case under an hour) was very much a determining factor in all of my rental / purchase location descions for at least the last decade. So there's another fact you're 100% wrong about. The cost of cycling versus the cost of driving/PT is an enormous saving over the course of a mortgage... money that can be factored into the afforability of any given property. It also reduces the importance of car-parking spaces as a factor in purchases (or rental for that matter), which adds considerable flexibility in terms of choice.

The Spider wrote: »

I still think you'd need a shower after cycling 10km by the way.

You still think with the blissful ignorance of someone with no experience and, apparently, no ability to use the experience of others to expand your mind beyond your own in-built limiting biases/prejudices.

handlemaster

desertcircus wrote: »

Cycling in Dublin really isn't that dangerous or difficult, and doing anything under six or seven kilometers won't leave you sweaty if you dress right. I understand it's not for everyone, but ignoring it in the discussion is futile.

lots of people cycle from blanchardstown into town everyday. i think its about 30mins ride. there is cycle path but not all the way. its a good option you will always know what time to leave in the morning for work.

The Spider

Enduro wrote: »

Its not totally off-topic, but then you're the one who filled a whole post with uninformed nonsense on the subject. Your opinion on cycling being dangerous is no more than that... an opinion of one person who has, apperently, zero experience to base it on. I await some actual statistical evidence.



The ability to cycle to work within a resonable timeframe (in my case under an hour) was very much a determining factor in all of my rental / purchase location descions for at least the last decade. So there's another fact you're 100% wrong about. The cost of cycling versus the cost of driving/PT is an enormous saving over the course of a mortgage... money that can be factored into the afforability of any given property. It also reduces the importance of car-parking spaces as a factor in purchases (or rental for that matter), which adds considerable flexibility in terms of choice.



You still think with the blissful ignorance of someone with no experience and, apparently, no ability to use the experience of others to expand your mind beyond your own in-built limiting biases/prejudices.

Chip on the shoulder much? Try dropping the kids off to school on your bicycle and see how you get on, seriously I'm in the gym about four days a week for an hour and I definitely need a shower after a serious cardio or weights session, if you don't need a shower after an hours cycling in wet gear, and in Irish weather conditions, well then lets just say we have different standards of hygiene.

Oh and I'm only 100% wrong in regards to you, lets see how wrong I am about two parents and a family of three kids, and both parents work, what do you suggest they do get a tandem and put the kids on the handlebars?

The_Morrigan

Enduro, The Spider, please don't post on the thread again - I'm tired of your squabbling.

ElizKenny

Enduro wrote: »

My Job has showers. I cycle into work every day. I don't need to use the showers. Some people may need them, but plenty don't.

Person who sits beside me at work cycles and says exactly that.
Well I can tell you he does need them

ezra_pound

ElizKenny wrote: »

Person who sits beside me at work cycles and says exactly that.
Well I can tell you he does need them

I always shower after cycle to work for this reason. Often times I feel that I don't really need one but i err on the side of caution.

The_Morrigan

Folks this is neither the cycling forum or commuting and transport. Please stay on topic.

Sala

I said I think in the other thread, I commuted from Wicklow to south dublin, started and finished job early so i missed the traffic and door to door it was 45 mins, whereas south dublin to city centre job is now 50 mins even though it's a only 7km versus 40 odd km. it all depends where in dublin you work and what type of transport and :or parking is available to you.

MANUTD99

In a ideal world we would all live 15 minutes from our job.

In reality it came to affordability for my family. It takes me 50 minutes in the morning to get to work from Meath to Dublin and 75 minutes in the evening.

Our mortgage is so cheap and we have a good house which will rival any 3 bed house in Dublin. The safety net also, if one of us lost our job we can still handle all the bills with no stress.

Building your family home around your job is fantastic if you have that luxury. Many don't, I'm not taking any chances. I want a nice home and if things ever go bad and in my line of work this can happen easy I don't want the worry of having to loose my home.

leinsterdude

MANUTD99 wrote: »

In a ideal world we would all live 15 minutes from our job.

In reality it came to affordability for my family. It takes me 50 minutes in the morning to get to work from Meath to Dublin and 75 minutes in the evening.

Our mortgage is so cheap and we have a good house which will rival any 3 bed house in Dublin. The safety net also, if one of us lost our job we can still handle all the bills with no stress.

Building your family home around your job is fantastic if you have that luxury. Many don't, I'm not taking any chances. I want a nice home and if things ever go bad and in my line of work this can happen easy I don't want the worry of having to loose my home.

Well said, if mortgage too big u get dick, lose job, your screwed...

MANUTD99

Well a few months in and we are still very happy with our decision. We leave the house 20 minutes earlier and get home 30 minutes later than when we lived in Dublin 8 which is pretty much Dublin central. We live in Bettystown, Meath now.

The house I live in I could never afford in Dublin. It is a bit of an adjustment for me as I am a city boy at heart. I bought this house out of affordability. Ideally I would love to buy in Dublin but I would never buy a house if there was any chance we could fall into arrears for whatever reason. Also I could not afford Dublin for what I wanted.

Right now if myself or my wife became unemployed we could still live with a roof over our heads and not worry about paying the mortgage. We have a combined income of around 60K and working in a constantly worrying telecommunication industry. I could easily loose my job tomorrow even though working for the same company since 2005. My sector is so unpredictable. I have been handed notice several times but managed to hang in there

Anyway, anyone in a similar boat I would think long and hard about taking out mortgages of €1000+, strongly consider moving that bit further out to ensure a somewhat stress free scenario should you become unemployed.My mortgage is around €650

I had a beautiful walk on the beach yesterday. My farts wake me up in the morning, its that quiet. My biggest stress this weekend was what to buy in the local butchers. Its a good lifestyle. Moving out of Dublin is not the end of the world

leinsterdude

MANUTD99 wrote: »

Well a few months in and we are still very happy with our decision. We leave the house 20 minutes earlier and get home 30 minutes later than when we lived in Dublin 8 which is pretty much Dublin central. We live in Bettystown, Meath now.

The house I live in I could never afford in Dublin. It is a bit of an adjustment for me as I am a city boy at heart. I bought this house out of affordability. Ideally I would love to buy in Dublin but I would never buy a house if there was any chance we could fall into arrears for whatever reason. Also I could not afford Dublin for what I wanted.

Right now if myself or my wife became unemployed we could still live with a roof over our heads and not worry about paying the mortgage. We have a combined income of around 60K and working in a constantly worrying telecommunication industry. I could easily loose my job tomorrow even though working for the same company since 2005. My sector is so unpredictable. I have been handed notice several times but managed to hang in there

Anyway, anyone in a similar boat I would think long and hard about taking out mortgages of €1000+, strongly consider moving that bit further out to ensure a somewhat stress free scenario should you become unemployed.My mortgage is around €650

I had a beautiful walk on the beach yesterday. My farts wake me up in the morning, its that quiet. My biggest stress this weekend was what to buy in the local butchers. Its a good lifestyle. Moving out of Dublin is not the end of the world

Well said.

dearg lady

That's brilliant that it worked out for you, presumably though you are paying significantly more in travel expenses?

leinsterdude

dearg lady wrote: »

That's brilliant that it worked out for you, presumably though you are paying significantly more in travel expenses?

He might be, but it's a grand run onto the M1, then on to Dublin, not a bad commute, I have people I know coming from Newry, Dundalk, Monaghan etc

dearg lady

leinsterdude wrote: »

He might be, but it's a grand run onto the M1, then on to Dublin, not a bad commute, I have people I know coming from Newry, Dundalk, Monaghan etc

oh absolutely, I just wonder what the net saving actually is.

salmocab

I used to live out near enfield it was generally an hour and a bit drive each way to work Im a tradesman so work in various places, had a lovely big house and garden and loved it, then circumstances changed and I sold the house and moved back to Dublin, I now live in Dublin 16 and to be honest I couldn't go back to living outside Dublin, it was only when I came back that I realized what I was giving up time wise and socially living so far out. Im generally home from work a bit before 5 and have more time and am less tired than before. It is nice to have a big house but for me a smaller house closer to my family and friends is much better although that is obviously just my experience but it was only when I came back that i realized what I had missed.