Expansion of Nitelink Services

Jamie2k9

It may well be that in the context of this thread,some of that advice could also be seen as relevant ?

Relevance here? Really suggesting unions 100% backed it from day 1, if there was a way to extract gain they would have.

The Journal.ie article is largely confirming and reiterating much of what is under discussion here.

I suggest that the timeframe being quoted for the introduction of the 24 hour service framework is erring on the cautious side,as is often the case when such initiatives are confirmed.

As for the NBRU General Secretary's views,these also are a re-stating of a position first announced many months ago,in advance of the announcement of Jarret Walkers report and recommendations.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/cons...nbru-1.3258163

The official responses back then,were equally informative....

Its not the unions business on what routes are selected, on a side note its serving every housing estate that's wrong with Dublin Bus.

So rather than immediately rushing to throw cold water upon Dermot O'Leary,perhaps a recognition that some of the issues he is flagging may be the very one's which the NTA and the relevant Minister(s),would prefer to be kept off the Public's radar ?

Again not for unions to dictate anything other representation for staff issues.

StreetLight

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Again not for unions to dictate anything other representation for staff issues.

They don't dictate anything, not even representation for staff.
It's the staff who make their concerns and issues known to the unions and thence give the union a mandate to speak up on their behalf.

xper

AlekSmart wrote: »

J
As for the NBRU General Secretary's views,these also are a re-stating of a position first announced many months ago,in advance of the announcement of Jarret Walkers report and recommendations.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/dublin-housing-estates-to-lose-bus-services-claims-nbru-1.3258163

The official responses back then,were equally informative....

So,as a full-time Trades Union negotiator,Dermot O'Leary is doing what comes with that position,setting out an initial position on the issues which will MOST CERTAINLY develop around the implementation of the BusConnects concept.

Mr O'Leary's comment,in my opinion,do not represent a rejection of,or challenge to,the Busconnects concept,but rather a clearly stated and not irrelevant request to be "wary" of what he feels may be a significant downside of the plan.

https://twitter.com/DermotLeary/status/969891026092679168?s=20

The NBRU's business is to represent its members working in Dublin Bus. There should of course be meaningful public and workplace consultation on the forthcoming changes and the unions have a remit to put forward concerns about the impact of the changes on employment conditions , job security, etc. But it is not their place to take a position on the nature of the actual service that ends up being proposed. There will be enough public and public representatives' voices having their say on that when the grand plan emerges.

I disagree with the view that his statement is neutral or benign. It is deliberate ****-stirring designed to paint the proposals in a negative light before anyone has seen them in any detail. It smacks of a stereotypical union anti-change agenda.

He manages to pile a lot of mischievous disinformation into one tweet:
" ... we need to be wary of the NTA Bus Connects, its about main corridors only, leaving many with reduced/no service & having to make multiple changes to get to destination"

Anyone who has read the material on JW's website and elsewhere about BusConnects knows that is very definitely not "about main corridors only". That is blatantly misleading. On the contrary, the WJ blog illustrates how suburbs can gain better connectivity to the city centre and to other suburbs through a combination of frequent radial and orbital routes, local routes and proper interchanges.
Pushing the "multiple changes" alarm button is also disingenuous. With our current highly radial network, we already have to make multiple changes to make many journeys. I do it daily. Any network requires changes. The goal is to make those changes much more convenient than in the current regime so that the (acknowledged) natural resistance to changing vehicle is overcome.

Busconnects,is quite likely,the single largest Public Transport Project ever undertaken in this State,both in Hardware,Software and Social Interaction terms.
To suggest or expect,that the Busconnects plan,is capable of a seamless,and smooth implimentation atop a long standing,now outdated and fragmented Public Bus Service is,again in my opinion,somewhat optimistic.

The NTA face a challenge in attempting to bring order to a long established and fractious Land Transport Network in Dublin.

It may well turn out that some of Jarret Walkers proposals will be incapable of implimentation in the Irish context (I note that in his recent blog posts,he does go to some length to point out existence of "Parallell Projects" relative to Busconnects as a whole)

http://humantransit.org/dublin-area-bus-network-redesign-background

So rather than immediately rushing to throw cold water upon Dermot O'Leary,perhaps a recognition that some of the issues he is flagging may be the very one's which the NTA and the relevant Minister(s),would prefer to be kept off the Public's radar ?

But he hasn't flagged any real issues. its just alarmist nonsense contradicting the copious information that has been provided already about BusConnects in this preparative stage.

Clearly BusConnects is a huge undertaking and we are at very early stages. It would be naive to think that it will be there won't be mis-steps or delays along the way. Not every new route arrangement will be the right answer straight out of the box. The infrastructure changes alone are considerable (look at the budget!) and will likely be the determine the speed at which implementation progresses. As with all such projects, it will come down to political will to see it through properly but I certainly don't buy the "Ireland is different" pre-excuse.

Its true, I do detect perhaps a little frustration or extra cautioning from their own perspective in JW's blog that elements necessary for the overall success of the BusConnects project (ticketing, infrastructure changes, etc) are outside their remit. But it is stating the rather obvious and I've seen nothing from the NTA or other bodies that suggests they are not fully cognisant of these requirements. In reality its standard consultant "don't blame us if this doesn't work when you don't do everything we recommend".

AlekSmart

What is very clear,is that the provision of 24 hour mainstream bus routes is about to occur.
Issues,which some consider unwelcome and undesireable,as to whether Staff providing and operating these routes are to have any role,other than cleaning,repairing or driving the vehicles is,I would suggest,for a different thread

I am quite able to listen to Dermot O'Leary,Shane Ross,Ann Graham or whatever relevant people wish to express their opinion,and then sit back,relax and consider what they have said.

Right now,24/7 Public Bus Services in the Dublin Bus system are almost ready to roll,which I'm confident will be a great boon to many.

Stephen15

I think there are quite a lot of misconceptions posted about CIE staff and their unions. Whenever there is a strike the usual keyboard warriors come to play saying things like "they have an easy job, a monkey could do it", "nurses have not got a pay rise in x years and they have a far more skilled job", "I'd gladly do they're job for the money they're on and I wouldn't complain", "privatise it" the list goes on yet if you have the opportunity of pay rise if they went on strike I'm sure they would jump at it.

There also the misconception that most CIE staff are backward people who are into outdated work practices not true CIE staff are for the most part looking out for themselves and they're families just like most people who work for any company or organisation which is perfectly justified. If you think CIE workers have it great then I'd advice you apply for one of the positions that open regularly in IE, BE or DB.