Where is all the traffic going???

MojoMaker

Out each morning commuting on the bike this week - crossing Dublin from Castleknock area to Sandyford, via PP > Kilmainham > Canal > Ranelagh > Clonskeagh. Traffic levels virtually back to pre-covid levels despite the fact that we are still in level 5 lockdown and still mandated to work from home, and indeed very few workplaces actually open, and nothing new since last week as government direction did not change on this matter.

7-8am so not school-bound traffic. Where is everyone going??

The 20km extension is to allow people to visit relatives and not to extend non-essential travel, in any case how many mammy-in-laws are being visited at 7:30am?

Only the 4 beeps as well, I must be getting better on the rothar :pac:

magicbastarder

you'll always see heavier traffic around and before the school run starts, for two reasons, i would surmise. one is that it's people leaving earlier to avoid the school traffic.

the second is that people (well, parents specifically) are much more likely to take their holidays when the schools are on holiday. so work attendance *does* match school term to a degree - though this is more in relation to the argument i hear that schools are solely to blame for the increase in traffic you see as term starts again. people forget this factor.

RebelButtMunch

My guess; A lot of the kids that went back to school this week, got lifts early in the morning. They were brining back all their books to school since many of them 1-3yrs were at home since Christmas. Also, with public transport at 25%, many of them are getting lifts anyway.

My lad is back on his bike now, which is great for him. Hopefully if public transport goes up from 25% we can see more kids getting back on that too.

Stark

MojoMaker wrote: »

The 20km extension is to allow people to visit relatives and not to extend non-essential travel, in any case how many mammy-in-laws are being visited at 7:30am?

Ah jaysus. I for one will be using the 20km extension to enjoy "non-essential travel" to go mountain biking and hill running this weekend.

I figure a lot of the cars on the road are essential workers who would normally take public transport but are avoiding doing so due to the respiratory disease pandemic that's going on.

Macy0161

NEPHT have been flagging this for weeks that compliance with working remotely hasn't been as good this time, even compared to the second lockdown. Employers are wanting people back in the workplace, when they could be remote. And also there's workers sick of being remote. Both are facilitated by the schools and childcare being back.

Also, compared to lockdown 1, more health services are continuing this time. This has me on the road 3 times a week, for example, compared to previously I was only out for the weekly family shop!

Having said that, more traffic impact at the weekend where I live. We've (somewhat selfishly) enjoyed the lack of streams and streams of people in cars heading to the Wicklow Mountains, and it has given the children much more freedom, as less idiots on the road.

G1032

It's a legitimate question posed by the OP
I'm working in Galway. I've about an hour of a drive home from work, North from Galway, and don't have to go into or across the city.
The last 6 or 7 weeks it's been taking me between 10 and fifteen minutes longer to go home from work (3pm finish) than it was doing in the months before.
Where are all these people driving to and from that they weren't driving to a month and a half ago???

silverharp

Macy0161 wrote: »

NEPHT have been flagging this for weeks that compliance with working remotely hasn't been as good this time, even compared to the second lockdown. Employers are wanting people back in the workplace, when they could be remote. And also there's workers sick of being remote. Both are facilitated by the schools and childcare being back.

Also, compared to lockdown 1, more health services are continuing this time. This has me on the road 3 times a week, for example, compared to previously I was only out for the weekly family shop!

Having said that, more traffic impact at the weekend where I live. We've (somewhat selfishly) enjoyed the lack of streams and streams of people in cars heading to the Wicklow Mountains, and it has given the children much more freedom, as less idiots on the road.

interesting, I would need a good reason to go to the office, I wonder is it a big company/small company thing with Im guessing small owner managed companies wanting people back more?
I dont think my office wants to see us before Sep and the jungle drums are suggesting that on going after they are going to be really supportive of people partly working from home as its saving them a ton of money in travel expenses

in cycling terms the idea of being home on a friday is a game changer, can get 2 decent rides in Fri and Sun

magicbastarder

i know a couple of people who have been told to attend the office again. one of whom whose job is precarious so he's not going to rock the boat by pushing back on that.

silverharp

magicbastarder wrote: »

i know a couple of people who have been told to attend the office again. one of whom whose job is precarious so he's not going to rock the boat by pushing back on that.

irish/multinational? large/small?

magicbastarder

i think there's a parent company, but if so, he works for the irish specific operation; one of those small sounding companies that's bigger than you think IIRC.

Macy0161

It can come down to specific managers (like all flexible working arrangements). fwiw I had to argue to even have the option of going back in - sometimes the medical appointments/ work requirements make timings too tight to go in and out form home.

magicbastarder

yeah, my wife works in the public service and several of her colleagues (on different teams) were ordered into the office very early on, even though they can work from home. and it seems to be the individual manager's style - in this case, it's a very insecure micromanager who brought them back in.

Creamy Goodness

This tweet is interesting (author works for the CSO) still 44% down than the same week in 2019. There's a theory I have in that we've all become accustomed to the reduced traffic on the roads in the past 12 months that when we see it now with schools and more workplaces opened our brains automatically think it's too much.

https://twitter.com/colettekeane1/status/1381910878174515201

ted1

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

This tweet is interesting (author works for the CSO) still 44% down than the same week in 2019. There's a theory I have in that we've all become accustomed to the reduced traffic on the roads in the past 12 months that when we see it now with schools and more workplaces opened our brains automatically think it's too much.

https://twitter.com/colettekeane1/status/1381910878174515201

We where working at hone then? How does it compare to 2019?

Creamy Goodness

ted1 wrote: »

We where working at hone then? How does it compare to 2019?

it says we're up 120% on this time 2020 (WFH), still 44% down on 2019 (Not WFH). Read the tweet from Colette not the quoted tweet.

L1011

Huge number of people find excuses to not WFH as soon as they aren't stuck with the kids at home all day - there's been spikes at every date some kids have gone back, and a significant drop-off during the holidays.

Also, public transit is not only limited in capacity, but running a weekend service in a lot of cases so some people who would take it are driving to ensure they either get in at all / on time / notionally safer due to overcrowding.

Stark

L1011 wrote: »

Also, public transit is not only limited in capacity, but running a weekend service in a lot of cases so some people who would take it are driving to ensure they either get in at all / on time / notionally safer due to overcrowding.

I took the bus once in the past few months. There were coverings on the seats to space people out but naturally those were removed by people and moved to other seats so they could sit with their friends. Then you had the people with their masks under their chins as soon as they got past the driver and of course other passengers insisted all the windows upstairs had to be closed because "it was chilly" so no ventilation. A short haul flight would have been safer. I imagine anyone who has the option to drive would be avoiding it.

magicbastarder

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

it says we're up 120% on this time 2020 (WFH)

*at* 120% or *up* 120%? i assume you mean the latter.

Creamy Goodness

magicbastarder wrote: »

*at* 120% or *up* 120%? i assume you mean the latter.

yup up 120% for the same period in 2020.

Macy0161

No schools, zero builders, all non-emergency health care cancelled this time last year. You'd expect some increase but they obviously have the stats of people going to offices this time.

Also, very little enforcement compared to a month ago. The checkpoints are completely gone, but they'd already reduced from stopping every car to random.

MojoMaker

School aside, I'm talking about traffic levels up from before the Easter break when the majority of school kids were already back. It's specifically since April 5th however.

Maybe it's purely the lockdown effect as mentioned earlier, and it just seems to be crazy because we've been living with delightful levels of traffic for a year now so any increase on that seems like an end of the world vista.

We've had more than a passing glimpse at what traffic levels *could* be at permanently, with more people walking, cycling, and scooting to work than ever before - it will be really depressing if we just roll back into pre-Covid traffic levels and commuting mindsets once this is behind us.

Stark

Traffic will always expand to fill the available space. When buses are "safe" again, that'll probably take some pressure off but the same thing will apply.

Tails142

When you are looking at traffic, cars, buses, bikes, you need to realise you ARE the traffic, where are you going? Those people are probably looking at you thinking the same thing, where's he off to.

Macy0161

MojoMaker wrote: »

School aside, I'm talking about traffic levels up from before the Easter break when the majority of school kids were already back. It's specifically since April 5th however.

Secondary schools weren't really (only leaving cycle), and for the junior classes of primary I would say people didn't bother the two weeks before the Easter break.

But I think it's just reflective of a general lack of compliance this time - going to work isn't going to be any different from people ignoring the 5km.

c.p.w.g.w

Where i work...The office staff were allowed to work from home since March 2020...

But last summer, one of the department heads wanted his team back onsite, and was kicking up a serious fuss...

Us on the Production side weren't happy as they(Office staff) typically work different shifts(7-3/9-5 compared to production 8-4/4-12) than us, and would mean potential shift cross over...Production weren't allowed to stay back or come in early to avoid shift cross over...

This particular department head got his way with a little bit compromise...office staff production decreased, most of the staff were more efficient WFH...so it lasted about 3 weeks, before they were WFH again...

My misses has worked from home in her job a few times over the pandemic, she says she is able to get more work done at her desk in the spareroom, as their is less distractions and she knows if she finishes earlier she can just go to the couch

ednwireland

amazing how many cars are on the road since the schools restarted

MojoMaker

Tails142 wrote: »

When you are looking at traffic, cars, buses, bikes, you need to realise you ARE the traffic, where are you going? Those people are probably looking at you thinking the same thing, where's he off to.

Yep, we are traffic. However we are not creating queues, blocking the road network, or putting anyone at risk (in general).

Specifically why has the motorised traffic significantly increased since April 5th at times outside of school pressure?

If you (the collective you) tell me drivers are now modifying their commute hours to avoid school clashes I'll mention I was cycling at a later time in the weeks prior and still then the traffic levels were nothing like they have been this week.

I reckon it's the 20km effect and the huge licence being taken with that.

It's a bit sickening to think we are possibly heading back into the 2019 nightmare of big city traffic just as we've learned how to live differently.

I must email Eamonn Ryan about where the plans are now, a few years later, for a Dublin city congestion charge. Something to stop Mannix's heart :pac:

Flaccus

magicbastarder wrote: »

yeah, my wife works in the public service and several of her colleagues (on different teams) were ordered into the office very early on, even though they can work from home. and it seems to be the individual manager's style - in this case, it's a very insecure micromanager who brought them back in.

Aren't the government passing a law soon which gives employees the right to request to WFH. And if the employer refuses it has to stand up in court. I know lots of people WFH for over a year and productivity is way up, so not sure what excuse an employer can come up with once this law passes, if they wish to refuse WFH option.

MojoMaker

MojoMaker wrote: »

Out each morning commuting on the bike this week - crossing Dublin from Castleknock area to Sandyford, via PP > Kilmainham > Canal > Ranelagh > Clonskeagh. Traffic levels virtually back to pre-covid levels despite the fact that we are still in level 5 lockdown and still mandated to work from home, and indeed very few workplaces actually open, and nothing new since last week as government direction did not change on this matter.

7-8am so not school-bound traffic. Where is everyone going??

The 20km extension is to allow people to visit relatives and not to extend non-essential travel, in any case how many mammy-in-laws are being visited at 7:30am?

Only the 4 beeps as well, I must be getting better on the rothar :pac:

Somebody commuting wonders why others are commuting

magicbastarder

in our place (large multinational), they set guidelines for office occupancy based on official government levels. level 5 meant 1% occupancy allowed, and anyone who needed to come in had to be signed off at director level.

it's easier for a company like ours, we operate in a sphere where working from home is easier than for most.

Even with having the kids here on my own or with the time it takes to drop and collect them from school my productivity is up . I was asked recently on a call if I was particularly attached to my desk in the office which I took as a sign I'll be at home for the foreseeable which suits me just fine if I'm honest. Where I was set up in the office with my 2 colleagues was quite central and we are our own team /dept but we'd deal with and interact with all of the others.

We'd have a lot of time wasted to people just passing us with nonsense problems they could have just googled and sometimes queries about personal laptops etc.

There are down sides I guess in that it was easier to work on something between the 3 of us or get an opinion when were were in the same space, but teams works fine. Also having to make every cup of tea or coffee yourself is a pain as opposed to 1 in 3 and one of the women baked on a Thursday evening so there was always something nice on a Friday.

MojoMaker

Deleted User wrote: »

Somebody commuting wonders why others are commuting

Specifically the car traffic, and specifically since April 5th.

I've been commuting to my essential workplace (against my own wishes) all year but only recently is the traffic level up a significant degree - yet there has been no change to essential travel direction and no change to workplace policy.

De Bhál

MojoMaker wrote: »

Specifically the car traffic, and specifically since April 5th.

I've been commuting to my essential workplace (against my own wishes) all year but only recently is the traffic level up a significant degree - yet there has been no change to essential travel direction and no change to workplace policy.

it's just the secondary schools being back I'd guess

bazermc

MojoMaker wrote: »

Out each morning commuting on the bike this week - crossing Dublin from Castleknock area to Sandyford, via PP > Kilmainham > Canal > Ranelagh > Clonskeagh. Traffic levels virtually back to pre-covid levels despite the fact that we are still in level 5 lockdown and still mandated to work from home, and indeed very few workplaces actually open, and nothing new since last week as government direction did not change on this matter.

7-8am so not school-bound traffic. Where is everyone going??

The 20km extension is to allow people to visit relatives and not to extend non-essential travel, in any case how many mammy-in-laws are being visited at 7:30am?

Only the 4 beeps as well, I must be getting better on the rothar :pac:

Well where are you going?

ted1

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

it says we're up 120% on this time 2020 (WFH), still 44% down on 2019 (Not WFH). Read the tweet from Colette not the quoted tweet.

I deleted Twitter. My life is better now.

Creamy Goodness

ted1 wrote: »

I deleted Twitter. My life is better now.

That's great, but my post contained the tweet in question so it didn't really matter, talk about having to drag this out...

Amirani

Tails142 wrote: »

When you are looking at traffic, cars, buses, bikes, you need to realise you ARE the traffic, where are you going? Those people are probably looking at you thinking the same thing, where's he off to.

If you're out for a walk and see you the road full of cars, then you are not the traffic. Same goes if you look out your window and the road is full of traffic.

Not everyone that observes traffic is automatically traffic.

0lddog

ted1 wrote: »

I deleted Twitter. My life is better now.

I approve

Seems Robert Watt ( the man who should be running the country ) has a somewhat similar view

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/robert-watt-advises-managers-not-to-engage-with-toxic-social-media-1.4537575




I presume OP was asking a rhetorical question ( after all how could anyone know 'where is all the traffic going' ) with, perhaps, the aim of feeding the 'vortex of reading and commenting on what people' do

magicbastarder

i spend half my day at my desk looking out at traffic.

Sono Topolino

Look at the list of essential workers for level 5 - it's very broad.

I'm professional and my job can 100% be done from home and my team has been in the office since June last year. For GDPR reasons we cannot work from home, allegedly.

It's irritating to be berated by the Government to work from home when in practice no choice is being provided. Every workplace sets its own rules.

magicbastarder

Sono Topolino wrote: »

For GDPR reasons we cannot work from home, allegedly.

that's a new use of the 'GDPR for any excuse' way of operating!

secman

I can't complain but actually have and then realised i am sitting in my car in traffic In every lockdown i have been in the office Mon to Friday , even when i relocated to the country in the first lockdown when it was bliss to drive , the N11 was blissfully empty.

MojoMaker

So, is that a fixed-mindset employer secman or the work you're asked to do can only be done from that employment location?

secman

Just me being of a mindset mostly i suppose, have home office but just prefer work in work, my assistant accountant works 50/50 home /office.

Macy0161

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's a new use of the 'GDPR for any excuse' way of operating!

It's why I have some (volunteers) staff on site too - not my choice, but can't get my organisation to allow remote printing!

Thelonious Monk

As population increases, and wealth increases, and more and more cars are put on the road, expect it to just keep getting worse and worse.

Wishbone Ash

Macy0161 wrote: »

..The checkpoints are completely gone..

I encountered 4 checkpoints on today's ride.

Amirani wrote: »

...Not everyone that observes traffic is automatically traffic.

The OP did say that they were cycling to work when making the observation.

thenightman

I've been bussing it throughout covid (essential public service can't be done from home) and this week has been the worst traffic wise since pandemic started last year. Journey has gone from March 2020 record low of 15 mins all the way back to pre pandemic 45/50 mins this week. That's when you can actually get on a bus, as have been turned away from several this week going to or from work due to the (now ridiculous) 25% capacity cap + Saturday service.

BobbyMalone

MojoMaker wrote: »

The 20km extension is to allow people to visit relatives and not to extend non-essential travel, in any case how many mammy-in-laws are being visited at 7:30am?

I wasn't aware that the travel extension is to allow people to visit relatives only - so exercise etc only remains within 5km, but new limits are for visiting relatives?

harmless

It's for outdoor activities(exercise, sport etc)
Anywhere within your own county and you can cross a county border once you go no further than 20km from your home.

MojoMaker

The point being, 20km radius doesn't mean indulge in spurious travel. We are still asked to stay at home, but if you have an essential journey you can increase the distance to 20km.

Had a chat with a teacher friend this afternoon - her opinion was there's a decent cohort who had to stay at home working because they had kids off school. and as soon as the kids went back the parents felt they were "released" to go back to pre-covid behavioural work patterns.

She also reckoned this was going to fuel an uptick in cases in the weeks ahead, not merely because kids are back to school (i.e. the kids not being the true source).