Where is all the traffic going???

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).

Wishbone Ash

MojoMaker wrote: »

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....

The 5k rule didn't apply to essential travel, nor does the 20k rule. Thousands of essential workers live more than 20k from their workplace.

Wildly Boaring

About 75% of construction is now back.
Not only do us plebs need to commute
But we also have plenty deliveries and we often have to stop traffic for differing reasons.
We also close the odd lane etc for deliveries.

I've been on site throughout (FDI sites)
But am back in Dublin city 1 or 2 days a week now.

BobbyMalone

MojoMaker wrote: »

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.

There's nothing in the government guidelines to suggest that the increase in distance is for an essential journey - As with 5km, we now have the full county to travel, or 20km if over a border. So, you'll have people utilising that distance to exercise in new areas/meet people for socialising. That's one possible reason for an increase in commuters. There's a list of reasons for essential travel that means you can extend this limit - perhaps that's where the confusion is?

Don't Chute!

MojoMaker wrote: »

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).

You can travel within your county or 20km from home if you are near a border. Who are you to suggest that these journeys are “spurious”? You have no idea what people are doing. I honestly thought when the ludicrous 5km rule was scrapped we would see an end to this constant policing of other people but it looks like I was wrong.

Weepsie

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.

Which is mad, because I work for the same people but very different dept and the absolute top level management don't want staff in at all and we were all basically told as much

harringtonp

For a more rural perspective Lahinch this evening. Photo doesn't fully capture how busy it is. And has been all.week.

Fine weather, longer evenings, 5km gone and people drivng to nice places.

MojoMaker

Don't Chute! wrote: »

You can travel within your county or 20km from home if you are near a border. Who are you to suggest that these journeys are “spurious”? You have no idea what people are doing. I honestly thought when the ludicrous 5km rule was scrapped we would see an end to this constant policing of other people but it looks like I was wrong.

That shoulder chip will only wear you out man :pac:

There's no policing going on, whatever I personally may feel about the situation. it looks like a chunk of my original question can be answered by the indication of parents returning to workplaces as soon as they no longer *had* to look after the kids at home. It caught me by surprise - I didn't expect to see such an uptick in traffic this week.

smacl

A lot of cars heading out to the hills around my neck of the woods. Carparks for all the local coilte woodlands are jammers. I wouldn't begrudge people the time in the great outdoors tbh, much needed escape for many.

MojoMaker

Absolutely, and more power to it, we all need the release.

Those carparks aren't being jammed at 7am and those carparks aren't in the immediate vicinity of the city centre though.

Don't Chute!

MojoMaker wrote: »

That shoulder chip will only wear you out man :pac:

There's no policing going on, whatever I personally may feel about the situation. it looks like a chunk of my original question can be answered by the indication of parents returning to workplaces as soon as they no longer *had* to look after the kids at home. It caught me by surprise - I didn't expect to see such an uptick in traffic this week.

What are you talking about with the shoulder chip thing?