Clontarf to City Centre Cycle & Bus Priority Project discussion (renamed)

bikeman1

Passing the area today, loads of private vehicles heading on their merry way towards town.

In better news, there was a team of workers clearing shrubbery on the Alfie Byrne Rd side of the railway bridge over the Tolka. Sadly there are a couple of tents under the bridge. Hopefully they handle that situation carefully as their home will be a walk and cycle way soon.

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120307923#Comment_120307923

I thought there was going to be fines for that kind of thing?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120307326#Comment_120307326

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120307229#Comment_120307229

They were turned off because Gardai couldn't keep up with the volume of fines to be issued, so they solved the problem by stopping issuing them at all.

downtheroad

Had to drive in to D1 today and in the short period of time I waited in line in Fairview to detour through Ballybough I saw at least 25 private vehicles speeding down the bus lane into North Strand, where there is a stop/go system in place this weekend. It would be so simple for a Garda to stand at the stop/go and fine every single one of them. Instead I encountered 2 Gardai in Summerhill checking for tax and insurance.

I'm not sure if the powers at be in the Garda Siochana are inept or lazy, but they really haven't a clue when it comes to roads policing.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120313461#Comment_120313461

They don't have the man power, or the will, to police traffic violations. Most of them will tell you to your face, that it's not their job.

getoutadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120313500#Comment_120313500

what is their job so...same is said about security on trains or luas...or on streets of city centre

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120315687#Comment_120315687

I've no idea. Sure I reported regular street dealing close to my house to the local garda station in Clontarf, and the response was it's not their job, that's the drug squad that deals with that.

As for Irish Rail, I asked security to deal with a woman with an american pit bull at Connolly station, and he said it wasn't his job, and to take it up with management if I had a problem. He wouldn't even ask her to muzzle her dog.

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300422#Comment_120300422

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120304312#Comment_120304312

Actually there is quite a lot of progress in the Port. The section along the Tolka estuary - on Promenade Road, directly opposite the Clontarf seafront - is substantially complete from just east of the Circle K garage all the way to Alexandra Road.

getoutadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120318586#Comment_120318586

good to know..ill check it out soon

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120318599#Comment_120318599

I run through there regularly and jumped the fence to test the surface. You might even be able to get a bike on it if you choose a quiet moment. 😉

downtheroad

I cycled into city centre today along this route. The builders are doing a great job, it looks fantastic already even behind all the fences and machinery.

Simple things like having the cycle path run behind bus shelters (instead of the previous version in North Strand that ended in the bus shelter) will make a huge difference. I look forward to hearing the whingers and moaners of this project start to exclaim how great it is within months of it opening.

I used to commute daily to the city from D5 and this route was always a disaster. I won't use it anywhere near as much when it is complete but look forward to safe passage into the city when I do cycle in.

And on the usual side note, the amount of private cars trundling at a very slow speed in the bus lane through North Strand was ridiculous as always. It was a lovely day for a Garda to stand by and penalise each and every one. A particular favourite nominee for fines would have been the BMW driver who was on her phone at every junction and as oblivious to green lights as she was the bus lane. Or the novice driver who was on his Instagram in every line of traffic he encountered.

All the Roads Policing unit need to sort out drivers in Dublin is a few bicycles and body cams, they would absolutely clean up.

Sir Galahad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120325408#Comment_120325408

Cars backed up as far as Oulton Road in Clontarf this morning. Two Gardai giving out tickets to cars in bus lane on Clontarf road. But again I point out to you that the Super in Store St has told DCC he doesn't have the resources or budget to police the roadworks so it's not going to happen. And for every car that drove in through Nth Strand there was five cyclists riding through red lights. So please stop making this about car drivers V cyclists, both are breaking rules.

tomfoolery60

What was going on the Clontarf road this morning? Don’t recall it ever being that bad. I did not see any Garda ticketing anyone around 8:30 or so as I passed through. Plenty of gobshites driving in the bus lane and a few even cutting via the car park across from the row of shops to skip the queue of cars.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120326653#Comment_120326653

Hang on, for every cyclist that goes through a red light there is at least one driver doing the same. And as I saw this morning, in a bus lane with phone in hand. So a nice trifecta of rules of the road broken.

You have made this a cyclist v driver argument. I just pointed out the bus lane is being abused by private motorists and has been since this project started. A bloody gopro camera on a stick in Fairview could do the job required. The superintendent at Store St could lobby his superiors to embrace technology to free up his resources to do some actual police work.

Over the weekend I drove through the diversion into Ballybough, witnessed another plethora of private vehicles using the bus lane through Fairview into North Strand, and then encountered a Garda checkpoint looking at tax and insurance discs which is another complete waste of resources when cameras and number plates could do the job 24/7, freeing up our police force to actually police.

Larbre34

Hang on, for every cyclist that goes through a red light there is at least one driver doing the same

It was at that moment your credibility ended.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120327139#Comment_120327139

We all see it every day, no point pretending it doesn't happen. Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, blatantly ignoring red lights. Actually on my travels through Ballybough at the weekend the traffic lights were out at the crossroads in Summerhill/Gardiner St and it wad the calmest junction I've seen in a long time as everyone (drivers, cyclists and pedestrians) was very attentive to the surroundings.

I'd be hugely in favour of red light cameras in Ireland for all, no matter what mode of transport is being used.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120327139#Comment_120327139

The irony

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120327139#Comment_120327139

Meh. Drivers breaking the law are killing people all the time. Boo hoo about some cyclists, going through red lights, making you cry.

Citizen Six

Drivers causing chaos in Clontarf earlier. Stop and go in place at the rail bridge on Clontarf Road. Usual motorists queuing to get into Westwood carpark, except this time they are blocking traffic in both directions as they are coming at it from two sides of the road.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120355082#Comment_120355082

Westwood has been a disaster area for years. I mentioned it to the management once and they didn't give a crap. I further emailed the head office who gave less of a crap.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356150#Comment_120356150

Yeah, that's exactly what I'd expect from management. I know it always been bad. Even before these works began, I'd often see busses held up by cars queuing in the bus lane, with people too lazy to walk from the overflow car park beside the train station.

Shedite27

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356150#Comment_120356150

Not sure what more they can do really, they can't build another entrance, they supplied the overflow car park for people but on a week like this with heavy downpours, nobody even wants to walk 200m.

Thelonious Monk

It's truly amazing that they queue there for 15 minutes rather than walk for 2 minutes. Morons.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356590#Comment_120356590

They can ensure people don't block the footpath for a start.

d51984

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356598#Comment_120356598

Even more amazing is the place is a bloody GYM!!!!! The whole point of such is to stay healthy and keep fit. The mind boggles, if we cant get people to walk 2 minutes to a gym we have no hope.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356590#Comment_120356590

For a very low wage, they could employ someone to stand outside and tell drivers intending to queue that they cannot block either the bus or cycle lanes.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356654#Comment_120356654

they used to have a dude directing cars there when i was a member. are they getting rid of the overflow? i heard the lease ran out with DCC. i'll probably join again soon but i kind of hope they close the overflow just to see what happens.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356654#Comment_120356654

But cars are far more important than bikes or buses

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356654#Comment_120356654

You can be sure that that person would either be completely ignored or roundly abused.

CatInABox

If it's the middle of the day, then it's parents bringing their kids to swimming lessons causing the problem. Up until very recently, the overflow car park was solely for members, requiring a tag to get in, so a lot of parents just don't know any better now.

As Monk says, they lost the lease on the overflow carpark now, it was up for renewal, for quite a ridiculously low price, until a few councillors questioned it, and then suddenly it was pulled. No idea what the council are going to do with it.