Marlay Park Concerts Transport Issues

mikeybhoy

Heard a lot of commentary on this on Twitter. Seems to be a lot of diversions with Ballinteer basically being cut off completely after 10pm due to road closures. I can't understand why residents put up with these concerts it's not really a suitable location for large scale concerts.https://www.dublinbus.ie/News-Centre/General-News/Diversion-on-Routes-14-16-and-61/

Mehaffey1

Parked at the Costcutter on Taylors Lane and walked in last night, wasn't too far really. 1.5km queue is correct but moved relatively quickly, we missed half of Weezer's performance but we were waiting on friends to arrive after their work anyway.

LXFlyer

The 14 diversion was changed last night to at least serve some of Ballinteer (serving Wesley Roundabout) which would reduce the walking distance that was originally being imposed (having to walk from Barton Road) after 22:00.

It isn’t fair on locals who don’t drive at all to be honest. But most people have access to cars and the rest don’t get heard.

The concert finished last night just after 22:00, which meant none of the chaos from Monday night (when it finished at 23:00) was repeated.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119266163#Comment_119266163

It's not fair really. Which is why I don't think Marlay Park is very suitable for these events.

At least Malahide Castle and St.Annes are near the DART and the Phoenix Park is near the city centre whereas Marlay Park only has buses.

LXFlyer

It’s likely that there will be a LOT of complaints tonight post-event as the headline act only starts at 21:00.

Charles Babbage

The suitability of Marley Park is one thing. However, the main problem here is that the public transport system takes no interest in serving public demand, but operates to suit itself. This hasn't always been the case, in various events in the past buses were laid on, from games in the heydey of Dalymount park to the Papal visits. But despite having a "green" minister the aspiration to provide public transport continues to decline.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119271280#Comment_119271280

To be fair though it is sort of hard to provide extra buses atm given the shortage of drivers to drive said buses. Buses were laid on for the 2018 Papal visit.

I think the problem is the fact concert goers take capacity away from ordinary commuters at least for concerts in out of the way places like Slane or Punchestown extra special buses have to be put on and it causes no clash between regular commuters and concert goers.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119271280#Comment_119271280

It was the case indeed, but times have changed, and post-Covid none of the PSO bus operators have the resources that they used to in terms of spare drivers. Right now there is a chronic shortage of drivers due to Covid absences, summer annual leave, and staff leaving. There are mass cancellations and curtailments to the regular service every day right now. They are all trying to recruit new staff, but it's proving very difficult to do so.

Staffing is now a critical problem. It's nothing to do with the public transport system "suiting itself" but rather trying to maintain existing services.

They also have the issue that the EU working time directive now imposes far stricter restrictions on driver working hours.

It simply isn't possible to deliver those kinds of operations at the moment, and it's unlikely to be possible for some time given the planned expansion of the network which will soak up all of the new recruits.

LastStop

Well, The NTA have to approve extra buses so DB and GAI can't just put on buses even if they had spare buses/drivers.

Marathon coaches got the contract to supply buses for the concert, maybe they don't have suitable capacity to operate the concert and a review should be done as to how they were given the job.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119272692#Comment_119272692

It should be explicitly the job of the NTA to support activity requiring transport and to investigate the transport capacity of anyone involved.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119272747#Comment_119272747

Well I guess the argument would be that these are privately funded events and why should the state be putting on state subsidised transport for a private for profit event.

When DB used to run services to the likes of Slane Castle and Oxigen in Punchestown these were purely commercial services that were charged at premium rate. Now these concerts are done by private operators often using ex DB vehicles that were sold on.

Transport arrangements should really be taken into consideration when issuing a licence for a gig. To be issued a licence large events should have rail access or be in a out of the way location like Electric Picnic so that concert goers do not clash with ordinary commuters. Think about it a large stadium like the Aviva wouldn't work in a location like Marlay Park so why should a concert like Longitude be given a licence there.

trellheim

I have a memory of walking out the back of Marlay from a Peter Gabriel question to an endless line of Dublin buses ( same for Rolling Stones in Slane back in the day) is that all gone now ? That's silly.

salmocab

I live locally and this is the first year we’ve been properly inconvenienced, they did some things differently this year I presume. They randomly closed a road that had never been closed before and then reopened it when there were enough complaints. It’s odd but the organisation seems to have gone backwards.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274765#Comment_119274765

Which daytime routes do you want Dublin Bus to cancel in order to free up staff for such operation?

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274765#Comment_119274765

For the umpteenth time, there is a massive shortage of drivers right now, and they cannot deliver anything close to the normal service.

As @devnull says, what would you cancel to provide such a shuttle?

I went myself one night. PT was appalling out of town (1 hr wait to get on a 14) before Connolly station, so got a Luas instead. At Dundrum where the Marathon buses were it was a free for all, whether you’d a pre booked tickets or not. So we walked it. Decided to arrange a lift home instead.

I know we didn’t even consider Marathon in advance because the prices were extortionate in contrast to the promise of a €2 leap fare. Whereas back in the day for Slane we paid €20 for a commercial DB etc because there was no alternative. It’s a hard one when a concert venue is served by public transport, but said public transport will never have the capacity to serve it. Your average person who’s paid €100 for a ticket is going to try and pay as little as possible for transport.

LXFlyer

The real losers here are local people who either cannot get on buses home from work at the normal times and have to stay in town later, or who cannot get home without a long walk if they’re working late (or are just out late) because bus routes are diverted after 22:00. They don’t have any choice during the concerts.

There has never been a proper plan formulated to provide transport to Ballinteer for local people during the concerts. The 16 is diverted to Nutgrove Avenue which is a 40 minute walk from Kingston terminus.

That’s just unacceptable and needs to be fixed going forward.

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119277405#Comment_119277405

The feeling I get in the area is that for the first time people are pretty pissed off this year, for whatever reason it has been worse than usual for locals. I like the concerts and there is generally a nice vibe around and the traffic doesn’t generally be too bad but this year it’s caught a few people out with getting home or out again later.

LXFlyer

I am guessing that you’ve not been affected personally by the bus diversions in previous years post 22:00?

You might feel differently if you had to walk 40 minutes to get home after a long day’s work several nights in a row.

This has been an ongoing issue for years. The difference this year is that the operators aren’t even in a position to deliver the normal schedule, yet alone anything else, with large numbers of cancellations and curtailments already.

The bus companies, the NTA, the Garda Síochána and the local authorities need to come up with a plan (if there are any future concerts) that ensures that local people can get home by public transport until last bus, and not be dumped 40 minutes away.

mikeybhoy

Why was the 16 terminated at the Bottle Tower when it can continue up Churchtown Road, Dundrum Bypass, up Wyckham Way and terminate at the last Roundabout.