Commute time question

japanpaul

Hi
I'm coming back to live in Dublin(living in Japan for 3 years) pretty soon. I was looking at an old thread from last year about peoples commuting times and it made for scary reading. The main reasons I left Dublin was poor bus services and rip off car insurance (I'm only 25). When I come back I am thinking of renting/buying a house in Finglas.

Can anyone tell me the commuting times(bus, car, motorbike) from Finglas to the city centre(and Blanchardstown if you know) during peak/off peak times?

Any help to the question, or if you know of any relevant commuter surveys, it would be great
Paul

seamus

Motorbike -> 25 mins off peak, 30 mins peak.

Can't help with the other two

Victor

But where will you be going? It doesn't make sense to buy in one location and work / study a large distance away.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/

Route 104 | 17A | 19 | 19A | 220 | 40 | 40A | 40B | 40C | 40D | 40N | 83 | 88N

http://www.irishrail.ie/home/

You can also use Broombridge station, but it doesn't have a great service.

japanpaul

Thanks for the replies.
I will be working around Trinity College / College Green area.
My girlfriend will be working either on George's Street or the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.
I'm originally from Tallaght but I wanted a change of scenery when I got back(don't want to be too close to the aul' pair either ), and thought Finglas looked a nice place to live and close to the city.
I've lived in the company dormitory/shoebox over here for 3 years, so I don't want to rent an apartment when I get back. I want to rent a house with the intention of buying in that area if I like it, if you get my plan.
Again, thanks for the help
Paul

daymobrew

If your girlfriend is to be working on Blanch Centre then living in that general area could work for both of you. Clonsilla rents should be okay.
The train service from Clonsilla station (Maynooth line, stops at Broombridge too) is decent enough though PACKED at peak hours. Can only get better. Infinitely faster than a bus. It's not a frequent service like the DART, far from, but does the job. Great for getting to/from Croke Park too.
You could get off at Pearse Street station for Trinity. Same for George's Street.

seamus

Remember that it could make more sense do a reverse commute. If you live in the city centre, then your girlfriend gets to go the opposite way to the rush hour traffic to get to work. It also solves any problems re: getting in and out of town for partying.

_Kaiser_

I did the commute from Coolock to Blanch (via Finglas) on Dublin Bus for years and it used to take me up to 90 mins-2hours to get there.

I used to get a 17A as far as the terminus in Finglas but then he 220 would often not show, or be late (or early) leaving me stranded - wasn't that easy to get a taxi either in those circumstances (apparently because Finglas is very much a Hackney area I was told).

Anyway, the 220 is really the only way to Blanch Centre from there and it's terrible. I live in blanch now and recently switched jobs so I have to commute as far as Shankhill. The train from Coolmine to Pearse takes about 25 minutes and they've recently added more carriages to it at peak times to ease the crush. Runs about every half hour in the mornings so not too bad.

Your other option would be a 38/39 from Blanch to town.. my advice: forget it! Aside from the fact you can often be waiting ages, when it DOES show in the morning it's often packed.

Blanch (well the part I'm in) is a nice area though..close to the Centre, not too far from town ... I'd recommend it

Victor

The indicative time from Finglas to the city centre is 30 minutes, probably longer in practice at peak times and shorter off peak.

daymobrew wrote:

The train service from Clonsilla station (Maynooth line, stops at Broombridge too) is decent enough though PACKED at peak hours.

This guy lives in Japan

d22ontour

japanpaul wrote:

I'm originally from Tallaght but I wanted a change of scenery when I got back and thought Finglas looked a nice place to live and close to the city.

what part of tallaght are you from ?

compton south central

japanpaul

OldBawn, Tallaght.
It's a little bit too far from the new Luas and 77A and 49 take too long to get to town. Even if you think some of the working class areas are rough, there's usually a good community spirit that's not in the newer commuter towns.
I know lots of people living in new commuter towns but I think anyone that can put up with over 1 or 2 hour commutes are mad. My sister lives in a new area of Clondalkin and commutes to Clontarf, crazy!!
I'll take a look at Blanchardstown again. The houses looked a bit expensive when I looked last time. I didn't realise the bus service to Blanch was so bad. What are Northsiders like to live with anyway?

japanpaul

Victor wrote:

The indicative time from Finglas to the city centre is 30 minutes, probably longer in practice at peak times and shorter off peak.This guy lives in Japan

When I worked in Tokyo there used to be guys with white gloves who's job it was to push people onto trains so the doors could close. Now I know how sardines feel

Victor

japanpaul wrote:

I didn't realise the bus service to Blanch was so bad. What are Northsiders like to live with anyway?

The problem is having on one and two half roads between Blanchardstown and the rest of the city.

pama

alright paul. I have always wondered what it must be like to live in Japan. I have to go a visit it some day.

anyway just so you know you will still be coming back to a the same sh1t bus service and rip off car insurance. That said, car insurance is getting better since the penalty point system was introduced.

My advice to you would be to pick up a motor bike. You could get yourself a 01/02 suzuki GN 125 for about 800-900 euro. Its a category 2 bike so insurance will cost you about 700 quid. these bikes go forever too and maintenance is minimal. tax for the year cost a mere 25 quid and to fill it with petrol will cost you a mere 8 quid and that will do you about 9 days.

If you get a house in finglas, good luck with it

gazzer

I know you are looking for a house but there is always the new Waterville apartments in Blanchardstown. They are quite big apartments and are just beside Blanch hospital so you have the option of the 38/A/C bus and also about a 10 minutes walk to Blanch S. C and a 5 minute walk to Blanch Village where you can get the 39 or 70 into town, or a ten minute walk to Castleknock train station to get a train into Pearce St.