Would you be in favour of a ban on private motorists in Dublin City Centre?

Jeremy Sproket · 07-05-2021 9:16pm #1

My idea is that the city centre should be off limits to most private motorists during the peak hours (or possibly always). We should build massive multi-story park and ride facilities (several storeys tall for capacity which should preferably be state owned and very reasonably priced at a nominal fee to encourage use) and a very frequent and reliable public transport feeder bus or light rail into the city centre. These facilities should be outside the canals and city centre limits strategically placed along arterial routes in and out of the city.

The use of motorised vehicles should be restricted to public transport, delivery drivers, An Post, drivers of vehicles adapted for a disabled person and people who live in the cc and have a car (the latter are few and far between so shouldn't really add to traffic that much).

Cyclists and pedestrians will have priority with assumed liability against motor vehicles.

Duckjob · 08-05-2021 9:02am

Rubbish idea, go back to bed OP.

Jeremy Sproket wrote: »

My idea is that the city centre should be off limits to most private motorists during the peak hours (or possibly always). We should build massive multi-story park and ride facilities (several storeys tall for capacity which should preferably be state owned and very reasonably priced at a nominal fee to encourage use) and a very frequent and reliable public transport feeder bus or light rail into the city centre. These facilities should be outside the canals and city centre limits strategically placed along arterial routes in and out of the city.

The use of motorised vehicles should be restricted to public transport, delivery drivers, An Post, drivers of vehicles adapted for a disabled person and people who live in the cc and have a car (the latter are few and far between so shouldn't really add to traffic that much).

Cyclists and pedestrians will have priority with assumed liability against motor vehicles.

You’ve basically described the model actively implemented by mature societies like the Dutch and some of the Nordic countries.

Most people will agree with what you described, as long as it’s a “wave a magic wand and have all this tomorrow” thing, which of course, it isn’t.

The problem comes in the transition from what we have now to that ideal. This is where you run into an interesting chicken and egg situation where people insist that all that efficient public transport infrastructure needs to be in place before we do anything to remove cars from the city centres.

IMO the reality is the opposite - that our utter addiction to cars in the city strangles planners from implementing any sort of bold new public transport plan, or any sort of half decent active travel infrastructure.

IMO when it comes to car use we are a nation of drug addicts, and we need to make peace with the idea that there is no coming off our drug without some short term pain. What’s needed is to move swiftly to tip the balance in favour of those other modes of travel, so that people can see real alternatives to what they’ve been doing up to now. For example, close off streets to cars , but get moving immediately on reallocating that space in a way that’s going to about an improvement to walking/cycling or public transport.

All pie on the sky thinking in Ireland of course, but one can dream.

shtpEdthePlum · 08-05-2021 9:11am

Rubbish idea, go back to bed OP.

It takes longer to get everywhere with public transport, even with really good service. In the Netherlands its not unusual to leave over an hour aside for the journey (getting ready to leave with appropriate weather gear 20m, getting to the stop 20m, commuting 20m, walking to destination 20m). Give or take.

And then, if you do roughly the same on the way back... that's 2.5h total travelling.

I can understand why people want to use cars. We're all very busy and if everytime we want to go somewhere, we have to bank all that time, we'll have to go loads of places at once so it doesn't collectively take ages instead of being able to emerge and retreat back into our lairs to regroup the way a lot of people currently operate. There's safety in an efficient exit.

Personally I like the journey as much as the destination but id like it even more if I didn't have to huff exhaust fumes for the duration and avoid being sideswiped into a hedge or to my death.

I've never been a fan of trams or buses but I'd use them absolutely all the time if they were operating.

Leroy42 · 08-05-2021 9:12am

They could make a start by massively investing in public transport.

Make it so there are so many buses etc, and cheap, that taking the car is simply seen as unnecessary.

We tend to provide transport solutions based on what is the minimum. One bus every twenty minutes and then when it arrives it full!

Start by limiting car journeys from the closer suburbs. More bus lanes, more buses, cheaper fares. Full service 7 days a week. Then, move outwards. No need to do everything at once.

One will never stop it, so its about limiting it. Focus on the things that can be done, as those will help reduce the overall problem.

Wishbone Ash · 08-05-2021 3:31pm

I would start by prohibiting private car use in the city centre for any public officials, public representatives, senior civil/public servants, senior Gardai, city planners, heads of CIE/Bus Eireann/Irish Rail/Luas, heads of semi-state bodies etc. Make it part of their job description.

We need to start with restrictions for influential people who can make changes to improve public transport and let it filter downwards.

Abolish all on-street parking (except for disabled drivers, bicycles, motorcycles, loading bays). Tax private car parking at 100% to deter use but have it available if people really need it.

punisher5112 · 08-05-2021 3:36pm

Mostly good, needs to be tweeked.

No but having set hours and actually enforcement would improve issues to an unreal amount.

If people want a proper public transport system then the buses need to be given priority and bus lanes, bus stops and clearway actually kept clear at all times.

The council is set on causing more traffic as they have been meddling with the light sequence in many many places across the city, most lights now only allow 2 to 4 cars tops through a green, lots less when everyone is on their phones or messing with something else....

The buses are been held back so bad now can you only imagine what it will be like with things back to normal.

The council has a lot to answer for and with all these poles and kerbs fitted for a few feet and then end is just bizarre and extremely dangerous.

Have Gardai out and enforcement of laws we already have, that will sort a lot of issues and say bad passes etc.

Mrs OBumble · 08-05-2021 4:34pm

What is your definition of "city centre" OP?

Isambard · 11-05-2021 5:39pm

yes ban them all except me.

KaneToad · 11-05-2021 5:43pm

Isambard wrote: »

yes ban them all except me.

And me.

salonfire · 14-05-2021 8:08pm

Is there any overnight Park and Ride coming from the North into Dublin?

I find myself driving into Dublin when I probably could do without if I found a handy P+R instead.

Irishphotodesk · 14-05-2021 8:21pm

Mostly good, needs to be tweeked.

salonfire wrote: »

Is there any overnight Park and Ride coming from the North into Dublin?

I find myself driving into Dublin when I probably could do without if I found a handy P+R instead.

You would also need a safe park and ride facility, plenty of stories of cars/vans broken into at these places as the criminals know the owners won't be back for a number of hours.

I would not be interested in banning vehicles from city centre, purely because it would cause a massive inconvenience for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who were forced out of Dublin due to the cost of property, I'm commuting from Meath for about 10yrs now, financially it's cheaper to drive than use public transport and I have the freedom to leave when I need to when I have my own vehicle, I was forced to use public transport for a while in 2018/2019 for a few weeks,

very hard to organise timings and hope the public transport co-operates, I normally set aside an hour for my 40minute commute, when using public transport, I set aside an hour and a half to make sure I get to destination before my required times.

growleaves · 14-05-2021 10:56pm

Nope

growleaves · 14-05-2021 10:57pm

Duckjob wrote: »

You’ve basically described the model actively implemented by mature societies like the Dutch and some of the Nordic countries.

Lol

punisher5112 · 14-05-2021 11:01pm

Mostly good, needs to be tweeked.

Public transport should be much much faster....

It all takes way too long.

That's across the country, there should be high speed trains, if people need to commute especially with prices of rent and mortgage prices for Dublin.

Apush bike or scooter isn't for everyone.

suicide_circus · 15-05-2021 11:51am

Mostly good, needs to be tweeked.

Duckjob wrote: »

and we need to make peace with the idea that there is no coming off our drug without some short term pain.

How short term are we talking? I think if they announced a time frame and stuck to it most people would be on board. But there is very little trust in the state to deliver on this type of thing on time and on budget.

18-05-2021 2:38am

Mostly good, needs to be tweeked.

Jeremy Sproket wrote: »

The use of motorised vehicles should be restricted to public transport, delivery drivers, An Post, drivers of vehicles adapted for a disabled person and people who live in the cc and have a car (the latter are few and far between so shouldn't really add to traffic that much).

Not all disabled drivers require adapted vehicles. Not all drive themselves. Disability blue badges are issued to a disabled person - they are not registered to any specific vehicle. Someone who is driving a disabled badge holder somewhere is entitled to display that person's badge and access disability parking spaces, etc.

Would you be in favour of a ban on private motorists in Dublin City Centre?

Good idea / bad idea? 57 votes

Comments