DART coming to Maynooth line in 2024

I don't think this is necessarily true. As I keep pointing out, there are 120,000 people living in D15. That's a lot of people moving around. I appreciate that this information is old, and someone may be able to find more updated data, but if you look at the section covering how far we travelled, 42.2% of all journeys was less than 4km, while 53% was less than 6km. Of all journeys reviewed, 74.8% were by private car (I understand that the total by car will include the majority of longer distances and the shorter distances will include walking, bus, cyling, however, I still believe that the majority of shorter journeys are by car). You tackle these journeys and you'll reduce the traffic in any area.

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nts2016/keyf/

The elephant in the room is till all the traffic issues are primarily at peak. Off peak there's mostly no problems moving around D15 in a car. If you do your shopping and going to the gym at peak you're choosing the worst time to go. You're causing your own problems. There's no issue doing this in a car off peak. Similarly transporting kids to school by car is societal problem. Its multifaceted. But essentially we've normalized that. That's a problem because we've made it a problem.

A new bridge is part of DART+ West, to replace the Barberstown LC. Another new bridge will be built by FCC across the Dunboyne rail line connecting to Ongar. They will provide an alternative route for traffis to west D15 and east Meath.

Another new bridge was offered as part of DART+ West but was rejected. It is the people who chose this trade-off, not IE.

"The proposed replacement bridge at Coolmine was never viable. IE knew that and it was an underhand tactic to float it in the first place."

In fact IR were only floating it, as FCC have been trying to include it in the Fingal Development Plan, as far back as 2011. In fact, at the Clonsilla webinar, IR confirmed they were building the bridge at Barnwell, on behalf of FCC.

IR are looking after this project on behalf of the NTA, but FCC planners are drawing the maps.

These new bridges would be very useful to residents of Ongar, Clonee and Dunboyne, taking them away from D15, which is relevant to D15 inhabitants. Obviously all available capacity at DTB will get eaten up anyway but this will leave more of that capacity for D15 inhabitants/workers.

The proposed replacement bridge at Coolmine is still the most viable location, even if that location is ultimately not viable. They proposed what they could and it was rejected.

Leaving Coolmine open isn't going to provide any relief anyway, it will be closed most of the time at peak times so few will opt for it, the bridge will still take much the same level of traffic.

With the Coolmine bridge gone a good portion of the traffic from Carpenterstown heading for the M50 that might have joined the N3 inbound at Mulhuddart or Tractamotors will not be going over the canal at all and will prefer to join the N3 at Auburn Avenue via Beechpark Avenue. I would claim that that route is not appropriate for heavy traffic and is already a disaster in the mornings and evenings. But there's not much can be done about it as the M50 upgrade didn't/couldn't retain the ramp from N3/M50 roundabout to M50 Southbound making joining Southbound at The Bell pointless as you still have to turn round by the slip for River Road or the Parkway Station bridge. I saw mention of DART+ related traffic upgrades coming to the Park Lodge/Castleknock Road junction but I don't see scope for much of anything at the next junctions along.

All those routes are a disaster at peak.

IE want to close the crossings so that we get the train service we deserve. The problem here is the people who objected to the alternatives.

I've been out driving a lot around Clonsilla/Dr Troy Bridge the past few weeks outside of rush hour/school rush and it's still hell.

Oh Wow! You're a genius!!!

You've solved the world's traffic problems. Let's all not travel at peak times.

Why have I never though of that. I can drop my kids off late for school then arrive in late for work. Problem solved!!

Yet another ...

a) not a local journey

b) dependent on car use at peak

Any plan (personal or local authority) that relies on rat running through estates and back roads to bottlenecks and/or reliant on a bottlenecked level crossing. Is unsustainable going forward.

With D15 they've built a effectively a small city that's mostly reliant on cars. But with extremely poor road network to the city. They are slowly throttling all road links to the city. One bridge in the middle of it is not going to change that.

Location, location location.

"If you happen to live close to a..."

Granted there are practical constraints like budget, and such. But choosing to live within walking distance of a train or bus, or work or school for that matter, is usually not accidental.

It's funny because they're happier to stand in closer proximity to someone who is also standing instead of sitting beside someone else.

Are the trains back to being packed again.

I see FCC have rejected, quite strongly, the application for 99 apartments opposite the Old School House site. IE flagging that they were never consulted with by the applicants, and that it directly impacts Dart+ plans already released.