BusConnects Dublin - Big changes to Bus Network

LXFlyer · 23-10-2021 1:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118062025#Comment_118062025

I entirely agree re the strikes - just trying to give some historical perspective that you might not be aware of. It has been a long road to get to where we are now, but I'm relatively optimistic that things will continue to improve as the various bits of BusConnects are rolled out (albeit at a relatively slow pace - official Ireland doesn't do things at speed unless a gun is put to its head!). Although I will qualify that by saying that the information provision is still as riddled with errors as ever. I don't think that will ever change!

I suppose the real point is that Ireland would have aligned itself with the practices of our closest neighbour for most of that time, rather than the Continent. That's a factor of history, and hence you do have to understand that geopolitical situation when looking back at why things were done a particular way, and you also have to understand the industrial lie of the land over those years which wasn't good, with several significant strikes (albeit none on the level of that in 1974, but in 1979 the Army provided a limited service during a bus strike).

bk · 24-10-2021 9:19pm

“While I had been informed that the possible network of off-board sales points would have been nearly non-existant in the 80s”

I find this part hard to believe, if all we are talking about is local shops selling books of blank bus tickets that you later validate on the bus, like was common in continental Europe.

In the 80’s pretty much every local shop in Cork sold books of on street parking tickets, which would have been pretty much the same concept.

I suspect the issue was more about fare sharing, the shops would of course wanted a percentage of the ticket price to sell them. Where as if DB/BE sold tickets only on the bus, then they got to keep 100% of the fare. Of course that doesn’t take into account the cost of cash handling, worse dwell times and assaults on drivers. I suspect had they looked at it properly they would have realised that it was worth having the shops sell them and take a slice, then all of the trouble that comes with cash handling.

We definitely looked too much at the UK in past for inspiration, who are far from the best themselves, I’d rather we increasingly look to mainland Europe for inspiration, our friends in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and the other Northern European nations in general.

Hotblack Desiato · 26-10-2021 10:35am

I think that you really would have to have been around here in Ireland back in the 1970s and 1980s then to understand the regulation and politics of it all. I get what you're saying, but you have to understand that it was a time of significant industrial unrest, and that the regulation and funding was a disjointed mess with the Department of Transport making the key decisions. That civil servants were responsible meant that innovation was always going to be hard to push through. Several major recesssions also didn't help in that regard.

Inefficiency was valued, as it "created jobs".

Every week some politician or other would stand up in the Dail and say things like "The government must do something about job creation" "the government has failed to create jobs in the south-east (etc.)". You'd think we were living in a communist state...

dublinman1990 · 01-11-2021 5:10am

A post on Instagram on Sunday morning had said that 3 SG's from Dublin Bus in Broadstone are being transferred to GAI for BusConnects. They all have the new NTA green/yellow livery. The Dublin Bus logos have been wiped off these buses. The SG's being transferred to GAI are from the 172 fleet. They are SG 272, 273 & 275. There are rumours of more SG's being swapped over to GAI soon as well.

11501 has also been repainted in NTA green at Freeneys 3 days ago.

tubbs26 · 02-11-2021 7:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118024500#Comment_118024500

Thanks for the above. Sorry if I’ve missed this on the thread but I couldn’t find anything on it.

Is there any timeline for the local routes. I’m particularly interested in the local routes between Celbridge and Leixlip.

LXFlyer · 02-11-2021 8:24pm

The next phase (C Spine and the Lucan, Leixlip and Celbridge local routes) is due to be implemented on Sunday 28 November.

p_haugh · 03-11-2021 1:27am

So routes c1-c3 and x31 are currently showing up when you search for a route in the realtime planner app, must be testing for the launch later this month. ~~No timetable visible though.~~ Edit: after checking on a-b.ie, there seems to placeholder timetables in place, only showing times for one evening service.

Interesting to note that c2 seems to be doing the same routing as c1 through Adamstown instead of the alternate routing as set out in the bus connects plan, presumably due to construction still ongoing in the area.

TranslatorPS · 03-11-2021 12:13pm

Aside from a plethora of new stops for the L51 and L52, it appears that there will be a new stop 7732 Tara Street, located on the eponymous street on the last stretch before the Quays, and a new stop 7733 Moss Street, again on the street it's taking its name from not too far from the quays. It almost looks as if they're taking buses out of Westmoreland Street where feasible, and it's a good move as the Pearse Street junction is a timewaster (please don't start the Luas bashing discussions).

L58 and L59 can also be seen on a-b.ie, and between these two and the other two L routes mentioned above, I believe there are upwards of 40, possibly close to 50 completely new bus stop locations being installed as part of this phase of BusConnects. A notable difference as the June phase saw only about 7 new locations, and even then a few others were removed as well, although admittedly not a whole lot was changed back then.

LXFlyer · 03-11-2021 12:42pm

One of the main aims of the new BusConnects network is to remove all of the left and right turns for buses at O’Connell Bridge, in order to give longer pedestrian light phases across the Quays.

This phase is a major part of that.

Hence the need for a stop on Tara Street, while the stop on Moss Street may be the layover location for the revised route 1.

cgcsb · 03-11-2021 2:10pm

Needs to be a car ban on Geroge's Quay between Tara St and O'Connel Bridge that's the only way buses will be able to turn left from Tara St onto the quays at peak times. Then widen the footpath along George's Quay. Currently dangerous crush loading on that footpath everytime a dart stops at Tara St

TranslatorPS · 03-11-2021 9:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118111962#Comment_118111962

The Moss Street one is listed in the peak-hour routes as an intermediate stop on its way to Merrion Square and Leeson Street area. You wouldn't see it as part of an existing route awaiting modification quite yet.

The problem with a-b.ie is that so far they only show the map for one way (that's of course tightly connected with whatever schedule data DB has fed into it). C1/C2 are shown inbound only, and via D'Olier Street as the routing, much like the current 25s and 66s, albeit down Townsend Street towards Ringsend of course.

LXFlyer · 03-11-2021 9:29pm

The C Group of routes were supposed to use Rosie Hackett Bridge and Hawkins St inbound, rather than D’Olier St, with the Peak Only & Express routes going around the Custom House and using Matt Talbot Bridge and Westland Row.

I’ll wait for the finished product to be published before taking these things as gospel.

rx8 · 03-11-2021 11:06pm

C-spine route training uses Rosie Hackett bridge, but the lights need to be fixed, as there's a very long red light for that right turn onto the bridge.

Also, Moss Street is to be the lay over stop for Route 1.

john boye · 03-11-2021 11:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118115619#Comment_118115619

Yeah the 150 seems to spend ages there waiting for the lights to change.

rx8 · 03-11-2021 11:37pm

I've actually noticed that while sitting in the bus lane, waiting for the green filter light to come on, traffic comes past you in the straight ahead lane and swings right onto the bridge completely illegally and blindsideing the waiting / turning buses.

Zebra3 · 04-11-2021 12:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108911#Comment_118108911

Does that include the W6? Or will Celbridge and Maynooth be left without a direct bus route?

p_haugh · 04-11-2021 12:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117277#Comment_118117277

W4/W6 are part of a separate tender - afaik one of the C-Spine routes will be rerouted to cover off the celbridge-maynooth link for the time being, I am open to correction though.

TranslatorPS · 04-11-2021 1:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118115619#Comment_118115619

Ah, but that would make for quite the messy turnaround on the 1, wouldn't it, if it's to terminate publicly around Townsend Street. Not that there are many better locations around there anyway.

LXFlyer · 04-11-2021 6:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117277#Comment_118117277

No one is losing a bus service.

The C4 will operate to Maynooth via Celbridge (as the 67 does now).

Thrashssacre · 04-11-2021 6:43pm

Is the L56 starting with the C spine or is it coming later? it would greatly improve my commute as things are.

LXFlyer · 04-11-2021 6:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118117543#Comment_118117543

Not much other options as you say.

Last stop inbound would presumably be stop 340 on Townsend St (behind the Garda Station), connecting with the C Spine, and then presumably left onto Tara Street, loop around the back of the Custom House, over the Matt Talbot Bridge to layover on Moss Street.

Or is the layover stop on Shaw Street rather than Moss Street?

Then presumably first pick up stop will be stop 400 on Pearse Street, which will maintain the connection from Ringsend.

Citrus_8 · 04-11-2021 6:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119375#Comment_118119375

I doubt. More likely go with D spine. L56 is very similar to existing 68, just more local.

LXFlyer · 04-11-2021 6:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119375#Comment_118119375

No it should be in 2023 alongside the D Spine.

Thrashssacre · 04-11-2021 6:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119440#Comment_118119440

My mistake meant to say L54 the one from red cow to leixslip

LXFlyer · 04-11-2021 7:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119461#Comment_118119461

Yes, the L54 is part of the C Spine phase.

This phase incorporates:

C Spine, 52, L51, L52, L53, L54, L58, L59, P29, X25, X26, X27, X28, X30, X31, X32.

The 26 will be retained for now, although the city centre terminus may change, and frequency will be significantly increased to compensate for the loss of the 25, 66/a/b/e and 67 from Chapelizod.

rx8 · 04-11-2021 7:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119416#Comment_118119416

It's going to continue down Townsend St and turn right on to Moss Street. The same way the 54a and 49 go presently.

LXFlyer · 04-11-2021 7:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119675#Comment_118119675

OK - that's Shaw Street - Moss Street is between the Quays and Townsend Street.

Makes sense!

Thanks for clarifying. Not really messy at all.

Zebra3 · 04-11-2021 9:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119374#Comment_118119374

Was I looking at an outdated map?

L1011 · 04-11-2021 9:26pm

The map shows the eventual route of the C4, after the W6 is introduced. Not what will have to be done temporarily.

Citrus_8 · 04-11-2021 10:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120141#Comment_118120141

A map was designed when it was believed that BusConnects will be implemented all at once. But some Dubliners with their rural way of thinking objected the plan so it ended up to be done in phased and much slower mode. Hence the overlapping during these transition periods.

BusConnects Dublin - Big changes to Bus Network

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