Clontarf to City Centre Cycle & Bus Priority Project discussion (renamed)

Get ******.

It looks like "we're right and you're wrong" to you because you're the one who is wrong. It's clear that Irish Water are paying for the water works if you bothered to look.

So as it happens I had to drive through Fairview today in my car (for the last time in a while!) and if the bollards that are in place today are the ones for tomorrow there are potentially going to be major problems for both public and private transport.

What has been done is that the inbound bus lane in Fairview from the Malahide Road to Edge's Corner has been cordoned off and the route has been reduced to one lane. This means that every inbound bus from the Malahide Road, Howth Road and Coast Road is going to have to be in the same lane as all the private cars getting through Fairview. Given the likelihood of delays between Edge's Corner and the Ballybough Road it is likely that Fairview is going to be one long one-lane snarl with potential delays back on the Malahide, Howth and Coast Roads. Once you're through Edge's Corner buses will have the road to themselves but the reality is that they're going to spend ages getting through Fairview itself. It makes no sense because it makes public transport no better than private transport from a delay perspective.

I should add that I expect there will be a Garda presence tomorrow to stop private cars continuing down the North Strand and at this time of year traffic is lighter than usual but come winter this has the potential to be a nightmare. Maybe I'm wrong about this and traffic won't be that bad - as somebody who uses the 27 into town in the mornings twice a week I hope I am - but I'm extremely worried as of today.

It’s just one of the “corners”, probably the least well known. Everyone knows Leonard’s Corner and Hart’s Corner, but I too only discovered Edge’s corner recently.

Baker’s Corner, Hanlon’s Corner. At least I think those pubs are still going?

Nope, that's exactly what it will look like. A single lane for public and private transport until it reaches Edge's corner.

That might be the case but it's the reality on the ground that is potentially going to happen from tomorrow for a period of a year or so. Maybe some people might change their habits in the next few weeks but I doubt it's going to be enough people to allieviate the inevitable congestion that is going to happen in Fairview on morning rush hours.

As we move towards winter and bad weather a lot of people will prefer to sit in their warm private car even if there are delays on their way into work rather than stand in the cold/wet waiting for a bus and then potentially sit in a bus full of people especially if we have another Covid wave which is a very distinct possibility. And I say all this as somebody who is a public transport user on one of these routes and is in favour of more public transport options.

But as a public transport user I am most likely going to be disadvantaged by this new layout as now my bus which up to now had the advantage of its own designated lane during rush hour is now going to be as stuck as all those private cars. Hardly an encouragment for people to change their habits.

They will have to increase the right turn filter light at the five lamps or it's just going to be carnage once the schools go back. The problem with doing that is Seville place has a lot of traffic on it already coming across from the Tom Clarke bridge so there will be knock-on effects there as well.

If DCC were paying the operational cost of running Dublin buses, I would if they would be more keen on paying for the additional enforcement to keep those buses running smoothly? Having that funding split between transport at central level and parking enforcement at local level gives both parties a sense of it not being their job. Of course there’s AGS but that’s a different kettle of fish entirely.

The 123 is never really delayed going through Marino itself. It is only when it gets down to Philipsburg avenue that the delays happen. The left turn from Brian road out to Philipsburg is made nearly impossible with the cars parked on the opposite side of the road. I've seen some awful behaviour by people at that corner. And then the parking around the shop makes for some interesting dealys as well.

A year or more is hardly "short term pain" for thousands of commuters who do use buses.

And the reality is that this won't hugely improve public transport times on this corridoor by much as the route was already (badly I agree) segregated in places. I would expect the time savings to be a minute or two at best. It will be safer for cyclists though which is great.

I'm not against the project but I think the arrangements here are being badly implemented. I hope I'm wrong on this to be honest if only for my own commute on the 2 days a week I use it.