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

Owen Keegan is it? I thought it was Eamon and The Greens' fault? At least that's what they're all saying on Facebook.

The thing is I don't think Eamon or Owen were in positions of power when this thing was proposed in the first place

It is quite funny to see. We live in one of the most consultative democracies in the world. You can hardly take a piss without 3 rounds of public consultation and a statutory appeals process and a high court review.

But people who I'm sure are otherwise intelligent, are stone cold convinced that eamon and Owen are supreme dictators and they've developed and designed every minute detail of the pitiful few sustainable transport projects we have. And it's not like we elected a government on a platform of improving public transport and cycling, which was central to the manifesto of FF, FG and Green party. It was also a key deliverable of all opposition parties, so not sure where this idea that they are being dictated to, the vast majority of the electorate voted for it.

Consultative my hole.

The Government put people in lockdown and then DCC were reducing roads with bollards for cycle lanes put in when no one would see it happening.

I don't remember political parties campaigning on dismantling road networks or a big debate before the last election.

The story then (early 2020) was that electric cars would replace petrol cars. Now it seems 'carless' cities and ripping up roads is the 'solution'. So much for electric cars.

I agree however that it is not confined to the Green Party. Not sure why people are so focused on them.

Nope my point is that there wasn't a big debate before the last election.

In 2020 or 2021 announcements and articles started appearing about getting rid of cars altogether.

DCC's approach generally is to just to tell people "this is the way it is now" and to go ahead restricting cars.

Here is an article from Rte.ie where one interviewee says e-scooters will be substituted for cars in Dublin. That is an obvious decline in living standards and one of the steepest in history.

People in the middle ages could ride in a horse and carriage but the people of the future will ride around on scooters like children?

Bollards were only placed on existing cycle lanes or were placed to part-deliver cycling schemes that our elected reps had been promising us for 10 to 20 years, for example the temporary and now permanently substandard liffey cycle route.

I haven't heard of any scheme that involves dismantling the road network and I'd I'd fairly tuned in to what's going on. Perhaps you can enlighten me?

Had a chat with a delivery guy:

"Ah jaysus, the traffic mental around the Northside now Fairview is closed up"

I replied, yes it is a pity all those people driving into town wouldn't use the public transport available.

"Oh but, they'd use it if there was a decent service"

Well, if I go down to Fairview right now, there is a bus every 30-60 seconds going along, plus a DART every 10 minutes.

"Oh yeah, I suppose. It'll be mental when the schools are back"

Why are these kids being driven to school in the middle of Dublin. They can't be more than a 1km from their school?

"Ehh.... it'll still be crazy..."

Same as last year so...

"Thanks have a good day!

People just love a good moan. It's part of the Irish psyche.

How odd. The least car dependent cities in the world also have the highest standard of living in the world. Vienna, Copenhagen and Amsterdam have dramatically improved standards of living since they took steps to reallocate road space to sustainable modes. Why would you connect a drop in standard of living to this when all evidence shows the opposite? The escooters are for children comment is frankly childish and as logical as saying cars are for children because there are toy cars.

So I guess you've missed the multiple public consultations on reducing car access to various places in the city then? That would have been a good place for you to have your say, but instead you think DCC just do what they want to reduce car access.

And do you really think people were roaming about the country and all heading into cities by horse and carriage in the middle ages?

People ride on scooters as it's a faster way of travelling for people, rather than using car or just public transport. Not everyone is entitled to drive wherever they want, whenever they want.

If every car user in Dublin decided to take public transport tomorrow the whole system would collapse.

Granted there is eight years to expand further but I would guess it won't be ready in time.

but no one is taking anyone's car from them?

Now you're just making assumptions. Did I say I was allowed to drive and park anywhere I like? We're discussing 'carless' cities - e.g. a total ban on cars in Dublin by 2030

Growleaves seems nice at least but I honestly can't tell if it's some kind of parody account