So the balls-up has started since last night which makes Fairview from clontarf to Edges corner a single lane with bollards down the centre.
This will be a permanent feature and works will take 21 months.
From what I can tell, it seems the main "improvement" to the bus lanes involves the removal of some bus stops, and I suppose a small extension of the bus lane under the Loop Line Bridge under Amiens Street.
Edit: the experience with the St. Patrick's Drumcondra widening suggests targeted widening like that should help other bus routes. But it seems it will come at a big cost, yes.
Really?
By removing the cyclists from the bus lanes, buses will be able to move more freely.
I think you're focussing on the original plans for BusConnects Core Corridors. The latest versions that have been lodged with ABP see more bus gates being used (Rathmines Road and Old Cabra Road for example), and some roads being reduced to one direction only for general traffic in favour of buses operating in both directions unimpeded (Templeogue Road and Rathgar Road).
There are far fewer examples of roads being widened to fit all users.
It was never bicycles holding up buses in Fairview though. I just think the project is pointless unless the lanes are inaccessible by cars or have bus lane cameras issuing fines, which isn't planned. I'm sure there will be some improvements but do it right or don't bother.
Cyclists were certainly slowing down buses down along North Strand and Amiens Street. That much I am certain about. Buses would have to move out into the traffic lane to overtake them. Now they won't any more.
We shall see what happens on the fines front. It's going to be a slow burn, I suspect, as the politicians realise that they have to work on the electorate, with all the hyperbolic reaction from many people, but I think long term camera enforcement and fines will be inevitable.
In 2006 I was on by holidays in Paris and marvelled at their physically segregated bus lanes, right through the city centre and in an architecturally appropriate way. In 2023, the only equivalent in Dublin is the Whitehall/R132 bus lane with the greatest collection of flappy bollards the world has ever seen.
the same cyclists were probably overtaking the buses at every stop (and quite a few of them will probably continue to use the bus lane if it has better priority at junctions than the cycle lane). Lines of taxis and private cars are the real problem and only enforcement will sort out the latter.
This was the last I saw regarding Westwood and the lease of that 'overflow' car park.
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/dublin-city-council-to-grant-20-year-lease-for-clontarf-car-park-amid-calls-for-housing-42428968.html
The noise at the moment (almost half past midnight) is particularly bad. While some people just have a detour inconvenience, some of us have to live in the middle of this shite.
Taking my bus home from the North Strand stop yesterday I see that there was some paint down on the outbound side outlining the route of the cycle path. I assume that this means work is going to start of that side of the road soon. Meant to take a photo of it but got distracted by a rare 27 arriving on time that wasn't full to the gills!!!
I'll do it on Tuesday when I'm doing my normal standing for 20 minutes in the hope of getting on a bus that isn't some real life variation of the sardine tin.
Pandemonium run wild today. Fire brigade station to the five lamps was single lane stop and go. So, obviously it made perfect sense to also have a single lane stop and go at the summerhill/Portland row junction. Traffic chaos all day because of this. Whoever thought that was a good idea needs to take a long hard look at themselves.
How much time did it add to your journey?
Well I was bringing the mother food shopping this morning and it took 35 minutes to drive from Marino to the North Wall.
Would Clare Hall or The Malahide Road shops not be better for the duration of the works?
If bus connects goes ahead, motorists will have to adjust expectations, the same disruption in fairview will be replicated on 4 main arterial routes at a time.
With any massive project like this there is going to be additional disruption at weekends when traffic is lighter.
It’s frustrating I know but sometimes these things have to happen.
i’d have thought Artane Castle might have been a better option?
I would have went to supervalu killester, a few minutes from Marino
Indeed, weekend works are often much more invasive/extensive, as it doesn't impact on traffic or the city as much. It's obviously not ideal, but there's always going to be a trade off on these kinds of things, i.e. sometimes there is simply no way to avoid causing disruption, so it happens on the weekend to minimise the impact; or sometimes there is a way to avoid the disruption, but at the cost of extending the works for a significant length of time.
I think that in most cases, people are understanding of the need for increased out of hours work, but it of course does have a significant impact on the people that start and end their journeys within the boundary of the works.
Or just walk to Tesco Express in Fairview or C&T Marino depending on where in Marino you are.
Or drive to Lidl Drumcondra or up to the Omni in Santry. Frankly so many options in this area for shopping that avoid driving through Fairview.
You got really unlucky so. I drove from Marino to North Wall yesterday, about 10am, and it only took me about ten minutes. Maybe you don't know the area that well, and got stuck in traffic that you didn't need to be in?
Ha, lived in the area most of my life. Left the house just after 9 and it usually takes 7/8 minutes door to door on a Saturday morning. But sure, what would I know 🤷♂️
like huge improvements to the area are being done and people are moaning about spending a few minutes in a car when they could have gone to different shops that would have been far easier to get to. seriously like, we could never have any infrastructure improvements if some people had their way. saturday afternoons can be the worst time of the week for traffic anyway, and it was bucketing down rain yesterday too.
Are people only allowed comment about how wonderful it all is?
I live in the area and for the vast majority of the time it's grand with some inconveniences. Having a stop-go system on both those roads at the same time is just stupid though.
Yes, nothing but positive vibes
Noted, I'll get your approval before posting anything again. Make sure it's okay with with you.
If you live in the middle of it there is no avoiding it, in and out.
They would but I'd still have to pick up my elderly mother to bring her so would achieve nothing by trying to get out to clarehall with her. She likes to head to Aldi and Lidl for her shop and a chat so that what I do.
Did she enjoy the longer chat though?
How? If you are in Marino like the OP’s mother, just drive up to Griffith Avenue.
”She likes to head to Aldi and Lidl for her shop and a chat so that what I do.”
Lidl Drumcondra, Aldi and Lidl in Santry, Aldi Beaumont.
A few of the staff from East Wall Aldi have moved to Aldi Bayside. Bet your mum will recognise them and it’s just as close as Coolock. 😋
Not in Marino. In North Strand near where Bus stop 617 used to be. Right in the middle of it.
Sure, but I was replying to a poster who was talking about Marino, which definitely isn’t “in the middle of it” and could have been avoided easily enough.
Don't get me wrong, I know it is inconvenient, but it is temporary and necessary if you want to continue to have clean drinking water.
Works like this are completely normal in cities around the world, they are necessary to continue to develop and maintain the infrastructure of the city.
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