Let's Be Honest Public Transport in Ireland is an Abominaiton Because it is Meant to Be...

What's the car ownership rates for Dundrum please?

Did you mean to say 'local people with cars being able...' there? Why do you keep assuming that everyone in Dundrum or visiting Dundrum or passing through Dundrum has a car and wants to use their car and can afford to use their car? So many assumptions there.

Let's be honest, what this is REALLY about is the business owners wanting to keep access for their own personal cars, so they get to drive in and park at their front doors and to hell with everyone else. They've been stirring up a mob for months with exaggerated stories and zero evidence. It's particularly galling to see the doctor and the pharmacist opposing active travel measures, but perhaps it's not in their interest to improve the health of the population.

Where was there concern for the older people who can't drive?

Not an argument for me to be interested in, but it looks from Google maps like Raheny to Swords is around 12km. Would possibly be faster by bike than car tbh. Possibly a bad argument against cycling, if ever you were to pick one.

International experience suggests that this doesn't get people out of their cars onto public transport.

Dublin??

I would love to get rid of the car, but public transport is worse than it was here fifty years back.

Fifty years ago we had a bus on Fridays going to and coming from tralee, stopping at the junction of two villages.

Now I would have to walk three miles to catch the Friday bus.

This "green" bit seems fine until you try to figure out where the individual gains or is even partially compensated.

Public transport is a "no brainer" as a trip in the car following the old Friday bus route rarely happens without picking up a queue of traffic at some stage.

Sadly this message does not seem to get through to those trying to save the planet.

This house is insulated using UK subsidised insulation. I brought a van load of retail outlet supplied fibreglass across a few years back at less than 5% of the price charged retail here. Likewise for home lighting CFL's were given away free or available for pence through supermarkets whereas I don't think that they were even priced lower than incandescents here.

So I grin and bear the carbon tax, but wonder what is actually green about it? I'm all for saving the planet, but if it's just an excuse for raising taxes with no significant effect on the environment, what's the point? The tax will fill the coffers and if not going to "green" projects like public transport, will simply enable someone on a higher income to fill his gas guzzler more often due to his low tax bill.

Thanks, I suppose I did go off track, but basically my major moan is that public transport is a much needed commodity as climate change worsens.

If cities are bad transport wise, then rural Ireland is not even at the starting gate.

Dublin was excellent in comparison to the rest of Ireland as far as my attempts to travel go.

It's difficult to describe the situation without seeming negative and it would be nice to see some of those enthusiastic saviours of the planet do something that would maybe get a few cars off the road.

Forgive me, but even with the problems that you see if you have an Eastern residents view of public transport, they just don't compare to an infrastructure that is actually getting worse here in the SW.

Lots of loose talk about "free" public transport. It won't be free as you will pay for it as taxpayers, and likely pay a lot more as capacity is expanded to cope with the increased demand.

Also is this advocated for Dublin local public transport only? If so, whare do you draw the limit? The farther out you draw it the bigger the cliff-edge : I can see huge complaints from Kilcock if the "free" zone ends at Maynooth. Maybe some people are foolish enough to advocate free nationwide public transport - so no-one loses out (!!!).

One of the headacches for any public transport operator is the uneven level of demand - at peak versus non-peak hours. A zero price for peak-hour travel would be total madness. (I remember that the "free" travel for pensioners did not apply during peak hours, until a populist minister relaxed the rules, and no-one said a word against him)

What leap forward?

Yes,

but in Copenhagen there exists one of the best metros..modern, clean, efficient, integrated…

Lines : 4

Opened : 2002

Operations : 24 / 7 , 365 days a year

Stations : 20 plus others under construction..

I’ve made 3 visits to that city and it’s always been evident how much investment in that country they made for their city, citizens, etc…

What have we managed in a similar timeframe ? We have not even managed to put a shovel in the ground in this godforsaken kip.. An absolute dump… with inadequates lining their pockets in positions of responsibility….

my mother said about 7 years ago, in her early 70’s then… “ knowing this country, as I do, we’ll ( her and my Dad ) never see it in our lifetime….” I thought she was talking hokey and I scoffed at the notion, but as it stands, she’s possibly or probably very right….

which is sad…. Worked all her life, paid tax all their lives, both spent much of their time as public servants or semi state employees…

bus stop outside her door that would take her to a station in 4 minutes…

we can find multiple millions at the absolute drop of a hat for everyone else’s problems in the world but we can’t over years, get a single fûcking metro line built….. absolute nutsville backwards backarse kip of a place.