I read the following article this morning. "From August, bus gates will be in operation on Bachelors Walk and Aston Quay in order to restrict drivers from travelling through the city centre."
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/major-changes-to-dublin-city-traffic-to-come-into-effect-in-august-1610937.html
The quays have always been a pain in the a$$ to use, no matter the time of day… So, how will this effect people?
Fishamble Street is the only exception to that — which may have some DCC staff and locals using it for access.
If you wish to drive from ESB as a power company worker from South Lotts to (say) the Courts Service in Smithfield to fix a power outage, after this is brought in, what would be the routing ?
Google Maps works well for that..
I’d assume they would just use the bus lane if need be.
Though interestingly Google Maps says currently taking a route south of Stephen’s Green would take the same amount of time as the quays would.
I'd go Grand Canal to Harold's Cross, Clanbrassil Street, Fr Mathew Bridge, Hammond Lane.
What is it with people coming up with ever more obscure scenarios? Pat Kenny did an entire segment firing these at someone
I suspect they'd cover it from the vastly closer and completely unaffected depot in Inchicore.
Ah I remember the consternation from motorists when they pedestrianised Henry street.. "Ah now how am I supposed to get to Mary street!!? .. Drive all the way around? Are ye mad!!?"
Yes, super obscure.
Emergency service vehicles, blue light vehicles, like Gardai, Fire, Ambulance can legally use bus lanes and they are a major benefit to them, much easier for them to get around the city via bus lanes.
Orange light vehicles, like the ESB, can't legally use bus lanes and most of the time they don't need to. If there was a genuine emergency then they could contact the Gardai for an escort, which would help clear all the other traffic too.
who said it was an emergency ? It may need fixing, sure, but I never said it was an emergency. Normal yellow van going on a job. No blue lights.
In that case, they would be perfectly OK going around the restriction. Indeed, the sensible route right now almost certainly goes nowhere near it.
Google maps has that route straight down the quays as of right now. What would your sensible route be ?
Well if it isn't an emergency then it can take the same route as any other car!
Here is what Google Maps recommends as of 1 minute ago:
Slightly longer, but actually faster!
Obviously that could change throughout the day, depending on traffic.
Of course from the ESB Inchicore depot is 10 minutes faster!
Keep the insanely niche scenarios coming folks, I'm sure we can solve them all!
If someone has a fridge and a couch and mudt get them quickly from St. Vincent's to the Four Courts during rush hour but dropping the kids off at Belvedere after driving in from Cavan...
That's only a stage off one of Pat Kenny's ones; in so far as its more plausible than them!
Someone wanting to go visit Kilmainham Gaol after a show in the Abbey.
Presumably the time machine required to get them to Kilmainham in time for last admission after even a matinee in the Abbey can't do relocation.
Family of four with two kids in buggies want to visit the Zoo and also somewhere else, can't remember where. Apparently can't do any distance with the kids in buggies yet can actually push them around the Zoo.
I'm on Ormond Quay and have a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain…
In fairness to old Pat he's no George Hook and has been reporting on traffic congestion for a very long time:
And yet he now covers it, and indeed any public transport issues, from a "I want to drive wherever I want whenever I want" perspective.
He's 76 years old now, perspectives change for sure…
Worth noting, of course, that among many other advertisers on Newstalk and other Communicorp stations, Pat Kenny's show is directly sponsored by Aviva Insurance, and…well you can decide for yourself:
Pretty sure it was zoo followed by National Gallery, (possibly National Museum, but the car journey would be similar so they might as well do both - considering they've loads of energy left after the zoo).
Again, Google Maps already recommends going via Fr Mathew Bridge + Patrick St + Kevin St for that journey rather than Bachelors Walk.
That sounds about right. Because kids in buggies love fine art.
Also, it's renownedly easy to get parking around the National Gallery, isn't it…
they should build a multistorey to make it easier - you could level the gallery itself to build it! Put the art on the walls of the multistorey, you don't even have to get out of your car.
The Gallery is already multi-storey!!!
Actually, I bet nobody has thought of making the Gallery drive-thru - surely that would be a winner?
he didn’t think them up properly; e.g. suggesting that a family driving a child in an emergency from Ringsend to the new Children’s Hospital at 3am would go via the quays - only if they were morons even now.
Upper Mount Street is the key there but don’t let anyone in on the secret. Since Covid, huge numbers of onstreet parking spots have disappeared from the Georgian core but it’s easier than ever to find a spot.
https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-city-council-to-debate-consulting-public-again-on-plan-to-divert-traffic-from-city-centre-6367049-Apr2024/
i can see this being scrapped, or heavily modified
Yea what a surprise, the motoring/carpark lobby's will always win when it comes to active travel upgrades in the core city centre..
And just look at the utter garbage in the comment sections: "ministers like Mr Ryan hence why bicycle lanes are everywhere even nonsensical ones." "Anti Car nonsense, this will just decimate the city further. Without billions invested in rail all this will do is hurt businesses."
The independents are not even close to holding a majority on the council.
As I’ve pointed out several times now, with the forthcoming re-routing of a large number of buses away from Dame Street (principally the D-Spine) to facilitate the new plaza there, the status quo just isn’t possible on the Quays.
so why is this being entertained?
