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?
I'm probably missing something obvious (I'm not a regular city center driver) but I cannot figure out how a private car can get from the port / IFSC to Heuston if it cannot proceed straight on O'Connell Bridge and cannot make a left turn from Westmoreland St?
But When it's permanent there'll be proper stops and no confusion
We get a real look into the future this weekend with College Green closed off.
Buses on circuitous diversions this evening differnt to the guide on the app, people waiting at stops that won't be served, asking others if they know anything or have the app, tourists trying to stop southbound buses on Westmoreland St trying to go north.
Thomas St? Guinness trucks would be heading for Victoria Quay surely.
Forgot this is actually happening on the Sunday not Monday.
I see they've done some new line markings on Bachelors Walk and the south of O'Connell Bridge already.
Would have made a lot more sense to start the quay changes this week alright, so they can be bedded in before next week when little Sorcha and Oisin absolutely must be dropped directly at the schoolgates in the Qashqai!
I'm just back from a work trip to Copenhagen and it was truly depressing going from the well-designed, implemented, and connected public transport there to the absolute mess that is Dublin. I could get from CPH airport to Copenhagen city centre in 20 mins via the driverless, 24/7 metro there. It took me over an hour in a taxi and 40+ odd quid for the same journey in Dublin. Rounded off by the driver getting in a huff when I went to pay by card!
They'll complain about traffic either way. The first few days of the Capel St change got a load of ridiculous coverage about gridlocks.
Is introducing these restrictions on the week the schools return not going to give the usual suspects additional ammunition?
Traffic is noticeably worse on that week anyway. This'll now be blamed on the restrictions. Seems like an avoidable mistake.
Running times, i.e. the stop-by-stop timetables for each departure on routes across the network are reviewed and adjusted every so often as a matter of course (particularly when schools are on summer holidays), but Dublin Bus doesn't officially tell passengers (unlike GoAhead).
Looking at a sample of routes on BusTimes ( https://bustimes.org/operators/dublin-bus ) and comparing the timetables for Monday 19th August and Monday 26th August, I can see that revised timetables with longer running times are being implemented across the Dublin Bus network with effect from Monday 26th August, which recognise the increased traffic levels that occur across the city with the return of schools. They would have been reduced back in June across all routes. Morning peak journeys in particular get the brunt of it.
To be fair, a change in running times is actually a timetable change, as it changes the intermediate stop times along a route and should be considered as such. It can have an impact on people on lower frequency routes, and they ought to be announcing it more clearly, something like this:
"With effect from Monday August 26th, with the return of schools, revised timetables will be implemented across all routes. These changes will not affect departure times from termini, but will see times change at most intermediate stops along each route in order to maintain the punctuality and reliability of services."
Specifically on the infrastructure change on the Quays, I'd expect a change of running times for routes operating east/west along the Quays will happen at some point later in the Autumn that reflects the improved traffic flow through the area, but you'd have to wait four to six weeks, or indeed longer until after the return of the colleges to get a proper assessment of what the impact of the changes are.
As Streetlight says, in the meantime buses will probably be waiting their time either side of O'Connell Bridge until their scheduled times from the stops there.
I wouldn't be expecting to see completely new timetables with revised departure times anytime soon, as we just won't know what the impact of the changes will be for some months.
We have solutions to restricting cars, there's no will power in Dublin City Council to implement these more fully. Hence even this watered down approach
I meant a proper solution to restricting cars, not a metro
I noticed recently a change in the traffic lights for eastbound buses along the North Quays at Capel Street Bridge. There is now a bus lane filter light, which gives traffic in that lane several seconds of a jump ahead of general traffic.
It may not amount to much initially, but it's something.
I would doubt that very much. The running time may have to tweaked, though. If that doesn't happen and buses make it to Bachelors Walk quicker than normal, they will still be made to sit at the stop until their scheduled departure time.
A proper solution? An integrated underground network is decades away.
In the meantime, I'd predict that the car restrictions on the quays will simply be ignored.
sorry if discussed before but does this mean practically every bus time table that goes through the quays needs to be re-done?
Barcelona is building their high speed rail tunnel under the Sagrada Familia but in Dublin a left turn ban is 'complicated'.
We all know what "complicated" means here
There's nothing worse than "complicated". 🤷
Sounds like more fudge and half measures. Placating the motor lobby.
I saw a Guinness lorry this morning at the Bachelors Walk bus gate stopped in the yellow box blocking buses from getting to the right lane to turn onto O'Connell Bridge. This is exactly the reason why this plan needs to be implemented.
I thought I read somewhere recently hat the Westland Row stuff was put back because it was more complicated apparently. I'll see if I can dig it out
Interesting that the programme for 2024 calls for a left turn ban from westland row to pearse St and a start on the gardiner St public realm scheme. There hasn't been much talk of them and we're coming to the end of Q3.
ThereThere's also supposed to be work on College Green plaza next year and for that to happen we'll need to reroute buses in advance of the busconnects rollout which has stalled this year.
That's probably been a quicker route anyway for a good while now
Tbf, it is slightly annoying that it's labelled "2023" on the website. A rename to "Traffic Restrictions Aug 2024" on their front page would be good.
I think I understand what you're trying to say! Info can be found below.
https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/transportation/city-centre-transport-plan-2023
I've also blue been able to find any information when I want to the website...!
Saw a few Guinness lorries in convoy yesterday going up Sheriff street from the docks, wonder if they're now going up the NCR and cutting back out at Ushers quay and up Christchurch into Thomas st.?
Oh you're right. Hard to see with the resolution. I guess they'll just remove the boards when the cycle scheme gets up and running.
How long do people reckon it'll take for an upgrade to a proper solution? How long did college green take to go from a theoretical ban at peak hour to a theoretical ban 24hrs? Also there are other measures in the cc traffic plan.
