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 just waiting for all the good work to be undone in December when the City Council announce a suspension of the bus gates in the run-up to Christmas.
I drove to Dublin Port last Monday morning. I was aiming to be there for 7am, I just threw the destination into google maps and followed it. It brought me down the quays and I encountered all of the signs talking about the quays being bus only from 7am to 7pm. I got a bit nervous with the heavy traffic but I did manage to get down the quay just before the 7am so that was cool.
One thing I'd note about the new rules are that (a) GPS may not have them built into their directions yet and (b) the signage for non-locals is poor to say the best. It just gives a vague update to turn left with no real indication as to where you go or where you end up.
Just my €0.02.
No one is suggesting otherwise!
They were suggesting otherwise.
But not at the same level as there is currently. It has been crippling the city centre. It may have to be more circuitous.
Of course there has to be some access - no one is suggesting otherwise.
Car access is still needed, we agree.
First of all, I did not call you bonkers. I called your post bonkers. There is a massive difference.
I’ll stand by that assessment. There is zero independent data to support the assertions that were contained in that post that the car parks are essential for retail to survive. All there is are your reported anecdotes, and reports cobbled together by retailers & the car parks themselves which clearly are not independent.
The notion that we should facilitate these apparently significant numbers of people who won’t use public transport to access to the city centre is just absurd. Access is needed, but they shouldn’t expect to be able to do so easily anymore - public transport has got to be given the priority that it needs.
The numbers of young people using public transport have shot up all around the country, with the 50% fare reduction playing a major role in influencing a change in mindset.
It’s just not going to be possible to facilitate people who won’t use public transport to the same extent any more. The costs to the economy of facilitating them are just too great.
“I don’t believe”.
Nobody cares what you believe.
Decisions will be made on hard data.
Arnotts car park isn't supporting anything other than a few bob for selfridges. What a bizarre and incorrect post. Car ownership is actually decreasing lately and the number of young people with a drivers license is actually decressing but don't let facts get in the way of your odd rant.
Bar the bus enthusiast comment, my post agreed with everything you just said, so we must both be bonkers.
The poster was talking about CPOing of car parks; that's a very different thing than prioristing public transport over cars, while still allowing cars to access and park in the city centre.
The people who do this will also cover their number plates, just has has happened in NYC, London etc.
Car ownership nationally and car usage on O'Connell Street are related only by the use of the word car.
This has to be one of most bonkers posts that I’ve ever read on these forums.
Firstly, I would never accuse that poster of being a “bus enthusiast”. A desire for public transport to be prioritised and the public realm to be improved doesn’t make someone a “bus enthusiast”.
And I am sorry to say this, but the rest of your post is absolute nonsense.
If people wish to drive into the city centre, they will still be able to, but they cannot expect to be able to drive everywhere directly anymore. Car parks will still be there, but they may in time take longer to get to and from as more priority measures are rolled out.
Government policy is to prioritise public transport, not to facilitate people who won’t use it. That is their choice, but don’t expect policy to be shaped around those who want their creature comforts.
I doubt that any further traffic changes will happen until after the general election.
The parties won’t want to rock the boat anymore until after that has taken place, however much it’s the right thing to do.
Buses can get anywhere they need to & they have been prioritised.
If retail analysis deems that the car park is still needed to support businesses and jobs, its better that buses take a little longer to get up OCS than they run a minute or two faster and the impact is that nobody can park their cars in the central shopping area.
The people driving wont suddenly decide to get the bus into town, they will shop online or head to out of town centres.
You are a bus enthusiast and its understandable you prioritise bus travel. On the other hand, car ownership in this country is growing and alot of those drivers just will not use buses, end of story.
CPOing one car park sets a precedent for the next CPO and I dont believe that is a smart move for the vibrancy of the city, nor its economic potential.
Public transport should be prioritised, yes. But not to the point that the overall capacity for drivers to park in the city centre reduces, at the same time that the number of car owners is increasing.
The canal cordon count in November should confirm that. Anecdotally I've only seen a reduction in traffic volumes since with most areas staying the same. Fr mathew bridge is a little bit busier. That has been reduced to 1 traffic lane southbound also and 1 cycle lane. With no comment from the car lobbyists
Up to 20% time savings and footfall is up year on year for the past month according to NTA and Tublin Town business association
So now we have the full length of carriageway from Jervis to OCS dedicated exclusively for the pleasure of Selfridges Ltd. A multi national corporation, a public space, owned and maintained publicly. And you're fine with that.
Hopefully it won't take years. The existing signage looks very temporary. Moving to 24 hrs should be the next step and then move the bus gate down to the jervis St junction. Also time is ticking on the left turn ban on pearse st
Actually most colleges are back a number of weeks, and are probably the busiest they’ll be all year, with this time of year being one of the busiest for buses.
Colleges are back one week, and all other benefits you mention are localised to just that one area.
Questions I asked still remain, are there significant knock on effects in surrounding areas, and is there an impact on businesses in the city.
Claiming massive success within a month, while focusing entirely on a single area seems premature.
I think if Arnotts wants planning permission to convert the existing car park to a (more lucrative) hotel, then a condition of approval should be NO parking spaces/car park except access for deliveries etc. LUAS is beside it FGS. Will DCC insist on it I wonder? As bk above said, it is absolutely crazy to arrange Dublin traffic around a private 300 odd space car park anyway in this day and age.
Yes, if Arnotts don’t want to convert it, we should go ahead and CPO it, for the greater good of the city. There are two car parks on Jervis street and another at the Illac Center Car park. These are like a 5 minute walk from Arnotts! They are also much larger car parks, the Arnotts one is relatively small, just 350 spaces, the equivalent of 4 double decker buses or 1 Luas!
Holding up the whole city for so little is mad.
And also, there's very little restrictions on the main shopping areas.
There might be a problem accessing some areas around Temple Bar and the quays, but accessing Stephens Green, Grafton St, Henry St, etc hasn't changed that much
Yeah it is that simple.
It just feels a bit incredible that we need to maintain access to Arnotts car park and therefore have to allow cars up O'Connell St North for as long as Arnotts want, and then when Arnotts decides they want to reduce car parking spots because they want more money from a hotel, suddenly access is no longer important and those drivers will just need to find other places to park.
it really isn’t a quiet time of the year. School and universities are back and workers are back from summer holidays, so it is back to normal levels. Sure it isn’t December, but it is a normal busy time of the year.
The buses on the route have seen a 25% speed increase as stated by the NTA. That is an incredible success.
It is all much nicer for cyclists and pedestrians now.
Somewhere else - as simple as that! It feels that you're trolling here.
But where would they park if they wanted to shop in Arnotts?
How are you drawing this conclusion after just 1 month of operation, at a quiet time of year?
What are the time savings being made by public transport in this area, the main reasoning behind these measures? Is there a disproportionate impact on other services, as traffic and congestion moves elsewhere? As Christmas period approaches, is there a positive growth to shopping in City as its seen as more attractive place to be, or negative impact as retailers worried about, as City is seen as less accessible?
I am suggestimg thats up to Arnotts to decide.
