Painful Swords traffic

John_Rambo · 25-02-2026 12:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263776#Comment_124263776

Yeah, 100%. Scum like Liam Lawler and the likes taking money for bad planning.

John_Rambo · 25-02-2026 12:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263795#Comment_124263795

I’m trying to understand your position here and why you're on this regional thread.

You’ve mentioned you rarely visit Swords, yet you’re obtuse, contemptuous, arguing with everyone and strongly dismissing the concerns of people who actually live and travel there daily.

the_amazing_raisin · 25-02-2026 01:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263724#Comment_124263724

I've no doubt it'll be busy but my main concern is that it'll be built for the current population of NCD and not the projected increase in 20-30 years. Its a lot harder to increase capacity in a tunnel after it is built

the_amazing_raisin · 25-02-2026 01:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263801#Comment_124263801

I use it regularly, it's faster than the 41 but pretty sure a snail is faster than the 41

It got stuck on the M1 before the tunnel this morning for some reason. Usually crawls along the quays most days as well

If you're on the south side of Swords the 500 is usually packed when it arrives so you're hoping a 505 will be running

That's the problem with buses, they're pretty low capacity compared to trams or trains and subject to whatever traffic is on the roads

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 05:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264112#Comment_124264112

Why because I think it's weird to compare Swords metro with Galway motorway. The numbers aren't comparable unless you fudge the numbers. I'll agree to disagree on that.

Swords is locked by the road infrastructure. But then many places in Dublin have limited in and out access due to poor planning. Bottleneck caused by poor planning. So a conversion about Swords is very familiar to anyone in Dublin. Why not be interested.

If you were moving to somewhere in London you'd try be near a rail line. Moving to Swords you've decided definitely not to do that. (Even if you didn't realise you have) I get the whole housing crisis cost of housing etc I'm not ignoring that.

I think you've got to find other solutions not wait for a train that never arrives. Multi modal. Etc. But the resistance to any lateral thinking is massive.

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 05:45PM

I don't think there is any short term fix for Swords.

I say most places in Dublin are going to get a lot worse. Like a lot.

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 05:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264173#Comment_124264173

I'm on the M50/M1 and it's like Russian roulette for delays. The buses are always going to get caught in that. Why they didn't put a train the tunnel is bizarre.

the_amazing_raisin · 25-02-2026 06:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264892#Comment_124264892

Its worth remembering the port tunnel was built to remove tticks from the city and it only later became an express route for buses

The reason there's no train tunnel is all the classic excuses, no money and no political will

I know I keep mentioning it in other threads, but once again I'd just like to say that the Czech city of Brno has a population less than half of Dublin and over a dozen tram lines to our two

Communism has some upsides apparently

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 06:56PM

Dart plan originally was 3 lines subsequently reduced to 1 for budgetary reasons. They pour money into the 10 min Dart.

A train to the airport via the tunnel with a spur to Swords would have taken a lot of traffic off the roads.

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 07:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264158#Comment_124264158

It's the Irish way. Lots of development with no transport plan. By the time they create transport infrastructure its almost at the point of needing upgrading.

Why not stagger school and office times so the peak load is distributed. Why not financial incentives for those that drive less or off peak.

Nope everyone back 9-5.

T-Maxx · 25-02-2026 07:31PM

The first and obvious solution that comes to mind is to prioritise WFH.

John_Rambo · 25-02-2026 07:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264877#Comment_124264877

Dublin and Swords have a significantly larger population than any town in Galway, and larger than Galway city itself. No matter how you try to rework or stretch the figures, claiming otherwise just doesn’t stand up.

Scolding people for buying a home in Swords by saying “you should have bought near a rail line” is both disingenuous and nasty. Property prices in Dublin rise sharply the closer you get to established rail links. Many young people bought their first homes in Swords because that’s what they could realistically afford at the time. Then life happens, children come along, and people become rooted where they are.

Sneering at people and telling them what they should or shouldn’t have done adds nothing to the discussion. It comes across as dismissive rather than constructive. Metro North was promised for years. It should be delivered.

I think you came here to troll. Now you've been called out you're trying to add some legitimacy to your posting.

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 08:41PM

So you include Dublin in Swords but reduce a motorways catchment to a single town. Hardly fair or equitable. Or legitimate itself.

It's just facts. I'm not living in a huge country mansion or penthouse in Dalkey. I don't live beside the DART or the LUAS. We all make compromises. I also don't have a Van carrying my tools but I have experience of that, and being dependent on a car or Van. But I've also tried all the different modes of transport and been multimodal.

But Swords is a bottlenecked location besides two of the countries busiest motorways. That's just the reality. Wishful thinking isn't going to change that. What is going to change for Swords in the next 5yrs? Traffic isn't going away, population growth isn't going away. Same with lots of Areas of Dublin or places like Galway City.

They plan to decrease the numbers of cars going through the tunnel. Even though it's a false narrative. It's not cars in the tunnel causing congestion. At the moment any congestion at M1/M50 or the city backs to to the tunnel.

Flinty997 · 25-02-2026 08:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263819#Comment_124263819

Maybe they should make hard shoulder an official bus express lane. That might help.

You notice in the UK and London there's often no hard shoulders.

the_amazing_raisin · 26-02-2026 10:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124265177#Comment_124265177

Yep but unfortunately the country is owned by a handful of multinationals who are afraid their chattel will get ideas of independence if they're allowed to work remotely

feelings · 15-03-2026 04:00PM

I see plans to block off the drynam road exit onto the swords roundabout. But checking the VHI clinic plans at Holywell, there seems to be a link road planned (and started) down to the drynam road near Foxwood. Be daft to close off the round onto the swords roundabout.

the_amazing_raisin · 15-03-2026 08:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124314447#Comment_124314447

I think the idea is to eliminate that 5th exit and combine the exits to Malahide and Holywell

I'm not sure combining two heavily used roads into a single exit is a smart solution but I believe the roundabout is also going to be removed and turned into a cross junction so maybe it'll be an improvement

Not really much of a solution to the problem is shoving too many cars down a single road towards Dublin though.

We need the Metro North ASAP

billyhead · 15-03-2026 08:47PM

If work on the Metro start, the traffic build up levels will be a lot worse.

Glaceon · 15-03-2026 08:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124262037#Comment_124262037

This being the government that canned funding for DART+ to fund a parish pump line between Athenry and Claremorris that will probably carry less passengers in a year than the DART+ lines would in a day. I’m not convinced that we’ll see a Dublin metro in my lifetime.

mykrodot · 15-03-2026 09:14PM

I was born and grew up in Swords. Back then we knew everyone, it was a small town well outside Dublin. I went to school in Dublin 1 and was regularly slagged for living in "the sticks". We cycled to the estuary and spent the days there building dams. We rode horses up the Swords/Malahide road over by Mountgorry and up to Feltrim Hill. Where The Pavillions is now was a big farm with horses and we lived beside it…….picking primroses in Spring, mushrooms in Summer, blackberries in Autumn, cutting and bailing hay, milking cows, driving tractors,riding horses. A blissful childhood, it was country living .

Swords is now a suburb of Dublin, anonymous, an ugly main street, appalling congestion everywhere. If this is progress you can keep it! I am 64 now and only left Swords 30 years ago, but in that time it has become unrecognisable. Thank God I live in rural Kerry now.

The Davestator · 19-03-2026 12:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124315479#Comment_124315479

So you left Swords 30 years ago but are an expert?! It has its issues, but main street is actually a nice place to be, lots of facilities, parks, playgrounds etc. Traffic is a disaster but turn on the radio and you'll find traffic is a disaster across the entire country.

mykrodot · 19-03-2026 10:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124324116#Comment_124324116

where did I say i was an expert on anything? My entire first paragraph was reminiscing. The 2nd paragraph was my opinion and I am as entitled to that as you are to yours. I visit my brother who lives there still, St Colmcilles, down beside the church, so I know Swords well and was simply pointing out how much it has changed.

Painful Swords traffic

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