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How far is too far for Dublin commute

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Comments

  • #62
    Maskhadov
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,065 ✭✭✭Maskhadov


    i agree with that. Its not so much the roads outside dublin that is the major problem. Its near the city. The metro et al will help.


  • #63
    TrickyRicky
    Closed Accounts Posts: 159 ✭✭TrickyRicky


    Commute from Bray to town by bus takes up to an hour, DART takes 45 mins, it's only 12 miles to city centre, you'd think they'd be able to make it shorter. It takes just under 2 hours from portlaoise by train to heuston, and onto city centre by bus/luas, yet Portlaoise is 50 or so miles from town??

    Wheres the logic??!!


  • #64
    Archeron
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,644 ✭✭✭Archeron


    it completely depends on whereabouts in Dublin you work. I live in Trim in Meath, and work in D12. The commute takes an hour and a half to two and ahalf hours, depeding on whether i've slept it out or not! Working in somewhere like Sandyford or Leopardstown would be out of the question for me. I'd recommend that if it goes above 1 1/2 to 2 hours, its not worth the bother. At the moment, traffic is really crap and by the time you get home, you;re completely shattered. I agree that if you can avoid driving, do it, coz at least on public transport you can relax and doze off if you want.


  • #65
    denachoman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 173 ✭✭denachoman


    Archeron wrote:
    it completely depends on whereabouts in Dublin you work. I live in Trim in Meath, and work in D12. The commute takes an hour and a half to two and ahalf hours, depeding on whether i've slept it out or not! Working in somewhere like Sandyford or Leopardstown would be out of the question for me.

    You're wrong there Archeron - working in somewhere like Sandyford or Leopardstown would be alot easier for you now that the M50 is finished. I live in Kilmessan and work in Cherrywood, Loughlinstown (past Sandyford) and the max it would ever take me is an hour and a half. In fact my average commute averages just over an hour because of the hours I work.


  • #66
    Macy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 655 ✭✭✭Macy


    dr zoidberg wrote:
    Ideally if you're working in Dublin you should be in the 01 phone area. Of course, noone can afford Dublin houses anymore.
    Might work, but I've an 01 phone code and a 25 mile commute into the city. ;)

    Frankly, I don't see the logic of doing the commute to live in a housing estate. Without bringing another issue, I take the commute for living in my detached house on an acre of land. I don't think I would for a housing estate (in some of the one pub and a church villages that you see) with no connection to the area.

    btw my 25 miles takes under an hour each way, thanks to flexi time and 8-4 days. At the moment, any of the public transport options would take longer (at least 30-45 mins), but I'm lucky that my work location is the right side of the city. My ideal would be e-working - most jobs could work this way, and it's something short term the Government could encourage firms (and staff) to take up (e.g deductions on costs for company implementing it, and tax credits for staff taking up the offer).


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  • #67
    Archeron
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,644 ✭✭✭Archeron


    denachoman wrote:
    You're wrong there Archeron - working in somewhere like Sandyford or Leopardstown would be alot easier for you now that the M50 is finished. I live in Kilmessan and work in Cherrywood, Loughlinstown (past Sandyford) and the max it would ever take me is an hour and a half. In fact my average commute averages just over an hour because of the hours I work.

    Fair nuff, it does depend on your hours, but unfortunetely, I have no choice but the standard 9-5.30 hours. I suppose I should have said that. If i could start early and finish early, then it would be an option, but getting out of Sandyford and then the journey home all at rush hour would not be pleasant. Last time i left Sandyford near rush hour it took an hour just to get out of the estate. I wouldnt do this and then face the journey home as well. I suppose it depends what you're willing to put up with, and as you say Denachoman, it also depends on your hours. I think us normal hours office workers are screwed one way or the other, but working nights would certainly open a lot of options! A friend of mine makes the journey from Summerhill to Coolock for night shift in only 45 minutes.


  • #68
    dr zoidberg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭dr zoidberg


    TrickyRicky wrote:
    Commute from Bray to town by bus takes up to an hour, DART takes 45 mins, it's only 12 miles[19 km] to city centre, you'd think they'd be able to make it shorter. It takes just under 2 hours from portlaoise by train to heuston, and onto city centre by bus/luas, yet Portlaoise is 50 or so miles[80 km] from town??

    Wheres the logic??!!
    I know its the same here, 17km to the city centre takes more than an hour at peak times (an average speed of 12km/h according to the DTO), and 45-50 mins on the train (although the train route in fairness is not straight-in, but curves upwards to Clonsilla).

    Macy - the 01 area does extend farther than you'd think, I probably should withdraw that statement :D . Just as a matter of interest, where in Wicklow are you? Arklow is 04 afaik.


  • #69
    nlgbbbblth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,668 ✭✭✭nlgbbbblth


    I was working in Blackrock and living in a rented flat in Rathmines when myself and my wife decided to buy a house in Newbridge in 2003.

    I commuted from Newbridge to Blackrock for 12 months.
    7.00am - leave house
    7.10am - get on train
    7.50am - arrive at Heuston
    7.55am - get on 90/91 bus
    8.15am - arrive at Eden Quay. Walk to Tara St
    8.20am - catch DART
    8.45am - arrive in Blackrock

    Evening was a case of leaving at 5.00pm to catch the 6.00pm train and I was in the door by 6.45pm.

    It was pretty tough even though I got a lot of reading done.
    Eventually got a work transfer to Naas which is just 20 mins away from home.
    A new shopping centre is opening in Newbridge next year and will be 15 mins walk away. We're not short of amenities anyway.


  • #70
    mysterious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,133 ✭✭✭mysterious


    Some people are commuting as far as Moate and Mountrath in the Midlands and Cavan in the northwest, Dundalk and Gorey which is now well known for [people sleeping there and working in Dublin..

    the Boundary is not Navan/Mullingar/Portlaois anymore. We will have a fantastic orbital road to get these people moving faster around these towns without having to use the M50. funnliy enough the outer orbital will be oudated as by the time it opened we will need a N52 orbital outside that to carry the capital's expanding commuter belt further out, oh dear,:D
    :v: the new ring road would easily compare to the M25 in London in terms of size:D


  • #71
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 29,464 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    This will be unpopular but...

    The problem here in the Irish obsession to own their own their own house and the subsequent resistance to high-rise accomodation. No doubt this will prompt countless "renting is dead money" responses, but consider the following:

    Is being up to your neck in debt with a mortgage, spending an average 2 hours in a car (each way), only to get home in time to collapse into bed in your "own house", which funnily enough looks identical to the 50/100 others in the estate, just so you can get up at 5/6am the next day to do it again REALLY what people consider to be a better quality of life??

    Wouldn't you rather get home in 30 minutes or less to your nice, spacious and secure apartment (I'm not talking the excuse for same that we have now) and spend that extra time with the family that you think is currently somehow better served by mam and dad being on the road for hours/too tired when they get home to do much more than kiss the kids goodnight? You might even have an extra few quid in your pocket too if you rent (I'm assuming that with better usage of land to build these apartments, comes more supply, equalling lower rents).

    I've lived abroad and it's only here that I've seen this - frankly - ridiculously outdated and impractical attitude that you've somehow failed in life if you don't own a house. The reality is that public transport in this city/country is never going to be as good as it NEEDS to be to keep up with the times, and as such, the commute will only get longer and people "forced" to move further and further out unless this mindset starts to change.


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  • #72
    Calina
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,219 ✭✭✭Calina


    Kaiser2000 wrote:
    Wouldn't you rather get home in 30 minutes or less to your nice, spacious and secure apartment (I'm not talking the excuse for same that we have now) and spend that extra time with the family that you think is currently somehow better served by mam and dad being on the road for hours/too tired when they get home to do much more than kiss the kids goodnight? You might even have an extra few quid in your pocket too if you rent (I'm assuming that with better usage of land to build these apartments, comes more supply, equalling lower rents).

    I've lived abroad and it's only here that I've seen this - frankly - ridiculously outdated and impractical attitude that you've somehow failed in life if you don't own a house. The reality is that public transport in this city/country is never going to be as good as it NEEDS to be to keep up with the times, and as such, the commute will only get longer and people "forced" to move further and further out unless this mindset starts to change.

    Kaiser,

    I've lived abroad too and frankly, what you describe is a utopia which won't work in this country because of the way the rental market operates. I have been living in Ireland for five years now and I have been screwed over by three different Irish landlords in that time. No doubt MorningStar will pop up and say "don't tar all landlords with the same brush" but the last two properties were sold out from under me and involved a massive number of problems with the landlords who don't appear to understand security of tenure legislation and it's not like it's that onerous in this country. I particularly loved dealing with the one who didn't even bother to read his lease before he tried to throw me out. Do you know what it's like to get a phone call that goes "I want to sell the house, so can you be out in a couple of weeks?" In other words, the rental experience is not that great.

    The argument against dead money only works if rent is significantly lower than a mortgage which although it's the case in some parts of the country, it is not really the case in Dublin. It is naive to assume you can suggest "it might be the case with better land usage", it is not because the apartments being built are appallingly badly designed by comparison with what I have been used to abroad, at least in my area. I can't believe anyone actually wants to live in some of them.

    I've had to deal with too many amateur landlords in what is a very short time to want to have to put up with it for an eternity. I will stop looking to buy my own place when I can be absolutely sure I won't be screwed over by a landlord and in this country that's a fantasy. The rental market is not regulated or policed adequately as far as I can see.


  • #73
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 29,464 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    Agreed there are serious issues that need to be addressed (through better regulation certainly) but I do believe it's the better solution in the long term than continuing to build housing estates further and further out and subsequently choking the roads with traffic.

    Either way drastic action is needed and some tough decisions will have to be made. Unfortunately though I tend to agree that realistically, given the shambles that is public transport, the planning permission system, corruption and conflicting interests, coupled with the lack of political will, the likelyhood is that the latter option above IS what we'll be stuck with. :(


  • #74
    TempestSabre
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,142 ✭✭✭TempestSabre


    Personally I think 30-40 mins is the limit. beyond this the commute impacts on your quality of life.

    As for the comments about living in an apartment and a house. Raising a family in a house is much easier than in an apartment. I'm not saying it can't be done in an apartment, but it is harder. However many houses they are building these days are little more than apartments.

    I recently switched to flexi hours, usually 8-4 and that has made a huge impact on my quality of life. It knocks about 50% off my commuting time.

    The big problem is the lack of a comprehensive infrastructure. Certainly in many european cities it much easier to use public transport than drive. In Dublin it simply is harder to use. It adds about 150% to my commuting time.

    I think its a myth that renting is cheaper than paying a mortgage. It may be right at the moment, but in the long term it isn't. Its a poor return for your money aswell. Also when you retire will you still be able to pay the same rent as you can when you are working? Unlikely.


  • #75
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 29,464 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    TempestSabre wrote:
    Personally I think 30-40 mins is the limit. beyond this the commute impacts on your quality of life.

    As for the comments about living in an apartment and a house. Raising a family in a house is much easier than in an apartment. I'm not saying it can't be done in an apartment, but it is harder. However many houses they are building these days are little more than apartments.

    I recently switched to flexi hours, usually 8-4 and that has made a huge impact on my quality of life. It knocks about 50% off my commuting time.

    The big problem is the lack of a comprehensive infrastructure. Certainly in many european cities it much easier to use public transport than drive. In Dublin it simply is harder to use. It adds about 150% to my commuting time.

    I think its a myth that renting is cheaper than paying a mortgage. It may be right at the moment, but in the long term it isn't. Its a poor return for your money aswell. Also when you retire will you still be able to pay the same rent as you can when you are working? Unlikely.

    I agree with you that if more employers (and schools) recognized the facts of the transport situation in this city between 7 &10 AM and introuced more flexible hours, it'd go a long way to relieving some of the pressure (where possible - of course there are many businesses/institutions that can't operate outside of these "core" hours).

    CIE (all groups) also need both investment and restructuring. While this certainly does not apply to all staff, on the majority of occasions that I've had cause to follow up on an issue, it unfortunately seems that CIE found every ignorant Dub they could, and gave them a job :(

    Better customer service skills, better supervision and disiplinary procedures, coupled with a reduction of union influence (having DART drivers threaten to strike because they think they deserve more money for driving a longer train - when it was already agreed to previously and makes no real difference to the performance of their duties anyway, is not on!) is the way to achieve this.

    Of course the real requirement behind all this is political will to priortise public transport and drive these changes, and that's something sadly lacking in our system.


  • #76
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,782 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    High density does not mean high-rise. The densist parts of Dublin are typicly 2-3 storeys.
    TempestSabre wrote:
    Raising a family in a house is much easier than in an apartment.
    Do explain.


  • #77
    loyatemu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,876 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    Victor wrote:
    High density does not mean high-rise. The densist parts of Dublin are typicly 2-3 storeys.Do explain.
    try getting a toddler and a baby and bootload of shopping up to a 3rd storey apartment, now compare with parking your car in your driveway and walking in the front door.

    or compare letting a child out to play in a fenced garden with having to accompany them down several flights of stairs to play in a (probably) child-unfriendly communal area.

    I'm sure apartment complexes in Ireland could be made more child-friendly but ultimately if you have small children a house is a better option (for older kids an apartment becomes more practical).

    And before anyone brings it up, I know millions of people in cities around the world successfully raise families in apartments, but Irish people have historically preferred houses, and if you were brought up in a house you're probably going to want to bring up your own children in a house (even if it means having to buy one in the sticks and commute)

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  • #78
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 29,464 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    loyatemu wrote:
    And before anyone brings it up, I know millions of people in cities around the world successfully raise families in apartments, but Irish people have historically preferred houses, and if you were brought up in a house you're probably going to want to bring up your own children in a house (even if it means having to buy one in the sticks and commute)

    ...Which was precisely the mindset I was referring to. It's the same reason people complain about the government but vote FF - cause their parents did.

    It's time to get over this and wake up to the realities of the situation. And as you yourself pointed out, millions of people around the world can successfully raise a family in apartments; why should the Irish be any different??

    (Incidentially, I lived in both houses and apartments growing up, and I certainly don't feel hard done by having spent several years in the latter).


  • #79
    A Dub in Glasgo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,426 ✭✭✭✭A Dub in Glasgo


    4.5 years too late!


  • #80
    Carawaystick
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    loyatemu wrote: »
    try getting a toddler and a baby and bootload of shopping up to a 3rd storey apartment, now compare with parking your car in your driveway and walking in the front door.

    or compare letting a child out to play in a fenced garden with having to accompany them down several flights of stairs to play in a (probably) child-unfriendly communal area.

    I'm sure apartment complexes in Ireland could be made more child-friendly but ultimately if you have small children a house is a better option (for older kids an apartment becomes more practical).
    What about comparing an appartment with underground parking and a lift up to the level of the apartment with a house with 7 steps up to the frontdoor from the street? Where the street is a clearway and you've to park several hundred metres away?


  • #81
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 24,645 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    obviously took this thread quite a while to commute there and back :pac:


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  • #82
    maninasia
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,636 ✭✭✭maninasia


    Carawaystick wrote: »
    What about comparing an appartment with underground parking and a lift up to the level of the apartment with a house with 7 steps up to the frontdoor from the street? Where the street is a clearway and you've to park several hundred metres away?

    I was just going to say..that's why they invented lifts!


  • #83
    SeanW
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 9,620 ✭✭✭SeanW


    Way to Go with thread resurrections, it's only been, what, 5 years?

    I don't know how many of you are members of the Ranting and Raving forum (access can be gained here BTW)
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=64768655#post64768655

    but there's a thread about apartment living in Ireland here:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055744525
    long story short, for those who can't view it is this: Irish apartments are generally built to the lowest standard POSSIBLE. Literally, to the point where in some apartments, you can hear your neighbor's every movement on the toilet, in painstaking detail. Every closing of a door, every click of high heels on the upstairs wooden floor, even in some cases, your neighbors conversations!

    You cannot thusly blame an Irish person for not wanting to buy an apartment here, as the desire to avoid this is perfectly rational once one is aware of the evidence on offer.

    There must therefore be better option: either continuing to plan for Semi-Ds, but in a careful way, or a severe overhaul in building codes for apartments (much less likely) combined with a mass-scale demolition of the garbage blocks that were slapped up during the bubble.

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  • #84
    GermanicGalore
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭GermanicGalore


    Hi everyone,

    I know this is a really old thread. I was just wondering if anyone else is doing the commute Portlaoise/Dublin and what your thoughts are on it.

    ..or if laoisfan is still here, are you still doing it?

    Thanks.


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