Rural Ireland getting a "Drink-Link".... lucky feckers!

SeanW · 09-05-2018 12:32am

Shenshen wrote: »

If it finally stops the Healy-Raes from blocking life-saving road safety regulations for the entire country, it's a small enough price to pay.

Life saving? I don't think the statistics bear that out.

RSA statistics suggest that very few fatal accidents are caused by drivers in the 50-80mg range, whereas most of them occur to those who have either zero alcohol (logical since most people drive most of their driving distance totally sober) or because they were driving totally plastered (e.g. 160mg and higher).

The people who actually are a danger on the road, i.e. those who kill because they're driving drunk, are not in the 50-80 range they're way over it. They don't care whether 50mg vs. 80mg means they have one glass or three, they're going to drink 10 pints and a bottle of vodka and to Hell with the consequences. These are the people the law needs to target.

I have no doubt that an 80mg limit plus widespread breath testing would do more to save lives than a 50mg limit with limited breath testing. To call the Healy-Rae's "terrorists" for suggesting that common sense be applied to this debate in a little over the top quite frankly.

Shenshen · 09-05-2018 8:12am

SeanW wrote: »

Life saving? I don't think the statistics bear that out.

RSA statistics suggest that very few fatal accidents are caused by drivers in the 50-80mg range, whereas most of them occur to those who have either zero alcohol (logical since most people drive most of their driving distance totally sober) or because they were driving totally plastered (e.g. 160mg and higher).

The people who actually are a danger on the road, i.e. those who kill because they're driving drunk, are not in the 50-80 range they're way over it. They don't care whether 50mg vs. 80mg means they have one glass or three, they're going to drink 10 pints and a bottle of vodka and tob Hell with the consequences. These are the people the law needs to target.

I have no doubt that an 80mg limit plus widespread breath testing would do more to save lives than a 50mg limit with limited breath testing. To call the Healy-Rae's "terrorists" for suggesting that common sense be applied to this debate in a little over the top quite frankly.

I'm not sure I'd call 17% "very few", but that may be a matter of opinion.

Also, I wasn't talking about introducing new laws, but simply introducing enforcement of existing laws - something the Healy-Reas have ranted against and blocked wherever possible for years now.

Can you point me to where I called them "terrorists", or was that just something you made up on the spot, to emphasise the common sense part?

Graces7 · 09-05-2018 8:31am

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd call 17% "very few", but that may be a matter of opinion.

Also, I wasn't talking about introducing new laws, but simply introducing enforcement of existing laws - something the Healy-Reas have ranted against and blocked wherever possible for years now.

Can you point me to where I called them "terrorists", or was that just something you made up on the spot, to emphasise the common sense part?

As a matter of interest; will Healy Rae ville ie that area of Kerry near Kenmare, be getting this transport? They own the pub.... self interest is interesting..

Beta Ray Bill · 09-05-2018 8:51am

highdef wrote: »

So you're only 20 minutes walk from the pub. Are you able bodied? If so, what's the issue with walking for 20 minutes, if you're not willing to pay for a taxi? Bear in mind, you have the luxury of such fancy things like footpaths & streetlights.

Not when I've 10 pints on me, no I'm not.

highdef wrote: »

If I were to walk the 6km to the nearest pub in Enfield, it would take an hour or possibly a bit more if don't walk briskly. Half of the walk is along very narrow country roads and the other half is along the hard shoulder of the old Dublin to Galway Road.....not a nice experience at night time. Oh, and did I say that I need to bring a torch and high viz for the return journey as it'll be pitch dark.

Even getting a taxi is usually not an option as there are literally only one or two drivers in the vicinity and they usually head to Dublin at the weekends.

I live in one of the counties that is getting this service (Kildare) but I'm not sure if my tiny village will be on the list.

So consider yourself lucky that you can walk safely to and from the pub in a very short 20 minutes. Get walking, you lazy git - again, assuming that you've no underling issues stopping you from doing so; laziness is not an underlining issue, BTW

You probably live in a house sitting 50 acres of land with eleventy thousand bedrooms.
Probably has a Bar a built in too.... You don't even need to leave your house!

Galwayguy35 · 09-05-2018 8:55am

We kind of have something like this in our area for the past few years now, a local bus owner drops people to the pub and brings them home again at the weekends, during the week they might go to various tourist attractions for a day out or a trip to either Galway or Limerick city.

It's mostly for older people who have no transport of their own and would otherwise be stuck in the house all week.
They get to meet other people for a chat and don't feel as isolated, the cost is covered by everyone in the area making a small donation every year.

I don't know if this scheme is similar to that but if it is I think it's a good thing.

highdef · 09-05-2018 8:59am

grahambo wrote: »

Not when I've 10 pints on me, no I'm not.

You probably live in a house sitting 50 acres of land with eleventy thousand bedrooms.
Probably has a Bar a built in too.... You don't even need to leave your house!

Off-topic but the house (although a decent size) has 3 bedrooms and the plot size is less then a 1/4 acre so extremely modest, by non-urban standards

Galwayguy35 · 09-05-2018 9:00am

The Healy Rae's are against the scheme.

ednwireland · 09-05-2018 9:21am

well where i am its an extension of a 53km bus service currently last bus at the moment at 17:43 (donegal town to glencolumbcille)

you cant get to work for 9am between most towns here on a bus

just as an aside first train in to sligo lands in at 11am (big problem for the colleg trying to recruit students as they can get in the dublin direction on a monday morning.

no joined up thinking (no thinking really) of when services might actualy be required. throw them in there then complain when people dont use them

not really a drink link just a bus service

erica74 · 09-05-2018 9:26am

It's not something I'll be using but I don't see why there's a problem with it. People complain about drink driving but then complain about a potential solution.

If I was to walk to my local pub, it's a 9km walk away, about 3km of that is on the main N25 with a speed limit of 100kmph, a hard shoulder, which vehicles always drive in, and the only lighting is at the 2 roundabouts I would be walking past, there is no other lighting along the way and there is one bad bend on that road and another part which has quite a dip in it so visibility isn't great. Then there's about another 3km on a road with a speed limit of 80kmph with a hard shoulder, which vehicles always drive in and no lighting at all. Once you survive those 6kms, you're on the edge of the town and you reach street lighting and footpaths.
And before anyone says "well that's your own fault for building a house in the middle of nowhere", we didn't build the house, it was inherited along with our farm.

Graces7 · 09-05-2018 9:31am

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

The Healy Rae's are against the scheme.

???? Source?

Galwayguy35 · 09-05-2018 9:34am

Graces7 wrote: »

???? Source?

Last night on Prime Time he was criticizing the scheme saying it won't cover all the areas it needs to.

ednwireland · 09-05-2018 9:35am

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/healy-rae-dismisses-rural-link-scheme-as-spin-470407.html

not adequate rather than dimissing it

Wanderer78 · 09-05-2018 9:46am

Even though public transport is in desperate need of a major investment, it's kinna sad and somewhat disturbing that this is actually going ahead, I suspect there's an element of lobbying going on here from the vintners, but we really need to deal with our obsession with alcohol, even though this will help some folks in rural areas to get around to engage in non-alcoholic activities

SeanW · 09-05-2018 9:51am

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd call 17% "very few", but that may be a matter of opinion.

Also, I wasn't talking about introducing new laws, but simply introducing enforcement of existing laws - something the Healy-Reas have ranted against and blocked wherever possible for years now.

Can you point me to where I called them "terrorists", or was that just something you made up on the spot, to emphasise the common sense part?

Apologies, you did not, but Minister Shane Ross did. and that was bizarre.

mariaalice · 09-05-2018 9:52am

The bizarre idea that it's too early to collect people at 11pm!!! here is an idea got out earlier, was in a Pub in Cumbria in the UK the music came on a 9pm and finished at 11 pm everyone had a great time, Ireland its 11pm before the music starts and that in a pub with normal closing hours. It bound to get to the stage where people will want to go to the pub at 12 midnight and expect it to be open.

Beta Ray Bill · 09-05-2018 9:53am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Even though public transport is in desperate need of a major investment, it's kinna sad and somewhat disturbing that this is actually going ahead, I suspect there's an element of lobbying going on here from the vintners, but we really need to deal with our obsession with alcohol, even though this will help some folks in rural areas to get around to engage in non-alcoholic activities

In my mind, Alcohol and other drugs is one of the biggest problems Ireland faces today.
Why do we need to drink heavily at social gatherings?
There is a huge amount of people that religiously go to the pub on Friday after work and have a skin full. Saturday morning is then wrote off. They then head out on Saturday night and do the same.
I play XBOX over XBL with all my mates, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper and more fun.

Wanderer78 · 09-05-2018 9:56am

grahambo wrote:

In my mind, Alcohol and other drugs is one of the biggest problems Ireland faces today. Why do we need to drink heavily at social gatherings? There is a huge amount of people that religiously go to the pub on Friday after work and have a skin full. Saturday morning is then wrote off. They then head out on Saturday night and do the same. I play XBOX over XBL with all my mates, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper and more fun.

It's something deeply engrained in us, and it's lethal, it's one of the many things that controls our society, including at a political level, disturbing to watch really

Buford T. Justice XIX · 09-05-2018 9:58am

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd call 17% "very few", but that may be a matter of opinion.

Also, I wasn't talking about introducing new laws, but simply introducing enforcement of existing laws - something the Healy-Reas have ranted against and blocked wherever possible for years now.

Can you point me to where I called them "terrorists", or was that just something you made up on the spot, to emphasise the common sense part?

The terrorist quote came from Minister Ross calling the Healy-Reas terrorists for delaying the legislation.

He also used that term outside the Dail so Dail privilege doesn't apply and he now has to try to wriggle out of that statement.

downtheroad · 09-05-2018 10:09am

RSL clubs in rural parts of Australia often have their own bus which does a collection and drop off every hour in the community, a great way to get people to and from the bar which also usually offers food, music and entertainment.
I was in Sligo a couple of months ago and the 2 pubs that I was in on the Friday and Saturday night both offered a collection and drop off to/from local B&Bs, by one of the bar staff on duty. 'If you build it, they will come.'

Buford T. Justice XIX · 09-05-2018 12:46pm

All the routes in the link for the Indo article below

Revealed: The 50 bus routes under new 'drink link' plan for rural Ireland

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/rural-life/revealed-the-50-bus-routes-under-new-drink-link-plan-for-rural-ireland-36885011.html

ED E · 09-05-2018 12:50pm

Treating the symptom, not the problem.

whisky_galore · 09-05-2018 12:54pm

grahambo wrote: »

In my mind, Alcohol and other drugs is one of the biggest problems Ireland faces today.
Why do we need to drink heavily at social gatherings?
There is a huge amount of people that religiously go to the pub on Friday after work and have a skin full. Saturday morning is then wrote off. They then head out on Saturday night and do the same.
I play XBOX over XBL with all my mates, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper and more fun.

It's not as bad as it once was, at one time coming into work pissed (and even actually drinking at work) was a widespread problem. Don't think any workplace would tolerate that now.

Wanderer78 · 09-05-2018 1:03pm

whisky_galore wrote:

It's not as bad as it once was, at one time coming into work pissed (and even actually drinking at work) was a widespread problem. Don't think any workplace would tolerate that now.

Hard to say, I've worked with lads permanently stoned out of their heads, snorting coke, tripping off their heads on god knows what, I have seen lads being sent home drunk though

Graces7 · 09-05-2018 1:16pm

Healy Rae reaction...

http://www.radiokerry.ie/kerry-independent-tds-remain-opposed-road-traffic-bill-despite-new-bus-services/

OneEightSeven · 09-05-2018 3:15pm

The best solution to this problem is to cut off subsidies to one-off housing. Make rural dwellers pay the full cost of living rural, which would most certainly leave many rural-dwellers strapped for cash. You can't get drunk if you can't afford alcohol. A lot of rural-dwellers in this country don't seem to realise how heavily subsidised their lifestyles are and the every service in this country is paid for by the tax-payers of Dublin and Cork. If we cut off subsidies to one-off housing, rural Ireland would resemble rural Moldova, where people travel to urban areas on dirt tracks using horse and cart.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 09-05-2018 3:23pm

OneEightSeven wrote: »

The best solution to this problem is to cut off subsidies to one-off housing. Make rural dwellers pay the full cost of living rural, which would most certainly leave many rural-dwellers strapped for cash. You can't get drunk if you can't afford alcohol. A lot of rural-dwellers in this country don't seem to realise how heavily subsidised their lifestyles are and the every service in this country is paid for by the tax-payers of Dublin and Cork. If we cut off subsidies to one-off housing, rural Ireland would resemble rural Moldova, where people travel to urban areas on dirt tracks using horse and cart.

Just curious as to what subsidies are available for one-off housing?

Beta Ray Bill · 09-05-2018 3:41pm

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Just curious as to what subsidies are available for one-off housing?

Let me answer your question with a question (Sorry, I hate it when people do this to me but hear me out)

Do you think in terms of Infrastructure:
Roads
Water pips
Electricity lines
Gas
TV Cable
etc
that the cost of providing said infra per person is equal regardless of whether a person is living in a housing estate with 5,000 other people or whether the person in living +1km's from their nearest neighbor?

The Answer is no. It is not equal.
It costs WAAAY more per person to provide infra in rural areas.
As a result the cost in terms Tax of providing infra in rural areas is borne on people living in housing estates in cities and towns, which isn't really fair.

We have a housing/household charge now. People who choose to live rural should have to pay way more than people living in a housing estate.

Point to add. Many/most rural dwellers have the option of moving to a town or city but choose not to as living in a housing estate is "Their worst nightmare!"

Vex Willems · 09-05-2018 3:50pm

grahambo wrote: »

Do you think in terms of Infrastructure:
Roads
Water pips
Electricity lines
Gas
TV Cable

How many remote rural places get piped Water, Gas and Cable TV?

Galwayguy35 · 09-05-2018 3:51pm

grahambo wrote: »

Let me answer your question with a question (Sorry, I hate it when people do this to me but hear me out)

Do you think in terms of Infrastructure:
Roads
Water pips
Electricity lines
Gas
TV Cable
etc
that the cost of providing said infra per person is equal regardless of whether a person is living in a housing estate with 5,000 other people or whether the person in living +1km's from their nearest neighbor?

The Answer is no. It is not equal.
It costs WAAAY more per person to provide infra in rural areas.
As a result the cost in terms Tax of providing infra in rural areas is borne on people living in housing estates in cities and towns, which isn't really fair.

We have a housing/household charge now. People who choose to live rural should have to pay way more than people living in a housing estate.

Point to add. Many/most rural dwellers have the option of moving to a town or city but choose not to as living in a housing estate is "Their worst nightmare!"

They can't house the ones who already want to live in cities and your plan is to tell more people they should move there?

I don't live in a one off house but it's a small village where everyone knows each other and you can't put a price on having nice neighbours.

Graces7 · 09-05-2018 4:00pm

Vex Willems wrote: »

How many remote rural places get piped Water, Gas and Cable TV?

You beat me to it!

Graces7 · 09-05-2018 4:04pm

grahambo wrote: »

Let me answer your question with a question (Sorry, I hate it when people do this to me but hear me out)

Do you think in terms of Infrastructure:
Roads
Water pips
Electricity lines
Gas
TV Cable
etc
that the cost of providing said infra per person is equal regardless of whether a person is living in a housing estate with 5,000 other people or whether the person in living +1km's from their nearest neighbor?

Point to add. Many/most rural dwellers have the option of moving to a town or city but choose not to as living in a housing estate is "Their worst nightmare!"

for town and city . add street lighting, higher policing rates, libraries etc etc etc. Swings and roundabouts time.

Agree re a housing estate being a nightmare.. I chose isolation, which is my right to do

Captain Obvious · 09-05-2018 5:32pm

Long overdue. Although I don't see why it could not have been something the pub owners did themselves.

Beta Ray Bill · 10-05-2018 8:26am

Vex Willems wrote: »

How many remote rural places get piped Water, Gas and Cable TV?

Graces7 wrote: »

You beat me to it!

Plenty!

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

They can't house the ones who already want to live in cities and your plan is to tell more people they should move there?

I don't live in a one off house but it's a small village where everyone knows each other and you can't put a price on having nice neighbours.

The demographics are changing.
Young people don't want to live out in the schticks anymore, they want to live in towns and cities.
Ask any farmer what he/she thinks about the future of farming in Ireland and most of them will tell you they have no idea where the next generation of farmers are going to come from, because their kids have absolutely no interest in doing it.

This is part of the reason the house prices in cities are sky rocketing.
Everyone wants to live there.

I read an article that said the worlds population will top out some time between 2050 and 2100. And one of the reasons behind that is the above change in attitude in terms of where people want to live.

Akrasia · 10-05-2018 8:36am

Pyridine wrote: »

Hmmmm. Back in my day a "drink-link" was an ATM.

I must be getting old!

you think these villages have atms??

I reckon a lot of you dubs haven't been out of the pale in years

Beta Ray Bill · 10-05-2018 8:41am

Akrasia wrote: »

you think these villages have atms??

I reckon a lot of you dubs haven't been out of the pale in years

Ah c'mon!

Every petrol station has an ATM now!

highdef · 10-05-2018 8:42am

I'm from suburban Dublin, not too far from Raheny (Grahambo). Nice enough area and quiet enough as the area is matured.

However, I moved to a semi rural area several years ago and would never even think about moving back to the suburbs, never mind the city itself. The city is a cacophony of noise, people, traffic, pollution and a general busyness. Also, if you are by yourself, it's a very lonely place, even though you are literally surrounded by other people.

In the blink and you miss it "village" where I live, everyone knows each other. People wave to each other when they pass in cars, people stop for a chat in the street all the time. Neighbours looks after each other. It's quiet....pin drop quiet when it's calm outside. The air is clean. It's pleasant to walk or cycle around.

Both of the above are worlds apart from each other. I could live in the city and travel to the countryside for a break but I love the countryside wayyyyyy too much. I much prefer living in the countryside and travel to urban areas when it suits me. I started work earlier than normal this morning and got from home to my office in Inchicore in less than 30 minutes. The quality of life is leagues ahead outside of the city, IMO.

Anyway, the new bus service won't be servicing me which is a shame but hopefully it'll be expanded in the future should this trial be successful.

Akrasia · 10-05-2018 8:47am

grahambo wrote: »

Ah c'mon!

Every petrol station has an ATM now!

You think these villages have petrol stations?

Last year I can drove from Kilrush to loophead (through kilkee) and ran low on petrol. I asked at loop head where the nearest petrol station was, and was told that it was Kilrush, 40km away.
I think they might have opened one petrol station since then, but it's only open during the day and certainly doesn't have an ATM.

Beta Ray Bill · 10-05-2018 8:57am

Akrasia wrote: »

You think these villages have petrol stations?

Last year I can drove from Kilrush to loophead (through kilkee) and ran low on petrol. I asked at loop head where the nearest petrol station was, and was told that it was Kilrush, 40km away.
I think they might have opened one petrol station since then, but it's only open during the day and certainly doesn't have an ATM.

I was about to reply there is one in Kilkee
Checked good maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/LkQ2UYyb9Nu

:D:D:D

There is an ATM there though!

malinheader · 10-05-2018 9:05am

OneEightSeven wrote: »

The best solution to this problem is to cut off subsidies to one-off housing. Make rural dwellers pay the full cost of living rural, which would most certainly leave many rural-dwellers strapped for cash. You can't get drunk if you can't afford alcohol. A lot of rural-dwellers in this country don't seem to realise how heavily subsidised their lifestyles are and the every service in this country is paid for by the tax-payers of Dublin and Cork. If we cut off subsidies to one-off housing, rural Ireland would resemble rural Moldova, where people travel to urban areas on dirt tracks using horse and cart.

Please explain im totally lost.do you think no one in rural Ireland works.

whisky_galore · 10-05-2018 9:11am

grahambo wrote: »

The demographics are changing.
Young people don't want to live out in the schticks anymore, they want to live in towns and cities.

They can't live in the fcukin cities these days for anything like a reasonable rent! As for buying a house/apt in or near a city, dream on.

highdef · 10-05-2018 9:13am

grahambo wrote: »

Ah c'mon!

Every petrol station has an ATM now!

Enfield is my nearest town and one of the petrol stations does not have an ATM. Not sure about the petrol station at the west end of town.

whisky_galore · 10-05-2018 9:26am

grahambo wrote: »

Ah c'mon!

Every petrol station has an ATM now!

No, they don't. Hit and miss.

Graces7 · 10-05-2018 9:56am

Akrasia wrote: »

you think these villages have atms??

I reckon a lot of you dubs haven't been out of the pale in years

???? and rural Post Offices are linked with AIB so you can get cash there easily.

Graces7 · 10-05-2018 9:56am

whisky_galore wrote: »

No, they don't. Hit and miss.

Use your card and get cashback. Easy enough.

YFlyer · 10-05-2018 9:56am

SeanW wrote: »

Life saving? I don't think the statistics bear that out.

RSA statistics suggest that very few fatal accidents are caused by drivers in the 50-80mg range, whereas most of them occur to those who have either zero alcohol (logical since most people drive most of their driving distance totally sober) or because they were driving totally plastered (e.g. 160mg and higher).

It's impossible to work out the percentage of each sub group that are involved in accidents.

Graces7 · 10-05-2018 9:58am

Akrasia wrote: »

You think these villages have petrol stations?

Last year I can drove from Kilrush to loophead (through kilkee) and ran low on petrol. I asked at loop head where the nearest petrol station was, and was told that it was Kilrush, 40km away.
I think they might have opened one petrol station since then, but it's only open during the day and certainly doesn't have an ATM.

So don't let petrol run so low you panic, and use your card and get cashback

City folk! No idea...

YFlyer · 10-05-2018 10:00am

Captain Obvious wrote: »

Long overdue. Although I don't see why it could not have been something the pub owners did themselves.

Pearson's Bridge Bar in Kerkill Bantry drop off the locals to their house after closing time.

RayCon · 10-05-2018 10:12am

Jaelyn Lively Spirits wrote: »

Travelling all over the area with a busload of drunks before getting to my house is my vision of hell.

Never been on a Nitelink ?

pgj2015 · 10-05-2018 10:13am

valoren wrote: »

How come nobody was enterprising and started to offer this service for a fee?

Obviously there was a business opportunity there to drive people to the back of beyonds.

Business Plan:

Get a loan for a minibus. Something like this.
https://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/ford/transit-minibus/used-2016-161-ford-transit-minibus-46-limerick-fpa-1305195957788313953?SOURCE_ID=SOURCE_ID_FPA_FROM_FEAT_LIST

It's a 17 seater, so you'll work say 5 nights a week.
You charge €15 a head to drop people home. That's 255 for one full occupancy run.
You do 2 runs a night. So you make 510 for one evenings work.
At a low occupancy of half volume, you still make 255 for one nights work.

One year income is gross 132k at full capacity. Half that for low end, so 66k.

If successful, you go to the Bank and have them 'backing brave' to finance a fleet of mini buses, you hire drivers, you create jobs and you make money.

But instead, we do all of the above but get the government to pay for it.

Huge insurance costs, driving a bus on $hit narrow dangerous roads, waiting for drunk old people to leave the pub and they leaving you waiting there like an ejet. I wouldn't touch a gig like that.

cantdecide · 10-05-2018 10:22am

pgj2015 wrote: »

Huge insurance costs, driving a bus on $hit narrow dangerous roads, waiting for drunk old people to leave the pub and they leaving you waiting there like an ejet.

Rural Ireland getting a "Drink-Link".... lucky feckers!

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