Do you use your car to commute in and out of Dublin?

Ubbquittious · 11-11-2019 10:41pm #1

I get the feeling this forum is very Dublin-centric and most people here spend a good bit of time on the M50 and other motorways in the area. What I'm not sure of is how Dublin-centric hence the poll

Gumbo · 11-11-2019 10:57pm

Maybe an option if you need your car for work within Dublin?
Many would commute in and park for the day.
Others drive in, work at one site, drive to another site, etc

angel eyes 2012 · 11-11-2019 11:04pm

No-brainer for me. Car takes 25 minutes into town, bus or train take 45 minutes on a good day and I've fainted on the train a couple of times due to lack of space.

Toyotafanboi · 11-11-2019 11:09pm

Yeah, utter nightmare.

11-11-2019 11:16pm

Yes. Takes around the same time as the bus or maybe a tiny bit longer, but leaves me more flexible and the journey in and out is infinitely more comfortable.

Wibbs · 12-11-2019 12:30am

On occasion yes, and I don't envy those who have to do it on a daily basis in rush hour.

CiniO · 12-11-2019 1:07am

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I get the feeling this forum is very Dublin-centric and most people here spend a good bit of time on the M50 and other motorways in the area. What I'm not sure of is how Dublin-centric hence the poll

Well considering that nearly half the population of the country lives in Dublin and nearby, it's pretty understandable.

I'm not adding to Dublin crowd though.

12-11-2019 1:17am

25kms..... 30 mins, I'm not heading into city centre.
Really painless & a lovely spin.

freddieot · 12-11-2019 7:15am

Depends what you mean by Dublin.

I have to use my car to get to work (Lucan to Naas Road) or else take several buses which would take forever and is not practical. I avoid driving into the city though, for work or any other reason...

Heres Johnny · 12-11-2019 7:54am

Lucan to parkwest so I'm not really hitting the centre at all, just suburb to industrial area about 5 miles away but still well outside city. Takes 10 mins in the summer and school holidays, about 20 mins these days.
Use the car during the day for work then, depending on what's on during the day.
But never drive into the city except maybe night time the odd time if there's something on

Dravokivich · 12-11-2019 8:26am

I commute out and back in.

AndrewJRenko · 12-11-2019 8:40am

I don't have time to waste sitting in traffic so I cycle instead.

Dartz · 12-11-2019 8:51am

What takes me 15-25 minutes to do by car would take an hour and a half on the bus.

**** that with a cactus.

GustavoGaviria · 12-11-2019 5:01pm

Anecdotal
The last two Mondays I've driven into city centre from Leitrim. In 2014 it was a regular habit I had Mon-Fri accommodation and would commute up on Monday morning. In 2014 I could leave at 06:45 and be comfortable parking in Stephens Green for collage at 9am.

This month Waze recommended a 6am start and the locations have changed but still city centre destinations. I've come in through Strawberry Fields and this week via Chapelizod bypass. The traffic backs up just after Kilcock junction but the city centre and quays is light enough. Traffic gets heavy around the stress points for crossing the city - Customs House & East Link routes etc.

I would say the route in 5 years has got the guts of an hour longer. Driving in Dublin city centre isn't as difficult as it should be.

adocholiday · 12-11-2019 5:18pm

I commute from/to South Wicklow every day. Some days take the N11 others I take the back roads depending on traffic. My job is flexible with time so I can avoid the worst of the rush hour thankfully.

If the train that I can get were any way comparable to the car in terms of journey time then I'd take it, but the train is so slow it's laughable. There's a public consultation on the N11/M11 upgrade happening as I type and it's complete madness in my opinion. Get the train upgraded and make it a viable option for commuters and the road would be perfectly suitable as it is.

I do about 45,000 km per year and I'd much rather be doing that on the train than in the car.

Tazzimus · 12-11-2019 5:49pm

Drive from Maynooth to the Red Cow P&R and get the Luas into work as the office is at the last stop (The Point) and not a hope I'm driving this far into town.
Did Maynooth to Cherrywood for 3 years and somehow didn't end up in jail for multiple murders, that was torture.

M4 seems to have gotten a lot busier recently. What used to take maybe 30 minutes can take up to an hour, depending on how many crashes there are/where they are/how many rubberneckers there are for flashy lights on the other side of the road.

Coming home as well is weird. Traffic moves reasonably well on the N4 until you get to where it becomes the M4, then it's like a car park.

Tazzimus · 12-11-2019 6:03pm

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I can only see it getting worse, the once brilliant LUAS is in my opinion not comfortable and cheap enough. I got a motorbike to go into work now. Was pouring 50e every two weeks on the LUAS and it was so packed I was feeling uncomfortable in it.

I'm actually eyeing getting a bike myself as it'll be quicker.
Getting on at the Red Cow isn't too bad depending on time as there's a bit of room and a fair chance of a seat, although it's jammed soon after.
Point being the first stop obviously means a seat as well, but it's usually wedged two stops later.

Titzon Toast · 12-11-2019 9:35pm

I did for years. Down the M1 and across the M50 or through the city centre.
I head north these days. I only ever see traffic on the opposite side now, it's glorious.
The trudge in and out of Dublin is soul destroying.

mr_edge_to_you · 12-11-2019 9:41pm

I spent 3 years using the M3 Parkway into Docklands. I live about 25mins drive from M3. I was working near St Stephens Green. Standard day was 7am to 7pm, home to desk to home.

On a number of occasions l would've driven in and used one of the pool car spaces. If I left the house at 7am, I was at my desk by 8. I could then leave the office at 6pm and was home shortly after 7. So if my employer was to give me a free space I'd happily drive in and out rather than putting up with the stress that is being an Irish Rail commuter.

ToxicPaddy · 12-11-2019 9:58pm

Commute into the city centre by the river, takes 30 mins on the train or 50min to an 1hr 15mins with the car.

dbas · 12-11-2019 10:35pm

Second line to rosslare and eventually electrify that train, and treble the number of carriages. Seems so obvious.
Except they're going to put all tax paying motorists on that road through three years of torment for a bus lane......

The mind boggles

adocholiday wrote: »

I commute from/to South Wicklow every day. Some days take the N11 others I take the back roads depending on traffic. My job is flexible with time so I can avoid the worst of the rush hour thankfully.

If the train that I can get were any way comparable to the car in terms of journey time then I'd take it, but the train is so slow it's laughable. There's a public consultation on the N11/M11 upgrade happening as I type and it's complete madness in my opinion. Get the train upgraded and make it a viable option for commuters and the road would be perfectly suitable as it is.

I do about 45,000 km per year and I'd much rather be doing that on the train than in the car.

donvito99 · 12-11-2019 10:53pm

dbas wrote: »

Second line to rosslare and eventually electrify that train, and treble the number of carriages. Seems so obvious.
Except they're going to put all tax paying motorists on that road through three years of torment for a bus lane......

The mind boggles

Those bus lane will likely carry many multiples of the commuters carried in an equivalent lane for cars.

Also I didn't realise that people using buses didn't pay taxes.

beauf · 12-11-2019 11:07pm

I've been getting the train for years switched back to the car lately, the train has become so miserable. People passing out or being sick isn't unusual. Takes the same time for me. Plan is to switch to electric bike at some point.

dbas · 12-11-2019 11:17pm

They wouldn't carry as much as a well engineered train system up and down the east coast, and that train could take lots more cars off the road than buses, for a smaller carbon footprint.
My point was, the car owner who needs their car for work and commutes the n11 to dublin receives no benefit from a bus lane.
There's one track from bray to rosslare. One train at a time for 136km and back.
Thats mental when the road is as busy as it is

quote="donvito99;111754062"]Those bus lane will likely carry many multiples of the commuters carried in an equivalent lane for cars.

Also I didn't realise that people using buses didn't pay taxes.[/quote]

beauf · 12-11-2019 11:58pm

What puzzles me is that the train I get to work into town, has got shorter each year. Its more and more packed. If I get the train at the same time in the other direction it's at least twice as long if not longer. It's mostly empty.

adocholiday · 12-11-2019 11:59pm

donvito99 wrote: »

Those bus lane will likely carry many multiples of the commuters carried in an equivalent lane for cars.

Also I didn't realise that people using buses didn't pay taxes.

The bus lane will only be great for people as far as Greystones and the few places served by the Wexford Bus. Most places west of the N11 won't benefit. The bus Eireann 133 route is one of the worst services in the country, it was the most complained about route last year. The reality is that whoever is using the buses south of Greystones will continue to do so, and whoever is using the car will continue to use the car. If they upgraded the rail line they could easily take hundreds of cars off the road from Arklow and Gorey. No bus lane in the world will make the commute from that far out bearable, but a fast train would.

Interslice · 13-11-2019 1:00am

Dravokivich wrote: »

I commute out and back in.

Same. Got a new job out the N7 in naas. It's not a bad spin.

Wishbone Ash · 13-11-2019 10:13am

dbas wrote: »

..My point was, the car owner who needs their car for work and commutes the n11 to dublin receives no benefit from a bus lane....

That's a weird point to have. Why should a motorist benefit from a bus lane? That's not the purpose of them.

ELM327 · 13-11-2019 11:57am

North meath to blanchardstown and return.
It's about 35 minutes if I don't go during rush hour, which can make it over 1 hour.

bladespin · 13-11-2019 1:02pm

A huge part of my job is travelling round the country but there are still plenty of days I have to commute from Navan to Ballymount, it's about an hour in the car, though that can vary wildly from 40mins on a good day to nearly 2hrs like Monday.

TBH if I had to commute to the city centre or thereabouts I'd be on a motorbike, couldn't face sitting in that traffic everyday, public transport is not an option really.

angel eyes 2012 · 13-11-2019 3:37pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

That's a weird point to have. Why should a motorist benefit from a bus lane? That's not the purpose of them.

It may not be the purpose of them but many bus lanes are Monday to Saturday with designated times that motorists may use them legitimately for their own benefit, such as after 7.00pm. I use them outside of these hours and often I'm the only car driving past oblivious fellow motorists.

Tazzimus · 13-11-2019 3:42pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

It may not be the purpose of them but many bus lanes are Monday to Saturday with designated times that motorists may use them legitimately for their own benefit, such as after 7.00pm. I use them outside of these hours and often I'm the only car driving past oblivious fellow motorists.

A lot of people tend to have it ingrained in them not to use them at all.
I'm generally like that, I have to remind myself that they're not all 24hr bus lanes and can be used at certain times.

Philb76 · 13-11-2019 6:43pm

Yes kildare to Dublin n7 is a pain in the hole but the commute home has got better with the m7 upgrade work nearing completion

donvito99 · 13-11-2019 7:08pm

Panjandrums wrote: »

There's some absolute morons driving around the city. During rush hour stand still traffic, cars are leaving several meters infront of them while on their phones.

I get the on the phone bit but what about leaving such distance between cars? Do they not know how big/small their cars are?

Leaving tiny gaps between cars prevents them from maneuvering out of the way for the emergency services (if required).

Dravokivich · 13-11-2019 7:11pm

Panjandrums wrote: »

There's some absolute morons driving around the city. During rush hour stand still traffic, cars are leaving several meters infront of them while on their phones.

I get the on the phone bit but what about leaving such distance between cars? Do they not know how big/small their cars are?

What do you mean by several? Lessons and tests are guiding newer drivers tonbe able to see both tires and tarmac between you and the car in front, while waiting in traffic. That can be almost 2 metres.

Panjandrums · 13-11-2019 7:13pm

Dravokivich wrote: »

What do you mean by several? Lessons and tests are guiding newer drivers tonbe able to see both tires and tarmac between you and the car in front, while waiting in traffic. That can be almost 2 metres.

2 metres yes absolutely but not 5/6 metres

beauf · 13-11-2019 7:16pm

Panjandrums wrote: »

There's some absolute morons driving around the city. During rush hour stand still traffic, cars are leaving several meters infront of them while on their phones.

I get the on the phone bit but what about leaving such distance between cars? Do they not know how big/small their cars are?

If often good practice. It allows you to move out if you need to.

Also is a buffer in case you get shunted from behind, launching you into the car in front. Which if you are sitting with your foot on the brake in crawling traffic can be jolted off in the impact.

If the traffic is so bad, that a couple of meters is critical. I'd be considering other options.

beauf · 13-11-2019 7:18pm

Sometimes its often easier to allow a gap to build then move forward slowly. In that way your always moving, and not constantly stopping and starting which is harder on the car and driver.

Panjandrums · 13-11-2019 7:26pm

If everyone on the quays left 5 meters in front of them, I cant imagine the issues it would cause.

colm_c · 13-11-2019 11:07pm

I commute into merrion sq from D15

Door-to-door:
25 mins by motorbike
35 mins by train
1hr by bus
1hr+ by car

Normally take the bike, but take the train once a month if I'm heading out after work.

It can take less by car, if I leave the house before 7am.

Tazzimus · 13-11-2019 11:32pm

donvito99 wrote: »

Leaving tiny gaps between cars prevents them from maneuvering out of the way for the emergency services (if required).

That almost never happens. I've seen countless people oblivious to the flashing lights and sirens right behind them

beauf · 14-11-2019 1:53am

Panjandrums wrote: »

If everyone on the quays left 5 meters in front of them, I cant imagine the issues it would cause.

Who cares. You'd need to be crazy to go anywhere via the quays.

beauf · 14-11-2019 1:54am

Tazzimus wrote: »

That almost never happens. I've seen countless people oblivious to the flashing lights and sirens right behind them

I've seen countless people move out of the way.

Tazzimus · 14-11-2019 10:28am

beauf wrote: »

I've seen countless people move out of the way.

I'd hope so, seeing as that's what you're supposed to do.

John_Rambo · 14-11-2019 10:39am

beauf wrote: »

I've seen countless people move out of the way.

True, I was working on a job with the Dublin Fire Brigade and this came up, consensus from the professionals that Dublin drivers are very very respectful and almost always move out of the way for emergency service vehicles.

Re; leaving space... I always leave a couple of metres wiggle room for manoeuvre for myself and others. Handy for motorbikes and bikes filtering in traffic, pedestrians crossing etc...

Back on topic, some of your commutes sound pretty gnarly. We need massive investment in public transport.

14-11-2019 8:21pm

John_Rambo wrote: »

True, I was working on a job with the Dublin Fire Brigade and this came up, consensus from the professionals that Dublin drivers are very very respectful and almost always move out of the way for emergency service vehicles.

Re; leaving space... I always leave a couple of metres wiggle room for manoeuvre for myself and others. Handy for motorbikes and bikes filtering in traffic, pedestrians crossing etc...

Back on topic, some of your commutes sound pretty gnarly. We need massive investment in public transport.

Would most use it though? Comfort is #1 for me and I can't be the only one. Granted they'll try tax us out of the car but it would want to be a fair tax before I'd want to share my commute with God knows who.

John_Rambo · 14-11-2019 8:31pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Would most use it though? Comfort is #1 for me and I can't be the only one. Granted they'll try tax us out of the car but it would want to be a fair tax before I'd want to share my commute with God knows who.

Yeah, I hear you, but I can see a congestion charge in the future along with massively reduced parking or a parking tax in the city. They'd want to seriously improve the public transport though.

Sharing your commute?? I guess that's just part of city working in most European countries.

Skatedude · 15-11-2019 2:00am

I have to commute through the city, My car is an absolute no brainier as public transport takes 3 times longer, Or in a lot of cases there is simply no public transport running at all.

heroics · 15-11-2019 10:38am

I commute from North Wicklow to Swords. Start at 8 and finish at 4. But I could be onsite in the city or out in Dundrum during the day depending on whats happening. No way would I do that on public transport.

For the craic I just used google maps to calculate what time to leave to get here for 8 using public transport.

5:08 AM!!!! 2 Hours and 47 mins by car good day 50 mins bad day 90. And leaving at 16:00 Id be home by 18:30. I am usually home in the car by 5.

That is an extra 3 hours a day or more travelling.

is_that_so · 15-11-2019 10:40am

Too far out to rely on the bus timetables and train is too expensive. Car gives me flexibility public transport is lacking.

The Mulk · 15-11-2019 10:43am

Tazzimus wrote: »

Drive from Maynooth to the Red Cow P&R and get the Luas into work as the office is at the last stop (The Point) and not a hope I'm driving this far into town.
Did Maynooth to Cherrywood for 3 years and somehow didn't end up in jail for multiple murders, that was torture.

M4 seems to have gotten a lot busier recently. What used to take maybe 30 minutes can take up to an hour, depending on how many crashes there are/where they are/how many rubberneckers there are for flashy lights on the other side of the road.

Coming home as well is weird. Traffic moves reasonably well on the N4 until you get to where it becomes the M4, then it's like a car park.

Why don't you get the Maynooth train to Connolly and walk/hope on the Luas from there.
I do this from Hazelhatch and wouldn't even think about driving to the Red Cow, or City West to pick up the Luas

Do you use your car to commute in and out of Dublin?

Do you use your car to commute in and out of Dublin? 140 votes

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