Maps

markpb

I'm sure this has been mentioned before but I'm constantly amazed at how poor the maps and websites for the three PTOs in Dublin are. Unless you know exaclty where you're going and what bus to get or train stations to use, there's almost no help for you.

As an example, if you wanted to get from Greenlea Road (near Terenure Road) to Grange Road (near Howth) by public transport, you might go to the Dublin Bus website. You'll be disappointed to see that neither of them show up in the search results. You might use a mapping service like mappy.com to look for the roads and then try to match that with DB's map but at best you'll have a list of buses and no idea which one actually brings you to your destination.

The [URL="http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/dart/your_journey/maps_and_zones.asp"
]Dart map[/URL] is even worse because it doesn't show area names and isn't searchable at all. No help there then.

The Luas site is the best of a bad lot. It's map isn't much better but at least it lists some of the roads near each station. Not searchable other than your browser's find on page option.

So unless you know someone who can tell you what bus to get, all you're left with are ringing DB during their limited opening hours or hoping for the best.

Why is it so hard for anyone in Dublin to have a proper website? LA MTA have a journey planner which is searchable and offers you options such as cheapest fare or fastest route. It will also calculate the fare for each stage.

Their bus map is fantastic and their rail map even better, particularly the flash version which tells you the full address for each station, the parking and cycle facilities at each one and shows you the neighbourhood map and local bus services.

TfL has a journey planner and fantastic maps including a multi-modal map (all 17 megs of it) Why is it so hard for anyone in Dublin to actually help the customer? None of this is new or advanced technology.

mikemac

Don't be so harsh!

Have you tried www.dto.ie

There is a journey planner on it.
Its on the left-hand side under travel information

I use it all the time
Also if you enter your location, it'll show you the nearest station.
Of course, you have the ability to zoom in great detail to any area in Dublin, just like Google Earth.

It's a fantastic website!

markf909

Have you tried www.dto.ie

Its good for figuring out street addresses but useless for finding bus routes and transit options. That said it is far better than Dublin Buses map, which is pathetic, I have spent ages trying to figure out which route exactly the 17 takes but its impossible with the DB map. The LA system referred to by the first poster is what should be provided by either Dublin bus or the DTO.

daymobrew

markf909 wrote:

Its (dto.ie) good for figuring out street addresses but useless for finding bus routes and transit options.

Did you try the Find the nearest station option?
It does not find bus stops, but does find Luas, DART and rail stations.

markf909

Did you try the Find the nearest station option?

Yeah its handy for finding stations and it is certainly the best mapping system that we have for Dublin. I was just pointing out though that finding a bus is nigh on impossible.
A few weeks ago I was trying to figure out if there was a bus going form the Merrion Road along Ailesbury Rd and on to Clonskeagh. Still dunno if there is becuase it is impossible to tell from Dublin buses woeful attempt at providing a network map.

John R

markf909 wrote:

Yeah its handy for finding stations and it is certainly the best mapping system that we have for Dublin. I was just pointing out though that finding a bus is nigh on impossible.
A few weeks ago I was trying to figure out if there was a bus going form the Merrion Road along Ailesbury Rd and on to Clonskeagh. Still dunno if there is becuase it is impossible to tell from Dublin buses woeful attempt at providing a network map.

There isn't a bus route that uses Ailesbury rd, although it is regularly used by out of service buses going to/from Donnybrook garage.

17 - Blackrock-Mount Merrion Rd-Stillorgan Rd-Belfield-Fosters Ave-Roebuck Rd-Bird Ave-Dundrum Rd-Churchtown Rd Upper---

18 - Sandymount-Merrion Rd-Pembroke Rd-Waterloo Rd-Appian way-Ranelagh-Charleston Rd-Rathmines---


This may annoy you even more but there is a very good complete network map available for Dublin Bus. It is based on the Dublin OS map with each route marked out in full. Unfortunately it is not on the website, not sure if it is a copyright issue with OSI or just because they haven't bothered to put it up.

Getting one can be a bit difficult, they only print them every few years and once they run out it can be a long time before they are available again.

AFAIK the most recent one printed is from 2003. All I can suggest is that you call in to the offices on O'Connell street and try to get one.

The individual local area guides that are distributed every so often to households have sections of the full map on them.

The regular OSI maps have bus route numbers printed on them as well, can be difficult to follow certain routes though.


I had meant to scan in the complete map in sections myself and host it on the web but my good scanner is fuxored and the other one doesn't have the resolution to show it properly.

markf909

There isn't a bus route that uses Ailesbury rd, although it is regularly used by out of service buses going to/from Donnybrook garage.

I see, a route along this corridor serving passengers who get off at Sydey Parade DART would be nice for getting to Donnybrook and towards Milltown would be nice even if was only during morning and evening Mon-Fri.

This may annoy you even more but there is a very good complete network map available for Dublin Bus. It is based on the Dublin OS map with each route marked out in full. Unfortunately it is not on the website, not sure if it is a copyright issue with OSI or just because they haven't bothered to put it up.

I work with a lot of people who do research on Geographical Informations Systems ie gleaming info from aerial maps. The Ordinance Survey of Ireland refuse to release any of their data royalty free even purely for academic research, ie not for profit.
Consequently all of these guys get their data for free from the UK OS dept. Go figure.

John R

markf909 wrote:

I see, a route along this corridor serving passengers who get off at Sydey Parade DART would be nice for getting to Donnybrook and towards Milltown would be nice even if was only during morning and evening Mon-Fri.

Ask and you shall recieve, sort of.

http://www.circlelinebus.com/routes3.php

Probably a bit early for workers in Milltown though

markf909 wrote:

I work with a lot of people who do research on Geographical Informations Systems ie gleaming info from aerial maps. The Ordinance Survey of Ireland refuse to release any of their data royalty free even purely for academic research, ie not for profit.
Consequently all of these guys get their data for free from the UK OS dept. Go figure.

That's what I thought it was. Now that there are good (better probably) quality alternatives to OSI they ought to build a new map based on one of those and put it online. It will be soon enough anyway with their real-time data system on the way. I would guess from the tender a comprehensive on-line map is part of the contract.

Gandhi

Any way there would be a private company that would start printing maps?

In Philly there's a company that sells pretty good geographically correct maps with rail, tram, and bus routes from about eight different agencies all integrated for about $5:

http://www.phillymap.com/webmap-r.html
http://www.phillymap.com/webmap-phila.html

much easier to follow than the (free) maps from the individual transit agencies, e.g.:

http://www.septa.com/maps/click_map.html
http://www.njtransit.com/images/rivfinishcolor0220.gif

dowlingm

www.google.com/transit

covers Portland, Oregon at present. Google are apparently in negotiations with Toronto for a similar service.

Alun

I think the difference with the US is that the mapping agency there supply their data free to anyone who wants to make use of it. The reasoning is that since it's a state agency, then everybody has already paid for the data in their taxes anyway. I'm not sure how the OSi is financed, but I'm sure that we taxpayers subsidise a good portion of it.

markf909

dowlingm wrote:

www.google.com/transit

covers Portland, Oregon at present. Google are apparently in negotiations with Toronto for a similar service.

Thats pretty cool. I like this break-down of costs between public transit and driving.
Tri-met who run Portland's wonderful system already have a decent enough journey planner
that I found very handy.
Lucky residents of Oregon get some mapping overkill

Victor

You can get the local services guides free from Dublin Bus in O'Connell Street or from a lot of ticket agents (agents might charge a small fee - 30c).

Alun wrote:

I'm not sure how the OSi is financed, but I'm sure that we taxpayers subsidise a good portion of it.

They have been ordered to operate on a commercial basis.