Car Free Day not be taken seriously

DarkJager

Link: http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhcwqlmhkfcw/

The Article wrote:

However, Mr Gormley says he is determined to see Car Free Day being taken as seriously in Ireland as the rest of Europe.

He says he wants more streets closed to traffic and also wants to see the event taking place on a weekday, when the lack of traffic would be more noticeable.

Yeah what a great idea to have it on a weekday - I'm sure the rush hour commuters would love that.

Car Free day is one of the most stupidly conceived ideas ever. What difference does it make, other than letting pedestrians walk on the roads and driving motorists blood pressure through the roof?

I don't know about the rest of Ireland, but here in Limerick its always been badly planned and badly implemented. It causes tailbacks all around the city, adds at least 30 minutes onto what should be a short journey and for what??? What does it hope to achieve??

rivers

well maybe they could do a day on which you're not allowed drive unless you have say at least 2 passengers? On the day they should increase public transport availabililty. I think its a good idea anyway. Some people use cars way too much, especially in instances like to go 100 metres down the road to buy a pack of cigs or something.

On a similar point. A congestion charge for bringing cars into the city centre should be brought in (like London).

Stephen

Car free day is a load of bollocks in this country where local public transport is pretty much non existent outside of Dublin. It would be impossible for me to get to my workplace without a car or motorbike. I can't just hop on a bus.

Rob_l

Im in full support of a car free day

get offa my streets you moany car driving bakstardds

thefinalstage

rivers wrote:

well maybe they could do a day on which you're not allowed drive unless you have say at least 2 passengers? On the day they should increase public transport availabililty. I think its a good idea anyway. Some people use cars way too much, especially in instances like to go 100 metres down the road to buy a pack of cigs or something.

On a similar point. A congestion charge for bringing cars into the city centre should be brought in (like London).

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I think you get the message.

Rob_l

rivers wrote:

well maybe they could do a day on which you're not allowed drive unless you have say at least 2 passengers? On the day they should increase public transport availabililty. I think its a good idea anyway. Some people use cars way too much, especially in instances like to go 100 metres down the road to buy a pack of cigs or something.

On a similar point. A congestion charge for bringing cars into the city centre should be brought in (like London).

I agree citys centres are no place for cars congestion charges are the 2ay forward

Dyr

Lets get serious about this whole premise. Lets rename it "car fire day"

Orlee

Stephen wrote:

Car free day is a load of bollocks in this country where local public transport is pretty much non existent outside of Dublin. It would be impossible for me to get to my workplace without a car or motorbike. I can't just hop on a bus.

Agreed - Make public transport more efficient, actually scrap that.
Make it efficient in the first place and then you can take away our cars for a day

bushy...

Should introduce park&ride instead of annoying everyone.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Damn right its not taken serious.

Listen, between myself and the other half our car's are worth in excess of €60k, plus approx €1400 a year on road tax so damn right we're not leaving that lot sitting in our garden just to satisfy a shower of fvcking hippies.

:mad:

Wossack

Cool idea, I'd love a free car!

TPD

Shower of hippies - nice. I think a 'bicycle day' would be a good idea in a large town or city though, as it would enable people to still get around while cutting them evil pollutants for a while.

koneko

Stephen wrote:

Car free day is a load of bollocks in this country where local public transport is pretty much non existent outside of Dublin. It would be impossible for me to get to my workplace without a car or motorbike. I can't just hop on a bus.

QFT, and even within Dublin the public transport is poor IMO

jhegarty

rivers wrote:

well maybe they could do a day on which you're not allowed drive unless you have say at least 2 passengers? On the day they should increase public transport availabililty. I think its a good idea anyway. Some people use cars way too much, especially in instances like to go 100 metres down the road to buy a pack of cigs or something.

On a similar point. A congestion charge for bringing cars into the city centre should be brought in (like London).

How do I get to work , there is no bus route ?

DarkJager

And what about people that live outside the city, where there possibly isn't public transport at regular times during the day? Its basically a day designed by the ****ing tree huggers to "save the world". Well guess what you tree hugging bastards, the world is ****ed as it is, and one day without cars on the road isn't going to do ****. Get used to that and stop pissing everyone off with your wanky ideas.

mikemac

It fails due to selfishness.
People think: "Great, it's car free day so they're be less traffic. Now I'll definitly take my car in the city centre"

Next time you walk past a long queue of traffic, I'd say >75% have less then two people in the car.

If you want to bring a car into the city centre you lose the right to moan about traffic.

50cc mopeds ftw

Rob_l

the world is f8cked no point in trying anything! eh

what a smhuck


one man cant make a difference! eh



that fatalist bullcrap is whats wrong with the world

humanji

jhegarty wrote:

How do I get to work , there is no bus route ?

Teleport?

Rob_l wrote:

the world is f8cked no point in trying anything! eh

what a smhuck


one man cant make a difference! eh



that fatalist bullcrap is whats wrong with the world

So do you mind telling us how it is actually meant to help? And while you're at it, explain how all the people with no local public transport, are supposed to get to work if the can't use their cars?

kdouglas

in fairness, most people who drive to work do so for a reason, whether it be lack of public transport or just not wanting to sit (stand more likely) on a smelly bus with alot of smelly people, i enjoy driving my own car to work and the freedom it gives me, especially when public transport is so bad in dublin.

However, I do feel that driving a car which is capable of carrying 4/5 people and being the only one in it is an awful waste of space, so i would definitely encourage a car pooling day, and in the long term, i think open the bus lane to car pools, this would mean more people sharing a car and less cars on the road.

Slow Motion

DarkJager wrote:

And what about people that live outside the city, where there possibly isn't public transport at regular times during the day? Its basically a day designed by the ****ing tree huggers to "save the world". Well guess what you tree hugging bastards, the world is ****ed as it is, and one day without cars on the road isn't going to do ****. Get used to that and stop pissing everyone off with your wanky ideas.

Squire if it upsets you this much just ignore it ! However I don't drive and never will but I pretty much agree with you, and my advice to those thinking of leaving the car at home, bear in mind that in the a.m. you will get to share the bus with a bunch of smelly loud teenagers jumping around the bus on the way to school and screaming abuse out the windows at AAAannnnnttoooooow and KYLEEEEEee ! Great stuff ! And on the way home you can battle your way onto the bus to sit upstairs where some even smellier skangers will be playing the bananna phone ringtone on speaker at full volume so even the driver can hear how cool they are, while one of them rolls a spliff that could choke a hippo giving anyone who looks a stare that says, "Go on I phuckin dare ya to say something ! I have a syringe full of blood in my pocket !".

Sure who wouldn't want to leave the care at home to experience such pleasent encounters !

Rob_l

Slow Motion wrote:

Squire if it upsets you this much just ignore it ! However I don't drive and never will but I pretty much agree with you, and my advice to those thinking of leaving the car at home, bear in mind that in the a.m. you will get to share the bus with a bunch of smelly loud teenagers jumping around the bus on the way to school and screaming abuse out the windows at AAAannnnnttoooooow and KYLEEEEEee ! Great stuff ! And on the way home you can battle your way onto the bus to sit upstairs where some even smellier skangers will be playing the bananna phone ringtone on speaker at full volume so even the driver can hear how cool they are, while one of them rolls a spliff that could choke a hippo giving anyone who looks a stare that says, "Go on I phuckin dare ya to say something ! I have a syringe full of blood in my pocket !".

Sure who wouldn't want to leave the care at home to experience such pleasent encounters !

Interesting bus your getting there with blood filled syringe carrying joint smoking school kids.

Rob_l

kdouglas wrote:

in fairness, most people who drive to work do so for a reason, whether it be lack of public transport or just not wanting to sit (stand more likely) on a smelly bus with alot of smelly people, i enjoy driving my own car to work and the freedom it gives me, especially when public transport is so bad in dublin.

However, I do feel that driving a car which is capable of carrying 4/5 people and being the only one in it is an awful waste of space, so i would definitely encourage a car pooling day, and in the long term, i think open the bus lane to car pools, this would mean more people sharing a car and less cars on the road.

perhaps to say "most people who drive to work do so for a reason" would be valid but I think to take a broader view and say most people who drive do so for a needful reason would not be vaild

Slow Motion

Rob_l wrote:

Interesting bus your getting there with blood filled syringe carrying joint smoking school kids.

You quoted my post but didn't read it ! I made a distinction about schoolkids on the morning (shouting out the window), and Skangers on the way home (i.e. the evening, not kids !). And yes get any of the 40s to Finglas any workday evening after five p.m. and you can see what I mean !

CuLT

In fairness, public transport in this country, even within Dublin, sucks utter balls. The LUAS is pretty neat, shame it only serves a small percentage of the population.

Dublin Bus seem to operate on some magical, hidden timetable that only the drivers know about.
One bus I get is the "somewhere between a quarter past the hour and a quarter to the next hour", and that's getting it from the terminus.

Rob_l

Slow Motion wrote:

You quoted my post but didn't read it ! I made a distinction about schoolkids on the morning (shouting out the window), and Skangers on the way home (i.e. the evening, not kids !). And yes get any of the 40s to Finglas any workday evening after five p.m. and you can see what I mean !

but one bus does not a city make

I paraphrased your post my way;)

anyways thats finglas I wouldn't dare go there

Slow Motion

Rob_l wrote:

anyways thats finglas I wouldn't dare go there

You may or may not be joking but when it comes to infrastructure / regeneration / crime etc that's exactly the attitude of public planners and politicians ! And I know Pat Carey is the minister for drugs but he is a useless tool and is doing nothing useful that I can see !

Marksie

rivers wrote:

On the day they should increase public transport availabililty.

Have you ever used Irish Rail? They can't run what they have got.

Raiser

Every other country that has a car-free day does so in order to encourage people to use their public transport alternative. Which is fine. No problem there. Why not ?

Living in Limerick there is no public transport alternative available to me; All my public transport destined tax revenue seems to be poured into building the miniature Port Tunnel, two unconnected LUAS lines & putting 167,426 cones all over the M50. We don't even have bus shelters in Limerick; just 25 pi55ed off punters standing in the rain for a bus that will be 1 hour late and probably too full when it does get there - either that or no bus arrives for two hours and then 3 arrive all at once.

Ergo when tree-hugging moron-tards like John Gormley suggest that we should all leave our cars at home while he gets on with bulldozing the Hill of Tara; some people think its a grim joke and wish that they hadn't thrown the [BP/Shell/Texaco share buying] Green Party idiots the odd 4th preference in the polling booths in the hope of voting Bertie out on his corrupt arse.

W@nkers :rolleyes:

Kintarō Hattori

Mairt wrote:

Listen, between myself and the other half our car's are worth in excess of €60k, plus approx €1400 a year on road tax so damn right we're not leaving that lot sitting in our garden just to satisfy a shower of fvcking hippies.

:mad:

The price of your car is irrelevant.

humanji

eo980 wrote:

The price of your car is irrelevant.

It is when you pay for it.

dtwhaler

Rob_l wrote:

perhaps to say "most people who drive to work do so for a reason" would be valid but I think to take a broader view and say most people who drive do so for a needful reason would not be vaild

Surely driving to work is a valid reason ?? How else do you get from Navan to Leixlip for 7am ? Dont see many buses on that route ?? Dont say live closer to work with the house prices near Maynooth etc. Likewise there aint too many jobs in the Meath area to work it the other way. Then what if you need to get home/hopsital quickly. Again no buses, trains ........ dont even start to hint at taxi's with the price they charge.

Doctor DooM

I would gladly not drive to work if there was a reasonable alternative.

It turns a 20 minute journey into a 2 hour journey ( a bus from celbridge into town, a second out to citywest). This is hardly the middle of no where I am talking about.

As I am currently saving to buy a house, I would gladly sacrifice the running cost of a car, but I have no options here.

Kintarō Hattori

humanji wrote:

It is when you pay for it.

Absolutely but Mairt and I were both referring to Car Free Day when the price of your car IS irrelevant.

DarkJager

eo980 wrote:

The price of your car is irrelevant.

You obviously don't own a car. You obviously don't understand that besides the cost of the car, motorists are getting raped for insurance costs, tax and fuel prices.

Therefore, while the price may not be relevant to you, it means that if people are paying that much for their vehicle, nobody has the right to ask them not to use it.

seamus

Rob_l wrote:

perhaps to say "most people who drive to work do so for a reason" would be valid but I think to take a broader view and say most people who drive do so for a needful reason would not be vaild

How about the "need" to get to work?

There was a case in years gone by that traffic plummetted as soon as the schools closed. This was a good indicator that many journeys were unnecessary school runs. However, the distinction is quickly disappearing. Even in the height of summer, during the builders' holiday, you could have 5 mile tailbacks inbound on the N4. This tells us that the number of people working is up, as is the number of people with kids and working. Ergo, the number of necessary car journeys is also up.

This isn't about forcing people out of their cars. You have to encourage them out. Telling people "You can't drive your car in here" won't stop them taking their car. They'll drive as far as they can, and then walk the rest. How is that helping to promote the public transport agenda?

CTU_Agent

itl never work. people need to drive their cars. Public transport just doesnt cut it. Public transport doest even go to my home.....what else am I supposed to do??

Kintarō Hattori

DarkJager wrote:

You obviously don't own a car. You obviously don't understand that besides the cost of the car, motorists are getting raped for insurance costs, tax and fuel prices.

Therefore, while the price may not be relevant to you, it means that if people are paying that much for their vehicle, nobody has the right to ask them not to use it.

Your making alot of assumptions there. I understand completely but a car free day is a good idea. It may not suit everyone but it shouldn't be ruled out completely. I'm not going to get into this arguement as like most other arguements here it can't be won by either side.

Rob_l

humanji wrote:

So do you mind telling us how it is actually meant to help? And while you're at it, explain how all the people with no local public transport, are supposed to get to work if the can't use their cars?

are you asking how is lessening carbon emmission suppossed to help?

car free day does not mean people cannot use their cars it means that certain areas of the city centre become off limits to cars!


It can be done it other european cities and I see no reason why a well planned operation here could not be feasable.

But you need to drive your car because?

Rob_l

seamus wrote:

How about the "need" to get to work?

There was a case in years gone by that traffic plummetted as soon as the schools closed. This was a good indicator that many journeys were unnecessary school runs. However, the distinction is quickly disappearing. Even in the height of summer, during the builders' holiday, you could have 5 mile tailbacks inbound on the N4. This tells us that the number of people working is up, as is the number of people with kids and working. Ergo, the number of necessary car journeys is also up.

This isn't about forcing people out of their cars. You have to encourage them out. Telling people "You can't drive your car in here" won't stop them taking their car. They'll drive as far as they can, and then walk the rest. How is that helping to promote the public transport agenda?

Dear sir I clearly distinguised between people who need to drive to work and those who just feel the need to drive!

But thank you for your attempt at reading my post

faceman

public transport will never be up to scratch in ireland. There are third world countries with better infrastructure than us.

When the next phase of luas extensions includes extending to bray (which is already served by the dart) and laying track to low population density areas, you know its time for a new government... (but we couldnt even do that right either)

if car free day went ahead on a weekday i would have to take the day off work.

CherieAmour

Such vitriol !!!!! :eek:

If you can't do it, just ignore it! Simple as that! I'd imagine he's addressing the idiots who can't manage to get half a mile down the road without their cars and f*ck it up for anyone who actually needs to go a decent distance!

And incidentally, it's always on a week day, it's just that no one notices and last year the advertising campaign was non existant.

If those who really needed their cars to get places drove and those who could do without them left them at home, we would notice an immediate reduction in traffic.

I'm with micmclo, it does fail due to selfishness. I honestly think that motorists, in Dublin anyway, are completely blind to (or choose to ignore) the fact that they are part of the problem!!!!!!!!!!!

You won't go anywhere without your car, neither will anyone else = massive traffic jam!!!

EDIT: I totally agree that the public transport situation leaves a lot to be desired, and that there are people that simply must drive, but my point is that it is those that don't NEED to drive that are the root of the problem!!

Rob_l

eo980 wrote:

The price of your car is irrelevant.

not only irrelavant but egotistical to state here

DarkJager

Rob_l wrote:

It can be done it other european cities and I see no reason why a well planned operation here could not be feasable.

It can't work here because:

a) The traffic systems in Ireland are complete bollox
b) Public Transport is piss poor
c) Most cities have routes to areas that are otherwise inaccessible unless accessed through the city.

seamus

Rob_l wrote:

Dear sir I clearly distinguised between people who need to drive to work and those who just feel the need to drive!

But thank you for your attempt at reading my post

What I gathered from your post is that you believe that most people driving at either rush hour, don't need to drive. I countered that point.

It's fair to say that most people driving at rush hour, are driving to work and therefore have a needful reason to drive.

Rob_l

DarkJager wrote:

It can't work here because:

a) The traffic systems in Ireland are complete bollox
b) Public Transport is piss poor
c) Most cities have routes to areas that are otherwise inaccessible unless accessed through the city.

lets not refer to other cities i am talking purely about Dublin the largest city

and were do you need to drive through dublin city centre to get too?

Rob_l

seamus wrote:

What I gathered from your post is that you believe that most people driving at either rush hour, don't need to drive. I countered that point.

It's fair to say that most people driving at rush hour, are driving to work and therefore have a needful reason to drive.

I believe there are considerable amount of cars on the roads that are not occupied by people who need to use them to travel to work.

Slow Motion

DarkJager wrote:

It can't work here because:

a) The traffic systems in Ireland are complete bollox
b) Public Transport is piss poor
c) Most cities have routes to areas that are otherwise inaccessible unless accessed through the city.

And until these issues are sorted out the rest of the debate is largely irrellevant ! Why aren't the green muppets asking what Dublin bus et al are doing to solve the problem ? Mind you they will tell you they are continually looking for ways to improve the services ! ****e !

DarkJager

No, lets refer to other cities as Car Free Day does not only affect Dublin. I am not in Dublin so I don't know how their routes are planned out. But her in Limerick there are areas of the city, which have had their alternate routes closed due to construction, some of them permanently. Therefore, you can only get to them by driving through the city. Not to mention that most areas down here would take an extra 15 to 20 mintues to reach if you were to take an indirect route around the city.

Spyral

I concur wiht darkjaegar if i recall from me holis wiht my aunt

I don't know about the rest of Ireland, but here in Limerick its always been badly planned and badly implemented. It causes tailbacks all around the city, adds at least 30 minutes onto what should be a short journey and for what??? What does it hope to achieve??

penance for all your aulde sins ?

Rob_l

DarkJager wrote:

No, lets refer to other cities as Car Free Day does not only affect Dublin. I am not in Dublin so I don't know how their routes are planned out. But her in Limerick there are areas of the city, which have had their alternate routes closed due to construction, some of them permanently. Therefore, you can only get to them by driving through the city. Not to mention that most areas down here would take an extra 15 to 20 mintues to reach if you were to take an indirect route around the city.

I will accept that outside of dublin city centre a car free day is not feasible and I would never suggest nor support them at current, However I feel that within the confines of Dublin City centre it is not only feasible but very viable for a one day a year occurence to try to change peoples attitudes.

There is very much a mindset of people that they need their car, need is a very strong word to use for anything that is as non essential as a car.

How many people in dublin dont travel by car everyday how do they survive surely they have the same needs as every other person residing in dublin?

Or perhaps people who do not own, travel by car everyday are lesser mortals who do not have the same needs as the other more important people who do.

Terry

Slow Motion wrote:

And until these issues are sorted out the rest of the debate is largely irrellevant ! Why aren't the green muppets asking what Dublin bus et al are doing to solve the problem ? Mind you they will tell you they are continually looking for ways to improve the services ! ****e !

What are the rest of you doing to resolve the situation, besides moaning about it on an internet forum?
You do all realise that TD's are public servants and, as such, they answer to us.

Go and talk to your local TD and ask them what they are going to do about the state of public transport in this country. Go to them all. Tell them that if it is not improved by the next election, that you and your friends/ family will not be voting for them. Watch them move once it looks like their meal ticket is about to be revoked.