Commuting Bray to City Centre - bus or dart?

confuddled

I'm starting a new job in the city centre in a few weeks - I moved to Bray a couple of years ago and have been working more locally and driving to work. I live off the Herbert Road, and the 145 goes straight past my estate. It would also drop me off a few seconds walk from my new job off st. stephen's green. Very handy...

However I have never got the 145 at rush hour - how long could I expect it to take to get to town? I would probably get the bus around 7ish in the morning, and finish up at 4pm to go home - how long does the bus take to get back to Bray (and through Bray town) in the evenings?

The other option is driving down to the dart and parking there for the day. How early would I need to get there to be guaranteed the free parking on the seafront? I estimate this would take me just over an hour (5min drive, 45 mins on dart, 15 min walk)

I would appreciate any advice...

woop

bus is good just a bit relliable nowadays was a lot better when transport 21 first came in but now gone a bit downhill, but as you say its handy.........depends how strict youre employers are about being a few min late cause sometimes its a bit randomn

but dart for reliability it always goes on time and always arrives on time, but parking at that time in the morning can be a mare but you dont pay for it down the seafronts so

I was in college and we used to never be able to get a 145 home round 6 cause it used to be packed from town, but so used the dart, this shouldnt be a prob though when youre coming from town
Id say there about the same timewise though

get a hellicopter tbh

confuddled

thanks for that woop.

Has anyone else got any thoughts on the 145 and how long it might take in rush hour?

Alun

I live about 2 minutes from the 145 bus stop on Herbert Road too, but don't use it to get to work ona regular basis. I have done the journey at 7.30'ish a couple of times though and IIRC it took about 1hr 10 mins or so to get to the stop on Nassau St. If I'm heading back home anytime when it's vaguely busy I always go the stop on O'Connell Street to avoid the crowds. It might be an idea to do a dummy run or two at that time of the morning to see what the timings are like.

As far as the Dart goes, yes, you can get free parking on the seafront, if you get there in time. It's not all free along there, and some areas have a 3hr limit.

pirelli

confuddled wrote: »

I'm starting a new job in the city centre in a few weeks - I moved to Bray a couple of years ago and have been working more locally and driving to work. I live off the Herbert Road, and the 145 goes straight past my estate. It would also drop me off a few seconds walk from my new job off st. stephen's green. Very handy...

However I have never got the 145 at rush hour - how long could I expect it to take to get to town? I would probably get the bus around 7ish in the morning, and finish up at 4pm to go home - how long does the bus take to get back to Bray (and through Bray town) in the evenings?

The other option is driving down to the dart and parking there for the day. How early would I need to get there to be guaranteed the free parking on the seafront? I estimate this would take me just over an hour (5min drive, 45 mins on dart, 15 min walk)



I would appreciate any advice...

Good estimate.

There are two carparks at the dart station, I was always aware they were free. 45 min is a good estimate. A fold up cycle would be handy.
Transport from bray Isnt really an issue these days. The 145 stays on the N11and uses the bus lane. How much faster can it be. It's fast.

Lil' Smiler

I was working in town in the summer & used to get the dart in coz i was working Merrion Square so it was handier for Pearse Street.

I used to drive down to the dart, I too am also just off Herbert Road & I'd get down to the carpark for between 7.40 and 7.50 and I was normally grand for parking!

I have no experience on getting the bus into town but I HATED getting the dart. If i missed a particular one I had to get the train which was packed & horrible & no chance of getting a seat.

I'd say go with bus in the morning & dart home to be honest. You'll probably only get caught at traffic when coming through shankill at the Woodbrook Roundabout

confuddled

I agree that the bus in and dart home would be ideal - however if I were to do that I would have to get some sort of transport from the dart station home. Walking all the way up those hills would be fine on a summers evening - but not doable the rest of the year.

I'm thinking at the moment that the dart might be the better option...

Alun

Some Bray bound 145's call in at the station for driver changes (see timetable) so you might be lucky depending on when you get into Bray on the Dart. Thing is though that the fare for that short journey is a bit ridiculous, especially when you compare it to the fare for the whole journey into Dublin so it's a bit of a waste of money. I know what you mean though about the walk back .. it's not so bad walking down into Bray but it's a bit of a climb on the way back.

Lil' Smiler

Yes he climb up Ardmore Hill or up Killarney road, I am not a fan, not after a long days work.

The 45a's always go down by the dart but are no where near as regular as the 145. Hmm... tricky one..drive to dart, park, pick bus up at dart station... would have a choice of buses then 145 or 84 and then dart home, pick car up, no walking in the rain up Herbert Road..happy days!

fenris

In terms of door to door travel time you are probably better off driving!

I have been working city centre (Harcourt Road) for the last three years and have tried nearly every option, but end up driving most days.
Typical times door to door - leaving home approx. 7:45, leaving work 17:30
DART (cost €4:20)
Morning - 1 hour 25 (can get a seat), evening 1 hour 40 (standing)
Bus - was too unreliable, crowded and stank of piss and disinfectant - only tried about 3 times
Drive & LUAS (cost €4 parking, €2.70 LUAS)
Morning - 55 mins (standing), evening 50 mins (standing and crushed)
Drive - M50 - Dundrum, Miltown, ranelagh
Morning - 1 hour 5 mins, evening 1 hour 15-30
Drive - N11, clonskeagh, Ranelagh
Morning - 1 hour, evening 1 hour (except tuesdays for some reason traffic goes mad - wtf?)

There are some crazy days but that is what DCAL is for (103.2 FM), if traffic on the N11 is mad then I go via dundrum, if Dundrum is also bad then I luas from the first stop with parking but keep driving if Balally is full.

At least in my car I can make a few calls, even conf calls if I don't need to say a lot. The other benefit is that I don't have to listen to other peoples music and I always have a seat :-)

o1s1n

I'm also living on the Herbert Road and have been getting the 145 into town now every day since the route began.

For a while I was getting the Dart, but found it to be too much hassle to get to and home from. The bus takes longer, but it's easier for me to walk out the door, across the road and go right in than have to figure out how to get to the Dart station first. (And then home again from the Dart in the evenings. Really hated that)

BUT, there have been occasions where the 145 has taken me well over an hour and a half to get home in the evening. Not nice. I also seem to be unlucky lately in catching 145s that have a driver changeover. Was sitting at the dart station yesterday waiting for a driver for a good 15 minutes.

confuddled

fenris wrote: »

In terms of door to door travel time you are probably better off driving!

Without any designated parking driving in is just not a viable option for me.

thanks for all the info though, I will have to see how things work out for me!

bunk_mcnulty

Hi,

does anyone have an update on the 145 to town from Herbert Road. Is it taken quicker or a lot slower now?

Cheers,

Bunk

Annasopra

bunk_mcnulty wrote: »

Hi,

does anyone have an update on the 145 to town from Herbert Road. Is it taken quicker or a lot slower now?

Cheers,

Bunk

It takes roughly an hour maybe slightly more

bunk_mcnulty

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

It takes roughly an hour maybe slightly more

Thanks Joey.

Looks like better option than walking to dart.

SparkySpitfire

What if you got the 84x? It actually bypasses Bray but if you could find somewhere along the Southern Cross to park every day then you'd get into town much quicker than on the 145. The longest part of that journey is definitely Bray and Shankill!

murpho999

confuddled wrote: »

I agree that the bus in and dart home would be ideal - however if I were to do that I would have to get some sort of transport from the dart station home. Walking all the way up those hills would be fine on a summers evening - but not doable the rest of the year.

I'm thinking at the moment that the dart might be the better option...

Why don't you cycle it? Saves you the hassle and costs of parking and is easy.

I cycle a similar distance every day to the station every day and takes about 8 minutes.

Winter is also fine, in 2 years have there been only a few times I had to cycle in the rain.
I don't get why you can' t walk outside summer months to be honest.

fenris

84x is great on the way in, it can be difficult to get a seat on the way home as it tends to fill up with UCD students and people who only travel a few stops down the n11, so it can be completely full after the second stop and not stopping and half empty by foxrock.
Another option for going home is the st Kevin Glendalough bus that leaves from opposite the mansion house at 18:00.
It only makes a couple of stops and comes up the main street in bray and will stop where you ask.
I used to get it the whole time when I lived in Fairy hill, very reasonable and would normally be home by 18:45

Thargor

145 starting to piss me off the way they cant seem to drive past the depot without stopping for a chat these days, wouldn't mind a driver changeover but when its a driver changeover with 10 minutes waiting then 5 minutes chatting it starts to add up to journey times. Its soul crushingly slow as it is.

CaoimheSquee

I did the 145 from Shankill to donntbrook return for nearly 2 years and it almost broke me!
Very happily moving to near an 84x stop (which most days I would end up getting anyway and walking).
The 145 is a special breed of a bus so if you can get the DART I would recommend that instead!

bunk_mcnulty

CaoimheSquee wrote: »

I did the 145 from Shankill to donntbrook return for nearly 2 years and it almost broke me!
Very happily moving to near an 84x stop (which most days I would end up getting anyway and walking).
The 145 is a special breed of a bus so if you can get the DART I would recommend that instead!

Thank you Caoimhe,

Dart it is

P0lygon Wind0w

Bus in, Dart home. If you're getting the Bus from the Herbert Rd you'll get a seat and it's regular and you can go for a nice morning snooze.

But getting the bus home is a soul crushing disaster, too many people and too much traffic. There should be a 145x in the evening really, there's too many folks getting it to just go out to the N11 which plenty of busses serve. I feel sorry the people around Leeson St. as the bus buzzes by full every day.