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The A/R Off Topic Thread
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So there are other solutions that work well elsewhere, did you live in Melbourne? if so did their solution work well? For the record, our rail lines are always full at rush hour too
I lived in Melbourne for 3 years. Yes I believe their train network is good, though connecting from one line to another, often means going into the centre of the city and out again (though not always). It's definitely not perfect, but my point is, Melbourne is one of the most sprawled cities in the world, and yet it is able to pack out high capacity trains at rush hour on about 15 routes. You don't need a dense population for such a network to be worthwhile.
We don't have much existing rail infrastructure here, but a great opportunity was lost to go ahead with DART Underground, which would have integrated all our rail networks, and formed 2 DART lines intersecting in Pearse. This along with the LUAS had it gone underground to start with, and the future metro north, and we would have something which would start to look respectable by European standards.
In Melbourne they have around 28 tram lines, all because the people revolted when they tried to dig up the tram lines back in the 70s and now it's the biggest network in the world. Wish we had thought of that back in the 50s. Worst decision in the history of Irish transport was digging those up.0 -
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Chivito550 wrote: »I lived in Melbourne for 3 years. Yes I believe their train network is good, though connecting from one line to another, often means going into the centre of the city and out again (though not always). It's definitely not perfect, but my point is, Melbourne is one of the most sprawled cities in the world, and yet it is able to pack out high capacity trains at rush hour on about 15 routes. You don't need a dense population for such a network to be worthwhile.
We don't have much existing rail infrastructure here, but a great opportunity was lost to go ahead with DART Underground, which would have integrated all our rail networks, and formed 2 DART lines intersecting in Pearse. This along with the LUAS had it gone underground to start with, and the future metro north, and we would have something which would start to look respectable by European standards.
In Melbourne they have around 28 tram lines, all because the people revolted when they tried to dig up the tram lines back in the 70s and now it's the biggest network in the world. Wish we had thought of that back in the 50s. Worst decision in the history of Irish transport was digging those up.
I don't disagree with you, I use the train and we could certainly do with at least a 50% improvement. When I started using the train, 14 years ago, there was talk of upgrading the signalling system in Connolly to take more trains. It never happened and instead my train leaves me 20 mins from the city centre :rolleyes: Still, its better than driving in, or worse, using our lousy bus service.
Just as well this is the off topic thread
I'd still like to see dedicated cycle and runmute ways into the city too.0 -
I don't disagree with you, I use the train and we could certainly do with at least a 50% improvement. When I started using the train, 14 years ago, there was talk of upgrading the signalling system in Connolly to take more trains. It never happened and instead my train leaves me 20 mins from the city centre :rolleyes: Still, its better than driving in, or worse, using our lousy bus service.
Just as well this is the off topic thread
I'd still like to see dedicated cycle and runmute ways into the city too.
I agree regarding the cycleways, as long as they aren't done half arsed like that one in Rio that collapsed into the sea recently! :eek: I love how Amsterdam and Copenhagen works regarding cycling, but it also integrates well with public transport. Many will get a train to the city, and then cycle the remainder to work. Dublin Bikes is a good concept, but the city itself is not very cycle friendly.
In general Dublin city centre is a miserable place for a pedestrian in certain places. Far too many cars coming from all angles. Get them out of the city is what I would love to see.
Don't expect much progressive ideas regarding public transport from the Irish government though. Years and years of under investment, and it won't change in the future I fear. The motorist has too much of a say in this country. Cars do not belong in a 21st century first world city centre.0 -
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Haha! You idiot!Chivito550 wrote: »So I decide to do my gym session before work this morning, and then get the LUAS into work as it’s just a 13 minute walk from the gym. I’m about 5 minutes from the LUAS and I decide to check the times of the next LUAS on the app. No fecking LUAS running today. Had no idea the pr1cks were on strike again. Next I see a 14 bus go by but I don’t react in time. The next 14 is 25 minutes away. I wait for 10 minutes, it is still 25 minutes away. There’s not another bus route remotely near where I am right now. So I end up walking the LUAS tracks into town! Utter madness!
On the plus side I did Dundrum LUAS to Harcourt LUAS in 43 minutes! Solid effort.
I finished my session on the cinder track at lunch-time and for the first time ever, decided because of recent injuries, I'd forgo the usual 3 mile uphill cool-down back to work and instead cooled-down by running to the nearby LUAS stop in Cherrywood. Arriving at the station a mile later, I was baffled when no trams were scheduled on the electronic timetable. One idiotic pause later, I set off cross-country and ran the three uphill miles to work (with a few hurdles thrown in for good measure). Now wondering if I have the Strava record from Cherrywood to Ballyogan. 0 -
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In terms of cycle lanes in Dublin I reckon I have the dream commute. The guts of 7 miles & only the first .5 mile from the house not either on the canal or a cycle lane
If they sorted the canal from Clonsilla to Coolmine I could cycle in most of the way on that
its not even fit for running in on!! 0 -
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Chivito550 wrote: »Copenhagen
Oslo
Helsinki
Nuremberg
Why do people seem to think Dublin is too small for an underground. It’s complete ignorance of how cities operate abroad. (Not picking on you, it’s a common opinion I come across, and it’s clueless). Check out the grid lock on South Circular Road, and Harold’s Cross and tell me we wouldn’t benefit from having an underground.Dublin might actually be too big for an underground or more accurately too spread out for its population. There is a critical density of population necessary to make an underground affordable. There simply isn't enough people living above each potential station to make it in any way cost effective. For example Dublin (AFAIK) has a footprint well over twice the size of Brussels, a city of comparable population. That would mean a metro in Dublin would require twice the amount of stations and twice the amount of underground lines as Brussels. It would cost way too much to build and maintain compared to what it would take in.
A short line servicing the main areas of the city center might be the only possibility as it would have the footfall on the streets above to translate into passengers.
[rant]
I think the problem is not how small/spread-out Dublin is, but how hard it is to get people out of their cars! It is madness. Any weekday morning, you can see the cars backed up from Harolds Cross on ... when you get down by the bridge, the people walking are progressing faster than the drivers. Then they get into town and they have the hassle/cost of parking the bloody thing.
My Dad was telling me there is a law that all new apartment blocks must be built with a certain amount of car space??? Even near the city centre in places round South Circular .... whoever cooked that up should be ashamed of themselves. That was a real opportunity to encourage car-free living near the centre.[/rant]
I was in Glasgow for work this week and it has a subway with just one circular line, very useful and seems to be used a lot. That's the same population as Dublin (though more concentrated in the centre I admit). On the other hand Edinburgh got a tram a couple of years ago and it is bit of a white elephant; it's mostly running on roads alongside buses that head in the same direction (and the tram is not really any faster ...).
In comparison to that I'd consider the Luas a real success, just need more lines.
*And* more buses (having seen full buses race past the bus stops along Harolds Cross road).
And an earlier start to buses on bank holidays and Sundays (to accomodate runners heading to races
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:eek::rolleyes: 
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