College Green - the post mortem

Heart

Amiens St inbound (or even on the north end of Matt Talbot bridge),

There's an orange LED sign inbound on Amiens St. at the Five Lamps junction telling people about the bus gate.

H

Vic_08

monument wrote: »

But at O'Connell St southbound, there's really nowhere to divert to until you're across the river. Or at least nowhere that would make much of a difference.

It shouldn't really be needed on O'Connell St southbound as the only legal access to it for cars is from Cathal Brugha St.

A reduction in the amount of cars abusing the bus only route from Parnell Square is another apparent benefit of the bus gate.

BrianD

It is appalingly sign posted and relies on local knowledge to negotiate it. Not acceptable for a capital city then the rest of the city has the same standard of bad signage.

The VMS are badly positioned and as another poster correctly stated of little use as its too late by the time you see them.

It would be useful to have some of that variable signage that they have when approaching the Lee Tunnel.

There was huge tail backs down North Wall Quay today. Not sure if that was related to College Green.

cyclopath2001

MOH wrote: »

Went through it for the first time last weekend in a taxi. The only signs I saw in relation to it were one halfway up D'Olier St and one at the fork on College St. Both of which are a bit late if you're driving.

Amiens St inbound (or even on the north end of Matt Talbot bridge), O'Connell St southbound - they're the places you need to tell drivers so they can take an alternate route, not when they're practically at the bus gate.

You're assuming that drivers are not deliberately trying their luck. Deliberate law-breaking is quite common among drivers.

astrofool

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

You're assuming that drivers are not deliberately trying their luck. Deliberate law-breaking is quite common among drivers.

Thats a bit of a loony bin stretch if I ever read one. "Deliberate law-breaking common among drivers". You give cyclists a bad name.

Victor

astrofool wrote: »

Thats a bit of a loony bin stretch if I ever read one. "Deliberate law-breaking common among drivers". You give cyclists a bad name.

I had a meeting with the traffic corp last year. In the next 10 minutes I counted 20 traffic offences.

Ciaran B

There were loads of guards on bikes, jeeps and on foot at Trinity this morning stopping drivers and taking names. Are they a regular fixture?

Stark

astrofool wrote: »

Thats a bit of a loony bin stretch if I ever read one. "Deliberate law-breaking common among drivers". You give cyclists a bad name.

Indeed, trying to imply that Irish drivers have enough awareness to perform a "deliberate" action. Loony bin stuff indeed "What, law? Was that the stuff in that book they sent out last year?"

Alun

BrianD wrote: »

It is appalingly sign posted and relies on local knowledge to negotiate it. Not acceptable for a capital city then the rest of the city has the same standard of bad signage.

In my experience (recent-ish blow-in from abroad), you need a huge amount of local knowledge anyway to negotiate Dublin city centre even armed with an up to date map and/or satnav, it's such a maze of one-way streets and turn restrictions, and adding in one more obstacle isn't going to make much difference. For anyone who does that regularly, it's just another incremental change that I'm sure they'll be able to cope with.

IIMII

Feckin changing of street traffic flows etc that drives me mad. You have to take it for granted that something might have changed each time you drive around the city centre

zagmund

I've given up driving into Dublin city at this stage. Coming in from the Donnybrook area, it just seems so hard to work out what route to take (in a car, not a taxi, bus, or bike) with all the restrictions.

Last time I came in with some friends who also hadn't been in by car for years - aiming for a shop on Liffey Street, we missed the one turn we could take (up the quays at Tara Street) and ended up all over the place, each time coming up against another 'no turn', 'no access', 'no cars allowed at all, at all' sign. We got near the area, just about but ended up back on the quays near Liberty Hall (near our missed turn) after 15 minutes driving time.

The only route I take which goes through town these days is down Leeson Street, across the Green, Cuffe Street and off towards the western side. Heading for O'Connell Street area . . . forget it.

Living on the 46A QBC helps a lot with the options.

z

bmaxi

IIMII wrote: »

Feckin changing of street traffic flows etc that drives me mad. You have to take it for granted that something might have changed each time you drive around the city centre

Absolutely. I worked for Dublin bus, I also worked as a truck driver and a van courier and knew hundreds of short cuts all over the city.
I moved out of Dublin about ten years ago and I get more frustrated every time I come back.

dereko1969

well things staying the same was working an absolute treat obviously!

don't know how the person looking for liffey street ended up back near liberty hall, it's really not that difficult to find your way around town. why did you bother driving into town anyway from donnybrook? you'd have been on o'connell street in 15 minutes on a 46a and you wouldn't have had to spend time or money looking for a car parking space.

zagmund

I was at a bus stop waiting for a bus when they passed by and offered me a lift.

They were driving because they had a child asleep in the car and it was 'easier' to drive in than to wake the child up to get a bus.

We got back to Liberty Hall by going up Talbot Street, along Marlborough Street and onto the quays. Yes, we could have gone to the Irish Life car park on Abbey Street, but the thought was that someone could jump out at Liffey Street, buy the thing, jump back in and everyone (except me) could head home again.

z

bmaxi

dereko1969 wrote: »

well things staying the same was working an absolute treat obviously!

don't know how the person looking for liffey street ended up back near liberty hall, it's really not that difficult to find your way around town. why did you bother driving into town anyway from donnybrook? you'd have been on o'connell street in 15 minutes on a 46a and you wouldn't have had to spend time or money looking for a car parking space.

I don't think anyone is saying that it is worse now. In my case it's frustrating to take a particular route, confident that it will lead to a certain destination, getting three quarters of the way there and finding, often for no good or obvious reason, a particular right or left turn or throughway is closed off. I'll get over it in time.

KC61

zagmund wrote: »

I've given up driving into Dublin city at this stage. Coming in from the Donnybrook area, it just seems so hard to work out what route to take (in a car, not a taxi, bus, or bike) with all the restrictions.

Last time I came in with some friends who also hadn't been in by car for years - aiming for a shop on Liffey Street, we missed the one turn we could take (up the quays at Tara Street) and ended up all over the place, each time coming up against another 'no turn', 'no access', 'no cars allowed at all, at all' sign. We got near the area, just about but ended up back on the quays near Liberty Hall (near our missed turn) after 15 minutes driving time.

The only route I take which goes through town these days is down Leeson Street, across the Green, Cuffe Street and off towards the western side. Heading for O'Connell Street area . . . forget it.

Living on the 46A QBC helps a lot with the options.

z

Thinking about it the only route that would work would be N11/Fitzwilliam Place/Merrion Square East/Holles Street/Erne Street/Pearse Street/Tara Street/Burgh Quay/O'Connell Street/Middle Abbey Street/Liffey Street.

The key point is the turn off Tara Street. Otherwise you're kiboshed!!!

I think that we need to realise that part of all of this is an effort to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, and with the impending review of the bus network and schedules hopefully this will become a more attractive option.

dereko1969

well the other option would have been going down leeson street then across to kevin street then right down to christchurch over the bridge then along the quays and then hoping to find an empty loading bay/parking spot on the quays and waiting there for the person to shop on liffey street.

obviously doesn't leave you bang on liffey street (though you could go on to o'connell street then down middle abbey st/liffey st if you wanted)

zagmund

KC61 wrote: »

Thinking about it the only route that would work would be N11/Fitzwilliam Place/Merrion Square East/Holles Street/Erne Street/Pearse Street/Tara Street/Burgh Quay/O'Connell Street/Middle Abbey Street/Liffey Street.

The key point is the turn off Tara Street. Otherwise you're kiboshed!!!

I think that we need to realise that part of all of this is an effort to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, and with the impending review of the bus network and schedules hopefully this will become a more attractive option.

Yep, we missed our turn and were indeed kiboshed. Every time we came to somewhere that would bring us back on track in the old days we came across a restriction. As you say, it is designed to get people out of their cars and it is working. We're in agreement on that one - I don't drive into town anymore, so it is working. This was the one time I have driven (or been driven really) into town in years and even then the bus was my first choice.

z

DWCommuter

College Green was still a busy place circa 1970.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV38ygpbcbU

BrianD

Anybody find that the lane markings favour the buses and not regular traffic that use the area outside of the controled hours? It doesn't aid good lane driving. Could they not putin some sort of secondary marking to keep traffic in the correct lanes as they come around to the green from D'Olier St?

gurramok

Day1 of the rail commuter on the roads(that bridge collapse), it was a nightmare in both directions on Amiens st around 5pm.
Southbound was gridlocked all the way back to the Five Lamps because of City Quay right hand turns.Took nearly a half hour to go all the way down the street from the Five Lamps.

Northbound, well, was backed all the way to Pearse st and beyond!!

Jip

And the post summer rush hasn't even begun yet. While College Green might be nice and peaceful, all the council have to do is take their head out of their arse and try commute/drive between the north and southside and vice versa in the mornings and evenings too see how much of a mess anywhere east of O'Connell bridge has become.

Scruff

I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that there is now a bottle neck on the bus route i take into town for work up around Christchurch at the junction of Thomas St and High St. The lights completely favour traffic coming over the bridge from the north side onto High St trying to get on to Nicholas St so that they completely block access to the left lane on High St which is now almost exclusively only used by buses from Thomas St trying to go down Dame St. (Also long delays if yer in a car coming from Thomas St and are trying to get to Nicholas St.) Has the council changed light sequences as a result of this new bus college green bus corridor or is it actively looking at all at the effects of it?
A change in the lights sequence or at least a yellow box might be helpful...

MOH

monument wrote: »

It's not active on the weekend.

And both of those points allow uninformed drives to turn around.

As for being uninformed -- it was advertised on the electronic information signs around the city for weeks before, traffic alerts have still been mentions it this week, there were a load of newspaper articles and radio segments mentioning it.

Which is fine if you live in the city, or even the country. Not everyone who will be driving through it does. And while it gives uninformed drivers a chance to turn around, it doesn't really give them much of a clue about where they should be going next.

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

You're assuming that drivers are not deliberately trying their luck. Deliberate law-breaking is quite common among drivers.

I'm assuming that at least some people will practically reach college green before finding they're not allowed through since there's sod all advance warning

confused-dazed

the only thing i can say about this is.
less than a month in and it's already a complete failure.

markpb

confused-dazed wrote: »

the only thing i can say about this is.
less than a month in and it's already a complete failure.

As a pedestrian, cyclist and bus passenger, I think it's fantastic. There are occasional delays for bus users on the quays which I'm sure will be fixed in time but overall I think it's fantastic.

Edit: Out of curiosity, can you tell us your journey and where you're delayed?

techdiver

confused-dazed wrote: »

the only thing i can say about this is.
less than a month in and it's already a complete failure.

Obviously not a statement by a bus user on the route. It is designed to improve the bus flow through college green and not to ease traffic for car users who choose to drive as opposed to use public transport. I think it has been a great success!

MaceFace

techdiver wrote: »

Obviously not a statement by a bus user on the route. It is designed to improve the bus flow through college green and not to ease traffic for car users who choose to drive as opposed to use public transport. I think it has been a great success!

Some people don't have the luxury of public transport unless they park in the Red Cow park (and pay) and ride and then get a luas and a bus on top of that.

What I wouldn't give to be able to get a bus to work!!!
My current commute:
Drive - 40 mins
Public Transport - 1 hour 25mins (and have to work to the CIE schedule, not mine)

KC61

Out of curiosity Maceface what is your commute?

techdiver

MaceFace wrote: »

Some people don't have the luxury of public transport unless they park in the Red Cow park (and pay) and ride and then get a luas and a bus on top of that.

What I wouldn't give to be able to get a bus to work!!!
My current commute:
Drive - 40 mins
Public Transport - 1 hour 25mins (and have to work to the CIE schedule, not mine)

Unfortunately the big pictures rules here. Many people who use cars in the city do so because the choose to do so. I have had many people say to me that they have no choice and have to drive. Many of these live within walking distance of public transport and are too lazy to walk there.