Anyone noticing knock on effect of new Luas line?

humberklog

I get the 15 bus from the northside to George's St. Monday to Wednesday and normally going past the Custom House about 9.55.
It might be extra xmas traffic but the bus is taking a lot longer to get from Connolly to Eden Quay since Luas cross started working.
Traffic on the south quays from O'Connell Bridge to Matt Talbot bridge is now more often than not backed right up the northside (hindering my bus).

A chap in work living on Pearse St. has said that since Luas started he's noticed a knock on effect of more traffic backed up too.

I don't notice it so much on way home (George's St. back across city) but I'm usually leaving town between 10-11.30p.m.

Anyone notice their bus journey getting longer since the new Luas route?

miamee

Yep, the quays have been chockablock all week. I'm getting a 39/39A/39X all of which turn onto the north quays from Blackhall Place and all week they have just been inching along to the bus stop. I hope it's only teething problems and won't be like this permanently.

D3V!L

I get the 27 / 151 from Connolly to Drimnagh, some days since the new line came on i've noticed zero traffic and others its been back to back.

I think I'll reserve judgement until the Christmas rush is over.

cgcsb

A few weeks ago DCC said it was closing Bachelor's walk to through car traffic, all cars would have to turn right from Bachelors walk onto O'Connell St. However they chickened out when confronted by car park owners and that's why we have the present delays. There are new longer trams entering service in February that are too long to fit on O'Connell street so the light sequence will have to be changed to allow them get from Westmoreland street to the GPO in one go. That means more red time for Bachelors walk so basically at that point a car ban will more/less have to be brought in to allow buses a reasonable amount of road space.

jon1981

The luas isn't even operating a full schedule yet. I expect it to get worse once this happens, if it's ever possible to run it every 3 mins at peak.

awec

The Luas scheduling is a complete mess at the moment.

cgcsb

the planned level of service is contingent on
a) a permanent car ban on college green (no action on that, cars are still driving down college green off peak, and during rush hour mind because there is no enforcement)
b) A left turn only for cars at Bachelor's walk onto O'Connell street (no action on that as of yet)
c) A taxi ban on CG, again nada
d) A pedestrian plaza blocking east-west bus movements (oral hearing to start in January), this will require a radical redesign of Dublin Bus services.
e) More trams coming into service. We're due to get the new trams in Feb I think until then we're just spreading the old trams out further.

You might ask why on earth this wasn't done 4 years ago at the start of construction, it would've even made construction a good bit smoother. The answer to that question is....Ireland, specifically DCC.

kingtut

Erm random question but does anyone remember what buses used to leave from the corner of O'Connell St and Eden Quay? Where yellow and red flag is in pic ... it's for a history project.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3476191,-6.259088,3a,75y,101h,86.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1suXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DuXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D13.633722%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Dr Brown

If they had any common sense they would of put the Luas underground from day one.

.G.

Dr Brown wrote:

If they had any common sense they would of put the Luas underground from day one.

Common sense ain't that common.

L1011

Blame Mary O'Rourke and general FF ruralism for Luas being on surface and unconnected for 13 years

wiz569

kingtut wrote: »

Erm random question but does anyone remember what buses used to leave from the corner of O'Connell St and Eden Quay? Where yellow and red flag is in pic ... it's for a history project.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3476191,-6.259088,3a,75y,101h,86.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1suXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DuXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D13.633722%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

There were quite a few along that bus lane,which used to run the opposite direction including the 65/a/b and the 77/a/b

jimmycrackcorm

cgcsb wrote:

You might ask why on earth this wasn't done 4 years ago at the start of construction, it would've even made construction a good bit smoother. The answer to that question is....Ireland, specifically DCC.

So you're suggesting that an action should have been taken then with nothing to gain for for years and only downsides. That would have gone down well then.

tuisginideach

kingtut wrote: »

Erm random question but does anyone remember what buses used to leave from the corner of O'Connell St and Eden Quay? Where yellow and red flag is in pic ... it's for a history project.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3476191,-6.259088,3a,75y,101h,86.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1suXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DuXngy8hmmg8uaRvxKZUkKQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D13.633722%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A, 8 (and maybe 45) in the 1970s ...

Zaph

tuisginideach wrote: »

5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A, 8 (and maybe 45) in the 1970s ...

No, the 45 left from Burgh Quay on the other side of the river.

The one knock-on effect of the Luas that I've noticed is that my train to Docklands has been much busier in the mornings, and quite a few people get off at Broombridge where previously someone getting off there in the morning was an extremely rare occurrence.

L1011

Even before I changed job 18 months ago the trains to Docklands in the morning were uncomfortably full - how on earth are they busier??

Zaph

L1011 wrote: »

Even before I changed job 18 months ago the trains to Docklands in the morning were uncomfortably full - how on earth are they busier??

Well I get an early one that gets to Docklands around 7.45am, and it used to be that I'd always get a seat on it getting on at Coolmine. Then a couple of months ago getting a seat became a thing of the past, but at least the number of people standing wasn't too bad so you could stand quite comfortably. But that has definitely changed quite a bit since last weekend.

WishUWereHere

cgcsb wrote: »

A few weeks ago DCC said it was closing Bachelor's walk to through car traffic, all cars would have to turn right from Bachelors walk onto O'Connell St. However they chickened out when confronted by car park owners and that's why we have the present delays. There are new longer trams entering service in February that are too long to fit on O'Connell street so the light sequence will have to be changed to allow them get from Westmoreland street to the GPO in one go. That means more red time for Bachelors walk so basically at that point a car ban will more/less have to be brought in to allow buses a reasonable amount of road space.

I always thought one had to turn left from Bachelor's Walk to enter O'Connell Street?

This entire project wasn't thought out clearly. You are right saying they are supposedly extending the trams, but surely You mean O'Connell BRIDGE, not O'Connell Street? Also while talkingof extending the trams, I hear they also have to extend the platforms....where is the foresight in this?

What pisses me off most is the amount of money spent sorting out the allocation of lanes to Busses & taxis on Bachelor's Walk. Every day I see private vehicles driving up bus lanes AND turning right towards D'Olier Street. Also who planned a bus having to turn right onto Parliament Street? Do they honestly expect private vehicles after facing queues to just let a bus cross from the inside bus lane to get onto Capel Bridge?

Victor

kingtut wrote: »

Erm random question but does anyone remember what buses used to leave from the corner of O'Connell St and Eden Quay? Where yellow and red flag is in pic ... it's for a history project.

In recent years, the 15s and the 49 also.

cgcsb

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

So you're suggesting that an action should have been taken then with nothing to gain for for years and only downsides. That would have gone down well then.

No, the benefits of better bus capacity and less congestion would have been immediate.

Interested Observer

I've had the misfortune of driving across the city before and recently after the cross city line opened and it was a complete mess beforehand and remains a complete mess afterwards. My journey times haven't really increased.

JupiterKid

Well, judging from being in the city Centre the past week, it has negatively affected busses that stop along the quays, making arrival and journey times longer and less reliable.

miamee

JupiterKid wrote: »

Well, judging from being in the city Centre the past week, it has negatively affected busses that stop along the quays, making arrival and journey times longer and less reliable.

It certainly has, I was expecting the traffic to be a bit lighter this week with people finishing up early for Christmas and it has been - up until we reach the quays. Then it's stop, start, stop start all the way down. Nightmare if this is to continue into the bleaker winter months.

RasTa

This just increases the need to bring in a car ban

Dr Brown

RasTa wrote: »

This just increases the need to bring in a car ban

I'd sooner ban the Luas.

kingtut

wiz569 wrote: »

There were quite a few along that bus lane,which used to run the opposite direction including the 65/a/b and the 77/a/b

Thanks

kingtut

Victor wrote: »

In recent years, the 15s and the 49 also.

Cheers

ongarboy

Zaph wrote: »

Well I get an early one that gets to Docklands around 7.45am, and it used to be that I'd always get a seat on it getting on at Coolmine. Then a couple of months ago getting a seat became a thing of the past, but at least the number of people standing wasn't too bad so you could stand quite comfortably. But that has definitely changed quite a bit since last weekend.

You're lucky most mornings to even get a seat now at Hansfield on the train that arrives in Dockland at 8:50am. This means train is standing room only after just two stops, M3Parkway and Dunboyne. This has been an issue this year only coinciding with increased employment/improving economy.

Gavin "shels"

ongarboy wrote: »

This has been an issue this year only coinciding with increased employment/improving economy.

That but also urban sprawl too.

no.8

Dr Brown wrote: »

RasTa wrote: »

This just increases the need to bring in a car ban

I'd sooner ban the Luas.

yawn (comment on the sheep-like comment). No offence but almost every new system in every country has teething problems. I live in a country known to be on a par with Japan in relation to rail travel yet there have still been issues when projects have been delivered and or new services introduced. 
How about we stop moaning about the introduction of new services and actually will them to overcome these issues. Its Christmas and the weather took a toll last week. Road users are getting used to the operational lines as are commuters. Things will work out, and we will have more choice / connectivity in the end. Do you want to go back to the 70's / 80's scenario in the likes of Tallaght (where i'm from) where there were no amenities, and very few services for a large population? 

I will add though that the extended trams should have already been in place (not sure if this is the fault of Transdev or Alstom).

jon1981

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Which man are we trying to be here? Perhaps we need abit of both? System change often requires accommodations from all parties involved in the system.