Dublin - BusConnects

Zebra3

Hurrache wrote: »

The N4 is not a motorway.

Really????

tobsey

Zebra3 wrote: »

Really????

No, not until the Leixlip exit when it becomes the M4. The bus lanes are all on the N4.

Zebra3

That went over your head.

My point is the N4 hard shoulder is now a bus lane.

No reason why the same can’t be done for the M50.

Seth Brundle

Zebra3 wrote: »

That went over your head.

My point is the N4 hard shoulder is now a bus lane.

No reason why the same can’t be done for the M50.

Where would you put the bus stops?

Hurrache

Zebra3 wrote: »

That went over your head.

My point is the N4 hard shoulder is now a bus lane.

No reason why the same can’t be done for the M50.

Because the M50 is a motorway, and it's dangerous and hazardous.

Zebra3

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Where would you put the bus stops?

I don’t think anyone is contemplating bus stops on a motorway.

OldMrBrennan83

There's no hard shoulder wide enough all the way up the M50 anyway.

L1011

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

There's no hard shoulder wide enough all the way up the M50 anyway.

Bingo. It dissappears under some junctions and over some underbridges.

Zebra3

That can become the problem of the private motorist.

OldMrBrennan83

Zebra3 wrote: »

That can become the problem of the private motorist.

You won't see lanes removed from the M50 no matter how many times you say it. Won't happen.

Hurrache

It's not just about road space, it's problematic each time the hard shoulder meets an auxiliary lane or slip road and the danger that comes with a bus trying to go straight and a continuous line of traffic trying to exit at the same time, and the occasions in which emergency vehicles of all types need to utilise the hard shoulder.

It's a non runner from the outset.

Kfagan10

Hurrache wrote: »

It's not just about road space, it's problematic each time the hard shoulder meets an auxiliary lane or slip road and the danger that comes with a bus trying to go straight and a continuous line of traffic trying to exit at the same time, and the occasions in which emergency vehicles of all types need to utilise the hard shoulder.


Exactly. The N4 (As it used to be, all the way from Heuston westwards) only hits slip roads at Lucan (Woodies), and only the Xpresso buses bypass these, the rest turn off into Lucan village.

So bus lanes only go by 2 slip roads, compared to however many exits are on the M50, filled with thicks who can barely drive doing 120 plus.

CatInABox

I see that the one of the founders of the Dublin Inquirer has been put forward for a massive news award, the Orwell Prize for Journalism. I have to admit, I didn't think that they'd even be eligible for something like that, they're so small, and so local, but their articles and deep dive investigations have really put all the other papers in Ireland to shame. Their article on BusConnects alone was hands down the best reporting on the subject, capturing both sides of the issue perfectly, and it didn't resort to "won't someone think of the children/blind people/disabled users/etc" hysteria about it that the Irish Times has engaged in.

It's ironic then that I have to link to the Irish Times to tell you about it.

See here.

cgcsb

Despite recent pronouncements, Everything at the NTA seems to be remaining a go at this time. The second draft of the network redesign is to be out for consultation in September. My understanding is that the peak-hour only (Xpresso) buses are to be significantly increased and this is the main difference with the previous iteration.

Also, the current plan is that interchange hubs will be built at Blanch, LV, Tallaght and UCD BEFORE the new network starts. The Phasing of the implementation of the new network will be focused on these hubs.

OldMrBrennan83

cgcsb wrote: »

Despite recent pronouncements, Everything at the NTA seems to be remaining a go at this time. The second draft of the network redesign is to be out for consultation in September. My understanding is that the peak-hour only (Xpresso) buses are to be significantly increased and this is the main difference with the previous iteration.

Also, the current plan is that interchange hubs will be built at Blanch, LV, Tallaght and UCD BEFORE the new network starts. The Phasing of the implementation of the new network will be focused on these hubs.

I'm totally against the hubs but they're going ahead they need to be built fully and properly before this starts, and not just given a location with work to commence sometime.

LXFlyer

cgcsb wrote: »

Despite recent pronouncements, Everything at the NTA seems to be remaining a go at this time. The second draft of the network redesign is to be out for consultation in September. My understanding is that the peak-hour only (Xpresso) buses are to be significantly increased and this is the main difference with the previous iteration.

Also, the current plan is that interchange hubs will be built at Blanch, LV, Tallaght and UCD BEFORE the new network starts. The Phasing of the implementation of the new network will be focused on these hubs.

Given the increased frequencies on many routes now (both orbital and radial) throughout the day compared with the original proposal I think you may be understating the differences that will be needed.

That being said, it would appear that some realities have set in at the NTA. Putting the infrastructure in place beforehand should always have been a pre-requisite.

CatInABox

LXFlyer wrote: »

That being said, it would appear that some realities have set in at the NTA. Putting the infrastructure in place beforehand should always have been a pre-requisite.

Honestly, this seems like a political sleight of hand. They were always going to do the hubs and a small amount of infrastructure changes beforehand, so to me, it sounds like they're just restating that part of the plan and making it more explicit.

Looking forward to seeing what they come out with now.

cgcsb

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

I'm totally against the hubs

What?

LXFlyer

CatInABox wrote: »

Honestly, this seems like a political sleight of hand. They were always going to do the hubs and a small amount of infrastructure changes beforehand, so to me, it sounds like they're just restating that part of the plan and making it more explicit.

Looking forward to seeing what they come out with now.

You’re presuming an awful lot in the first part of the second sentence.

Past (and current) experience of rollouts of projects like this tells me to keep my expectations low. That way I’ll not be disappointed when they are yet again below what we should be getting.

Qrt

cgcsb wrote: »

Also, the current plan is that interchange hubs will be built at Blanch, LV, Tallaght and UCD BEFORE the new network starts. The Phasing of the implementation of the new network will be focused on these hubs.

I don’t think Tallaght was meant to have a proper hub system, just an extra bus stop bay. That’s what the BusConnects plan for the Greenhills Corridor how anyway. Pity really, the Square has had a hub style setup since it was built for many buses, it just needs a fair revamp.

cgcsb

Qrt wrote: »

I don’t think Tallaght was meant to have a proper hub system, just an extra bus stop bay. That’s what the BusConnects plan for the Greenhills Corridor how anyway. Pity really, the Square has had a hub style setup since it was built for many buses, it just needs a fair revamp.

I think it'll be marketed as such regardless

Hurrache

Qrt wrote: »

I don’t think Tallaght was meant to have a proper hub system, just an extra bus stop bay. That’s what the BusConnects plan for the Greenhills Corridor how anyway. Pity really, the Square has had a hub style setup since it was built for many buses, it just needs a fair revamp.

Do any buses go into the Square anymore? As you say I remember the area across from where the Atari Expo is/was used to be basically a bus station during the era of the local links with a lot of routes disseminating from within there. Haven't been there in years so no idea if it's at a lower scale now, or has been converted into parking.

LXFlyer

Hurrache wrote: »

Do any buses go into the Square anymore? As you say I remember the area across from where the Atari Expo is/was used to be basically a bus station during the era of the local links with a lot of routes disseminating from within there. Haven't been there in years so no idea if it's at a lower scale now, or has been converted into parking.

The 49, 56a, 75/a and 76/a all terminate there.

Stephen15

LXFlyer wrote: »

The 49, 56a, 75/a and 76/a all terminate there.

The 175 also goes into bus terminus area but doesn't terminate there as it continues on to Citywest and the Airport Hopper terminates there aswell.

LXFlyer

Stephen15 wrote: »

The 175 also goes into bus terminus area but doesn't terminate there as it continues on to Citywest and the Airport Hopper terminates there aswell.

The 175 doesn’t go into the Square.

It serves the stops along the road outside the Square like the 27, 54a, 65, and 77a.

Qrt

LXFlyer wrote: »

The 49, 56a, 75/a and 76/a all terminate there.

56a too!

LXFlyer

Qrt wrote: »

56a too!

Re-read the list you quoted :-)

Stephen15

LXFlyer wrote: »

The 175 doesn’t go into the Square.

It serves the stops along the road outside the Square like the 27, 54a, 65, and 77a.

Your right. According to Google maps it goes into the square but real time says it stops outside Google maps must be wrong.

LXFlyer

Stephen15 wrote: »

Your right. According to Google maps it goes into the square but real time says it stops outside Google maps must be wrong.

I know the bus routes! :-)

Qrt

LXFlyer wrote: »

Re-read the list you quoted :-)

Oopsie