Potential for €10 congestion charge, parking increases of 400% and a 20kmh reduction in speed limits

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120571102#Comment_120571102

It’s gotten as good as it gets if we decide we’re not bothered to implement improvements like this.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-49263375

Its not rocket surgery.

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120570889#Comment_120570889

The 41c doesn't go to the airport. You are probably thinking of the 41. The 41c is absolutely held up by traffic. I used to get it a lot. At peak time it takes ages and it is because there are loads of cars in its way. Including those that are illegally using the bus lane. That isn't from time to time either. Bus lane usage and parking is rampant. I have taken the 41c at non peak hours and it absolutely flies it. I agree with you that rail based transport is better for many reasons but there are definitely huge improvements that can be made for buses.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120573532#Comment_120573532

Nothing new there.

TBH you could fill this thread with bad stuff that is happening in other countries.

Beta Ray Bill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120571764#Comment_120571764

This is the million dollar question... where the hell are all these people going? I don't have the answer.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120573542#Comment_120573542

People need to turn left or park and enter the bus lane for a few moments, it's just a fact of life. I get when you extrapolate that out it's thousands of cars but the only solution there is to add a heap of no left turns on busy junctions, but that wont work either.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120573739#Comment_120573739

I haven't seen that plan laid out in any manifesto but this thread is about traffic management in our cities and commuting.

The decisions about these matters are ours to make.

Tenzor07

Interesting, seems like these congestion charges and parking cost increases are linked with "Big Pedestrian" and "NWO’s plot called The Great Recycle to turn everyone into a bicycle."

https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2023/05/09/the-real-sinister-reasons-dublin-city-council-is-banning-private-cars-from-college-green/

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574265#Comment_120574265

You really do go off your rocker when anything involving the environment or alternatives to cars comes up. Normally you're going on about lycra by now your favourite fetish.

Anyway, what's up with Irish Twitter thinking any measures like this are some WEF conspiracy to keep us all in zones etc.?

AlmightyCushion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120573928#Comment_120573928

There are plenty of people who drive in bus lanes like it is a normal lane or just straight up park in it. I saw it with my own eyes for years when I was on the 41/41c/33 commuting. The bus would get stuck behind a long line of cars all illegally in the bus lane. Fix that and it will improve the bus service. Start removing traffic in general and it would speed it up even more. That is why there is such a difference in commute times by bus on and off peak.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574265#Comment_120574265

People in other countries probably don't particularly care how we manage traffic and commuting in our cities but we should.

Commuters still need to get to jobs in the city centre and in outlying areas.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574614#Comment_120574614

if that was the case why is there more investment in public transport now than we've ever had?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574614#Comment_120574614

Nobody from any party has ever said that walking or cycling is suitable for everyone.

All the politicians and civil servants know that the car will be the answer for many for a long time yet.

Why wouldn't they when they use cars themselves ?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574614#Comment_120574614

Who exactly is saying that?

All I've heard is that people who don't need to drive should be able to have the option of efficient public transport or active travel.

I don't recall anyone from a "numpty brigade" of any colour suggesting that everyone needs to stop using cars - that is just in people's heads because it suits whatever narrative is bouncing around in there!

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574784#Comment_120574784

How do you get world leading public transportation when a few dickheads in their cars are blocking bus lanes?

As for the "green taxes and charges", some of these aren't green despite the deliberate attempt to portray them as such. They are proposed for various reasons including to discourage people driving into already congested cities. Other aspects are for safety reasons and not necessarily part of a green agenda. Speed limit reductions in urban areas is in-part to enable people who choose to cycle to make the decision to do so. Hopefully then most of our population won't be as overweight as they currently are - this has massive benefits for our health systems.

But some out there think the ability to drive door to door is a God-given right and think this is a hill worth dying on. Fine. If you want to sit in your car then that is your choice but your preference on how to travel should not be give priority over others who choose to travel more sustainably, who choose to travel more efficiently. Nobody is proposing to take your car from you but in order to make mass transit better, something has to give and that something is the priorisation that was previously handed over to drivers.

rogue-entity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120320410#Comment_120320410

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120320533#Comment_120320533

More sanctimonious disingenuous and antagonistic rubbish, if folks live outside of the big urban areas whether by choice or by price, then either propose convenient and workable public transport options, or leave them and their cars alone. Simples.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575009#Comment_120575009

yeah you may just need to keep your car out of the city centre, it's not that big a deal. park it somewhere and take public transport in.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575009#Comment_120575009

So in your view, someone coming from outside a city should have the right to bring their car in because they've to travel a long distance? That's nonsense. The same rules will apply to everyone. If an area is routinely congested then measures need to be put in place to prevent that congestion - waving your rural passport won't be a reason to avoid those measures.

As for your suggestion to "propose convenient and workable public transport options" - what do you think they are trying to do? Public transport has never seen the amount of change that it has in the last few years. It has never seen the amount of funding it is currently seeing. Change is currently happening despite the tantrums of some drivers.

Lastly, your comment "leave them and their cars alone" - nobody is trying to stop you or me owning a car or from being able to drive it. What they are doing is making other options available including convenient and workable public transport, just as you yourself suggested! However, to do so means that road space and prioritisation cannot continue being handed over to for the sole use of people who make the choice to drive into a congested area.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575197#Comment_120575197

I'm being realistic. Bus lanes will be the cornerstone of any public transport options here for the coming decades simply because any kind of metro system will require a long time to plan and develop.

However, I repliued to your post before you edited it, adding in the bit about the metro line from Swords. Incidentally, a single metro line which has already taken years to get to where it currently is, is not "world leading public transportation"!

FishOnABike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575120#Comment_120575120

What is needed is park and ride on all major approaches to congested urban areas. High quality, high frequency orbital and radial public transport routes that allow someone to get to their destination with no more than one change. Daily and weekly public transport within the park and ride zone limited to €4/€5 per day or €20/€25 per week. Then people might see using public transport as being appealing.

There should be no congestion charge outside the times when peak hours / high frequency public transport is operating.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575584#Comment_120575584

These options are taking decades because green numpties are dead set on killing any and all infrastructure in this country

Care to give some examples of this claim?

all so cycle greenways can be built at a per kilometre cost higher than 4 lane motorway

Which greenway is being built at a cost higher than a 4 lane motorway?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575642#Comment_120575642

Ah so your claim that greenways were being built at this high cost is not correct then. You deliberately cherry pick one complex part of the overall Royal Canal Greenway project which also includes contingency costs (the rest of the RCG is working out relatively inexpensively)...

https://irishcycle.com/2023/03/03/why-is-a-2-1km-section-of-the-royal-canal-greenway-costing-e30-8-million/

You could also compare the cost against the money so far spent on the GCRR which although about the same amount, the GCRR hasn't even had a sod turned (and probably won't)!

I'd also point out that the RCG development has pretty much nothing to do with any "green numpties" unless you can identify a particular council it passes through which is led by the Green Party?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575723#Comment_120575723

WTF are you on about now?

rogue-entity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575060#Comment_120575060

That's something that should/would work for a majority I would expect.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575120#Comment_120575120

"You moved to a place that needs a car to get everywhere, then complain about you need car." The complaint is the suggestion that car ownership should be punished, made inconvenient and discouraged while ignoring the reality of life where no alternative exists, which is what I took issue with.

I'll admit I've seen some changes, but I'm still waiting for proposals to connect the Airports to the rail network, or introduce a proper underground in Dublin, Light Rail in Cork, Limerick, Galway, expansion of the Heavy rail network to improve connections, fixing the 1990s ticketing system that's disconnected between the Bus/Luas and Rail services (though no country has quite nailed that, Germany and Netherlands come close though)

Lastly, thank you, we agree on that

Fogmatic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120350557#Comment_120350557

A bit off topic, but the HSE website has been out of date every time I've looked for something there. (Today, it said my nearest pharmacy is doing Covid boosters, but when I rang them, nope).

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120575120#Comment_120575120

I wonder would they provide a number of safe secure places to park around the outskirts of the city (like a park and ride) and perhaps some sort of a secure locker system you could depend on for safe storage of personal transportation in a number of key areas near city center, southside etc (like escooters, ebikes etc...preferably subsidised to encourage people to not bring the car into the city centre and so that you dont have to get on a shuttle bus to a predefined location and then another connecting bus which introduces delay and frustration

The standard MO always seems to be introduce charges but do **** all to provide much in the way of reasonable and convenient alternatives, personally speaking if there was any kind of reasonable alternative for me I would take it.....Id actually like to be able to get in and out of Dublin without taking a car, for one I could have a couple of drinks as I wouldn't be driving home...maybe not a great reason but if they did have reasonable alternatives it could actually be beneficial to the city centre in terms of an additional influx of people coming in for reasons like a night out etc etc

If they would think about doing something like that I personally would be less inclined to bring a car but without options like that why the **** would I park somewhere like liffey valley and wait for a poxy bus (especially in bad weather) ill just pay the charge and it will have gotten more expensive to do what I always do and I'd wager the city centre will still be congested anyway, I think that's one reason why people object to a lot of this......Its always slap a charge on it...if the system was half as eager to slap consequences on wasters/layabouts and recidivist criminals I might be more accepting too

If I think about getting a train in for me...you book a seat, that wont be there when you get on the train, so it will be standing room only a lot of the time and the service is infrequent and sometimes wont get me there on time and to a station where Id need to get an expensive taxi to my final destination, Id rather spend the money driving the car tbh......

I also ride a motorcycle, they take up way less space, what about providing some secure subsidized spaces for those for parking in the city centre?...maybe its only 5% of road users but it could relieve the congestion somewhat....on a good day I've occasionally ridden one in from down the country, id consider doing it more often if there was some additional carrot like the above, perhaps others would too?

If they are throwing money at public transport then maybe increase the frequency of train services going in and out of Dublin from other counties and put enough carriages on that people can actually have a seat on said train and **** scumbags off them during off peak hours + make the price lower than what you would burn in diesel/petrol and parking fees...it would need to be as the convenience of your own car particularly if you are shopping or have bulky items cant be understated

TBH I'm not sure a congestion charge on its own at this point will accomplish much apart from irk a lot of people and if it does then it might just allow the more affluent a less congested area to blast through in their Porsches, Bugattis and Tesla Roadsters while the plebs stand nose to nose in a double decker. inhaling antos pungent BO mixed with the smell of frustration, boredom and hash at best....but time will tell I suppose..........