BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

tgdaly · 15-11-2023 5:34pm

I couldn't find any information on journey times. I note that the new S2 route connects Heuston Station to a stop near Baggot Street (Waterloo Road). Currently I get the 26 bus from Parkgate Street to Merrion Square. Just wondering would the new S2 be any quicker?

TheChrisD · 15-11-2023 5:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121372182#Comment_121372182

God no. An orbital won't be quicker in this instance since you're far closer to a direct route. 26 will likely remain faster for now; things may change when that's replaced with the 80.

loco_scolo · 16-11-2023 9:19am

I noticed a section of Drumcondra road, along the big trees between lower and upper Drumcondra, is now 24hrs bus lane.

Not sure if the entire route from the airport has been made 24hrs. In the section nearest town, cars park in the bus lane after 7pm when it's still extremely busy, which I always thought was madness.

rx8 · 16-11-2023 9:56am

It's 24 hrs. Mon-Sun, from the Whitehall flyover all the way to Drumcondra station. The new signs went up last weekend.

loco_scolo · 16-11-2023 10:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374188#Comment_121374188

That's great, and well overdue, but also a bummer for me personally!! I always use the bus lane after hours and it helps avoid the constant horrific traffic on that route!

The 24hr operation is important, as I believe people will be less likely to abuse it. If it's open some of the time, it's easy to abuse that.

Jamie2k9 · 16-11-2023 10:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374229#Comment_121374229

It will be abused regardless unless there is proper enforcement.

loco_scolo · 16-11-2023 10:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374265#Comment_121374265

It will be abused, but I'm sure it will be reduced significantly with a 24hr bus lane. The variance of bus lane operating times across the city reduces how serious people take them (maybe that's just me?).

7-10am, open again 10-12, some only operate 4-7pm, others are Mon-Fri or Mon-Sat. All lanes should be 24/7 without question.

AngryLips · 16-11-2023 11:41am

Regarding phase 5b: they really should extend the 74 further East or north instead of contributing to the blight that is the wall of busses idling on Eden Quay.

LXFlyer · 16-11-2023 4:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374610#Comment_121374610

At a bus every 30 mins that won’t be “idling” it’s not really an issue. Terminating buses will be parked up with the engine switched off. The 74 is the only route that will terminate on Eden Quay (either side of the road).

All other buses on Eden Quay (D & G Spines, 58, 60, 71 & 72) will be passing through and not terminating (unless there’s no driver to take over). If they are changing driver they have to switch the engine off in any case.

The longer you make a route, the more drivers and buses you need to deliver the service.

Pale Red · 16-11-2023 7:56pm

Will there be changes to current routes to use the bus lanes included in this upgrade? E.g. will 39A use it instead of junction 3.

Hippodrome Song Owl · 16-11-2023 10:09pm

If someone currently gets the 76a from Ballyfermot to Blanchardstown SC, what will the situation be when these upcoming changes are implemented?

Qrt · 16-11-2023 10:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121377642#Comment_121377642

S4 to LV then W4

Not ideal but given the 76a is something like six times a day I’d still call it an improvement.

bikeman1 · 16-11-2023 10:57pm

Does anyone know if Dorest St. is 24 hours too? I haven’t been that way, but saw the signs at Whitehall.

It’s a great move, but it will slow me down for when I drive to Drumcondra area. However the bus Lane being 24 hours will help compliance.

They have a spot that they stand in going outbound at Plunkett College.

Hippodrome Song Owl · 16-11-2023 11:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121377660#Comment_121377660

Not ideal mostly because of the horrific interchange situation at LV. A lot of older people using the 76a to get to Blanch from Ballyfermot. They'll struggle with this.

Citrus_8 · 17-11-2023 1:47am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121377883#Comment_121377883

At least a more regular and frequent service.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 5:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121377883#Comment_121377883

There are always going to be winners and losers with a network change.

I’d have to say that given the 76a only operates 7 times a day at peak hour Monday to Friday you may be overstating the problem by saying “a lot”. Some yes, but let’s not go overboard here.

I do have some sympathy for people who are being discommoded by changes, but let’s be honest here, the W4 is a massive improvement in service provision. It’s an all day service operating seven days a week. There are significantly more frequent services being delivered on the S4 through Ballyfermot than the 76 too.

There has to be a balance in how you provide the service, and that will mean some people having to change.

Hippodrome Song Owl · 17-11-2023 7:02am

I welcome the increased frequency and personally have no problem with having to switch buses to achieve that. The W4 is a great new addition.

But the situation at Liffey Valley is unacceptable. I interchange between buses on the N4 and buses at the new hub in the centre at least twice a day. The more I use it, the more angry I become at how this has been allowed to happen, and how NTA or whoever gets away with misrepresenting this interchange as straightforward on all their Bus Connects publications.

If the new bridge couldn't be put in place in the foreseeable time frame, then the new hub should have been constructed to link up with the existing one.

lateconnection · 17-11-2023 8:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374610#Comment_121374610

Fully agree, they could extend it down to the G1/G2 terminus in Spencer Dock.

To be honest I am surprised that the 74 has been proposed as a route at all. It uses an incredibly elongated and indirect route to get into town from Rathfarnham. I can't see it being heavily-used.

Perhaps closer to Crumlin it will be well-used, as it goes straight into town via Cork Street from there, which is the most direct route into town from that neck of the woods. But I can't see many going the whole way into town on the 74 from Rathfarnham, Terenure, Ballinteer or Whitechurch. I thought this was the type of excessively indirect and infrequent route typical of the current system that Busconnects was trying to move away from.

I think a better local solution would have been to make the 161 (Dundrum-Rockbrook via Whitechurch) a more frequent local service, perhaps every 20 minutes, and with a slight route deviation to use the proposed 74 route through Ballinteer. Yeah Whitechurch would lose a direct bus to the city, but would gain a far more frequent connection to Dundrum, where people can hop onto the Luas and get into town quickly and reliably, and of course Dundrum Town Centre too. This is one of the main trip generators locally obviously, there aren't a whole load of trips generated between Crumlin, Cork Street and Whitechurch. Which is why I'm a bit puzzled as to why they are going ahead with the 74. But time will tell if it's a success.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 8:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121378513#Comment_121378513

I think you’re being too narrow in your focus. The 74 is not solely about Whitechurch. It’s about serving the communities all along the bus route, and it is effectively replacing the western half of the 17 between Rathfarnham and Dolphin’s Barn.

If you’re trying to say that no one uses the 17 for short trips between various stops from Rathfarnham and Dolphin’s Barn, then I’d suggest you go out and look again, because plenty of people do and they would have no bus service if this route wasn’t provided.

For Whitechurch residents going to the city centre this bus will provide a direct link to the LUAS and a much faster trip to the city with no fare penalty, while still linking to the A Spine, 85 & S6 at Rathfarnham.

It’s not a bus route that people will use end to end, but one that people will use for shorter journeys all along the route, so that you’ll see, like on the 17, a fairly constant turnover of passengers. You need those kind of routes too.

A bus network needs a combination of local community bus routes, direct spine routes and direct orbital routes. There’s no one size fits all.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 8:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121378486#Comment_121378486

You are being far too short term in your outlook here. This is a long term project to deliver improved bus services.

Expecting everything to be in place all at once given the planning constraints at the moment isn’t realistic, nor is moving the bus station.

The new bus station is a huge improvement over the old bus terminus, and the “interchange” element of the bus station will be used far more with passengers switching between the S4 and W2.

I don’t think that there was ever any indication that the new bridge would be in place before the CBC infrastructure works happened, so I don’t know where you’re getting that idea from.

As I say, this is a long term investment project and that means that for some of the time there will be less than optimal situations. But it’s a much shorter walk from the new bus station to the C Spine than that from the old terminus.

VonLuck · 17-11-2023 9:37am

I see there's a commencement notice in at the Broadstone depot for the "construction of front E-House for new electric vehicle charging infrastructure". Does this link directly with the upcoming Bus Connects routes in any way? I know there were talks about a lack of charging infrastructure to get some up and running so hopefully this paves the way for future routes.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 10:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121378667#Comment_121378667

This is more to do with getting the electric buses into service rather than specific BusConnects routes. There are more than enough older buses in storage to facilitate new routes other than the “O” route (which needs single decks due to the low bridge at Macken Street) - lack of drivers is the real problem.

According to the latest edition of Buses Magazine, Summerhill should have their charging points in by the end of November and Phibsboro will be done by the end of the year. The latter will facilitate the introduction of the “O” route next year.

CatInABox · 17-11-2023 10:35am

I don’t think that there was ever any indication that the new bridge would be in place before the CBC infrastructure works happened, so I don’t know where you’re getting that idea from.

Honestly, I can understand it. Back when BusConnects was announced, there was much confusion over what infrastructure projects would be part of the Network Changes, and which would be part of the Core Corridors projects, and unless you follow it closely on here, or read the planning applications, then there's no easy way to tell which should belong in which.

There's no real way of explaining to people that the interchange station belongs in the network changes, while the bridge to make that interchange station truly useful belongs in the CC projects, at least not easily anyway. Most people posting more than once or twice in here would probably know, but the average person? No, I can totally understand them on this.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 10:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121378851#Comment_121378851

Fair point on the confusion.

dublinbusdude · 17-11-2023 2:44pm

Noticed that the new TFI bus stops are popping up on Killininny Road yesterday evening in time for the S8 route!

mikeybhoy · 17-11-2023 3:22pm

Yeah noticed them around the DL area for the S8 and L25 too

p_haugh · 17-11-2023 3:56pm

The booklets are being distributed at the moment as well, got mine in the letterbox this morning!

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 4:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121380555#Comment_121380555

They really need copies on board every bus serving south and west Dublin as well.

This phase is by far the biggest shake up of city bus routes yet and it’s going to take a lot of explaining to people.

The disjointed notifications are really disappointing - no mention of the extra trips on the 14, 44d and 161 on the TFI page replacing part of the 75 and 61, and both DB and GAI only giving info about their own routes on their websites rather than the big picture.

This is such a big change and people should not have to worry about who operates the routes to get up to date information.

p_haugh · 17-11-2023 4:07pm

I remember there being booklets on buses prior to the C Spine launch, was on a bus out to Lucan about a week before it launched.

LXFlyer · 17-11-2023 4:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121380609#Comment_121380609

Yes but that was on a route that was changing.

These changes could potentially offer alternatives to people using other routes that aren’t changing - hence they need to maximise the publicity across the network.

BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

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