Congestion charges For Dublin

[AZOffaly]

If you change the poll now, all the Yes votes will look as if they were voting for the congestion charges 'right now'.

I think it's safe enough to assume that most people are against congestion charges 'right now', but a lot would favour them if public transport was improved.

[Gnevin]

If you change the poll now, all the Yes votes will look as if they were voting for the congestion charges 'right now'.

I think it's safe enough to assume that most people are against congestion charges 'right now', but a lot would favour them if public transport was improved.

But voted no meaning no now , not no in the future 

[AZOffaly]

Yep. I'd say so.

[Bord na Mona man]

A buffer for the congestion charge might be to allow private operators start to open new routes where the demand picks up on.
As stated, the current transport model makes everyone converge onto O'Connell Street.
With the intransigent unions, rigid work practices and no incentive to improve service, Dublin Bus are not going to quickly respond to the changes in commuter behaviour.

[AZOffaly]

To be honest, I think we need a proper metro in Dublin. Either above or below ground. With interlinking lines running NorthSouth, East West, North East/Southwest and SouthEastNorthWest, with a 'Circle' line in the middle to join them all up.

[Son_of_Sam]

Not till major changes are made , for example why does nearly every bus still go into town , yet i can't get to every where else with out 2 or 3 bus. Orbital buses are needed . Also every area should have a O Connell street bus. The majoitiry of journeys are into town when i get the bus i have the option of the  4/4A/13/13A/19/19A/19C . All which run pretty much the same route and bring most people to the sample place town , o Connell street its madness

Have to agree Gnevin, I lived in Dublin for 5 years, and why there are not more East-West or North-South busses that go along other routes such as the North or South Circular, Tallaght to the Coast or Blanch to the Coast or Howth to Dalkey for examples or even a bus from up aroud Clare Hall to maybe Blackrock that uses the M50 at non-peak hours. 

[Sky Blue]

The bus mens Union are a law unto themselves and very resistant to any change. If properly managed a charge could help improve things but you'd need improved public transport as well.

[Gnevin]

The bus mens Union are a law unto themselves and very resistant to any change. If properly managed a charge could help improve things but you'd need improved public transport as well.

No they like change , once its the new people in who work under the new conditions

[thejuice]

Controversial congestion charge on way for city centre motorists
By Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
Monday February 25 2008


THE Government will today formally unveil controversial proposals for London-style congestion charges for Dublin and new "pay-as-you-drive" road pricing for our main roads.


The measures will cite international examples of where these initiatives have worked, such as congestion fees in Stockholm and London, and bill-pay road-price tolling in the Netherlands.

The Government plan, called Sustainable Transport and Travel, aims to free cities from traffic congestion, move people away from cars and increase public transport usage.

Road pricing means that motorists pay directly for driving on a particular roadway or in a particular area, similar to tolls.

Congestion charges involve drivers paying a fee to enter a city-centre cordon. This has worked well in London and is being credited with a 20pc reduction in car numbers in the zones. The document, being published by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey today, warns that unless such measures are considered, we face a grim future: l Average speeds in urban areas in morning peak hour in Dublin will have dropped from 13kmh, in 2006, to 8kmh, in 2016. l Increased dependence on car travel will contribute to obesity. l Traffic pollution will cause increasing damage to health and contribute to acute and chronic diseases.

Mr Dempsey says that while he has no ideological difficulty with congestion charges, he believes they should only be introduced when sufficient public transport alternatives are in place.

The Transport 21 suite of plans must be complete or almost complete before we can seriously examine the possibility of congestion charging, he says.

Mr Dempsey wants the public to make their voices heard on what measures they think should be introduced to encourage us all to change our travel behaviour, as over-reliance on cars is unsustainable and cannot continue without dramatically worse gridlock

The Government is committed to spending over €16bn under Transport 21 to improve public transport.

However, even with this level of investment delivering a new Metro, Luas extensions, new buses and new rail cars, it will not be enough to avoid extra gridlock.

Mr Dempsey said yesterday: "If we continue our current travel patterns, traffic congestion will increase and quality of life and the quality of our environment will decline. We can't allow that to happen."

"We need to see a major shift to public transport and we're investing to make this an attractive option. We need to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions in this sector, and we need to ease congestion and free up valuable time for commuters," he added.

Other options being outlined today include more flexible working time, workplace travel plans, car sharing, car clubs, school travel plans, including walking and buses, more integrated transport planning, better walking and cycle routes, and increased use of park and ride facilities.

A public consultation will follow, after which officials will publish a detailed action plan setting out what exact measures will be introduced, including the possible congestion charges and road pricing.

One of the ideas up for discussion in this document is a sustainable travel public awareness campaign based on the concept of the popular Tidy Towns competition.

Towns and cities would be encouraged to become a "sustainable travel demonstration town or city".

Better get used to the bus/train 

[AZOffaly]

Mr Dempsey says that while he has no ideological difficulty with congestion charges, he believes they should only be introduced when sufficient public transport alternatives are in place.

The Transport 21 suite of plans must be complete or almost complete before we can seriously examine the possibility of congestion charging, he says.

I'd say you'll have a good while to get used to them juice. By the time those two sentences from Dempsey are realised, it'll be time for us to retire anyway.

[thejuice]

I'd say you'll have a good while to get used to them juice. By the time those two sentences from Dempsey are realised, it'll be time for us to retire anyway.

hey....speak for yourself, ive a long way to go before retiring 

[AZOffaly]

I'd say you'll have a good while to get used to them juice. By the time those two sentences from Dempsey are realised, it'll be time for us to retire anyway.

hey....speak for yourself, ive a long way to go before retiring 

So have I, that's my point

[thejuice]

http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/7048-4.pdf     (requires adobe acrobat)

2015 is the scheduled completion date of the Transport 21 framework, so perhaps realistically 2020.

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=7048&lang=ENG&loc=1850

[scalder]

Chicken and egg situation lads, less cars on the city streets and buses would move quicker making them even more efficient and attractive. Standing at the bus in the morning its interesting to watch all the cars with just one person in them streaming past clogging up the roads. Bring in secure, free/cheap park and ride and more buses and we'll all be a winners.

[thejuice]

City to get its own 'tube' in new plan

By Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
Wednesday February 27 2008

It dwarfs the scale and impact of the Port Tunnel.

The €2bn underground Dart through the heart of Dublin city centre will run every three minutes and carry up to 70,000 commuters an hour.

New images showing the scale of what will be one of the biggest ever infrastructure projects in Ireland, due to open in 2015 and comprising two entirely new Dart services, were also released yesterday.

The 5.2km line, an underground tunnel from the Docklands to Heuston station, will increase rail capacity from 33 million passenger journeys annually now to over 100 million.

Dr John Lynch, Iarnrod Eireann and CIE chairman, yesterday described the Dart underground line as "the missing link, not only in our rail infrastructure, but in our transport infrastructure".

"It will be the most critical project under Transport 21 in enabling people to switch from private transport to public transport, and will transform the capacity of the greater Dublin area rail network."

As part of the exciting plans, the northern line Dart services from Balbriggan and Howth will branch off the existing line after Clontarf Road, going underground at Docklands station, where they will connect with the red Luas line.

The Dart interconnector will continue underground to Pearse Station, before connecting with the green Luas and Metro at St Stephen's Green, and proceeding to Heuston. The Dart will go overground to Adamstown and Hazelhatch in Co Kildare.

A second new Dart line will connect Maynooth -- and a massive M3 park and ride at Pace -- to the existing Bray/Greystones Dart line, stopping at Glasnevin and Drumcondra.

Crucially, the new links join all rail modes -- Dart, commuter rail, intecity, Luas and the proposed Metro. A railway order application is being submitted for the project in 2009.