MORE Dublin commuters are leaving their cars at home and either getting on their bikes or opting for other forms of public transport.
Measurements by Dublin City Council indicate that the number of private cars coming into the city has declined by almost 12 per cent in the past decade.
The figures from the annual “cordon count”, which measures traffic in 33 locations on the Royal and Grand canals during the morning rush hour, show that, since 2006 when the tiger was still roaring, the volume of cars, goods vehicles, buses, motorcyclists and pedestrians all fell, while the number of cyclists rose by 42 per cent. (The number of taxis has also jumped by 27 per cent but this can be explained by deregulation and may actually reflect a growth in physical taxis, not people’s dependence on them.)
The recession has to be taken into account in any reading of a reduction in traffic in the past decade, but other factors have also had a major bearing: the 2004 Luas launch, the opening of the Port Tunnel in 2006, and the popular Dublin Bikes scheme, introduced in 2009, have all helped reduce traffic volumes.
Meanwhile, technological advances have made life easier for Dublin commuters. Dublin Bus has followed in the footsteps of the Luas and now provides real-time screens at certain bus stops.
In keeping with the “there’s an app for that” culture, the major transport methods also provide real-time information through their websites and/or smartphone apps.
And in December, the Leap card was introduced, which allows users to “tag on” to Dublin Bus, Luas, Dart and Irish Rail services with a pre-paid card; it has the built-in incentive of lower prices. More than one million journeys have been recorded on Leap cards to date, with 65,000 people already using them.
So, I hear you ask, what’s not to like? Well, for one, cost. Commuters saw increases in Irish Rail, Dart, Luas and Dublin Bus fares in early January following a reduction in State funding for transport services.
The average Dublin Bus fare rose by 15 per cent with the lowest adult cash fare rising by 20 cent to €1.40 while Luas fares increased by about 10 cent on single adult and child journeys. Dart and Irish Rail fares rose by between 6 and 7 per cent on average.
Another bug bear of Dublin commuters is the restriction on some services provided by Dublin Bus under its Network Direct scheme. Its aim, according to a spokesman, is to “tailor services to the present demand and provide customers with a simplified service . . . As part of Network Direct, Dublin Bus has increased the number of high-frequency cross-city routes in order to increase travel options for customers”.
However, one Dublin Bus driver, who does not want to be named, says that “everyone is complaining” about the fare increases, which were introduced in January. He says the restriction on certain routes means buses are no longer going into some estates, disadvantaging mostly those in working-class areas.
Other complaints centre around glitches in the much-awaited Leap Card, which, after nine years in the offing, has experienced some teething problems.
Dr Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland says that while users have been happy overall, bugs exist. For example, at present, each fare is paid for separately: “So if you take two different buses you get charged for two separate journeys.”
The National Transport Authority (NTA) says that this will be ironed out soon with the introduction of “time-bound” tickets as well as student Leap cards and an annual Taxsaver ticket. Another function being considered is a direct-debit arrangement providing automatic top-ups as users travel.
Addressing complaints that customers who top up online (a relatively small number, according to the NTA) have to physically go to a card reader to get this money applied to their account, and have experienced delays between topping up and being able to apply the credit, the spokesman says that the card is “not a mobile phone” and has to physically touch the system in order for the travel credit to be applied, which is done “in the vast majority of cases” the following morning.
The NTA spokesman says there are 400 Leap card agents in shops around the city where top-ups can be applied, while ticket machines that top-up the Leap card are operational on all Luas stops. Irish Rail says it is due to add this feature to its vending machine this month.
The NTA spokesman says it is in “early discussions” with Dublin Bikes representatives to have the scheme covered by the Leap card, but there are “no immediate plans in this regard”.
Dublin Bikes was introduced in September 2009 and celebrated its three millionth journey shortly before Christmas. “The effect Dublin Bikes has had has been hugely positive for cyclists as it has slowed traffic and improved driver behaviours,” says Will Andrews, chair of the Dublin City Cycling Campaign.
Cycling certainly seems to be on the up. The Dublin City Cordon count recorded a 15.1 per cent growth in the number of cyclists between 2010 and 2011 alone. This increase cannot be wholly accounted for by the Dublin Bikes scheme, as the cordon counts take place at the canals. This is currently the border where the scheme ends (an expansion of the scheme is on the cards). However, it may be at least partially accounted for by the Bike to Work scheme and a generally more bike-friendly culture.
Given the increase in cyclists, Andrews says that the planned connection of the two existing Luas lines also offers a major opportunity to improve conditions for cyclists. “I think if they don’t make the city more permeable to cyclists when they are developing the connection then they will have really failed cyclists.
“It’s a golden opportunity to make the city safer and more attractive to cyclists and for everybody else.”
'Shows promise but needs some more work'
Dr Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland rates Dublin’s public-transport options. Rail Users Ireland was set up in 2003 to campaign for improved services and conditions on the rail infrastructure
Luas 8/10
“One of the best public-transport options, it gets very few complaints. It loses points primarily because of high prices, anti-social-behaviour problems and overcrowding.”
Irish Rail 6/10
“The service has improved but there is still an awful lot more to do.
“If you’re not a nine-to-five commuter travel options become restricted after 7pm. Poor communication remains a top complaint.”
Dublin Bus 6/10
“This rating reflects the fact that it’s too complicated to use Leap cards on the bus and that Dublin Bus has not delivered on the promises under [its] Network Direct [programme].”
Leap Card 7/ 10
“This shows promise but needs some more work to communicate how it works, to provide extra features and to resolve the top-up problems.
“The feedback is that it’s quite popular and it is cheaper.”
Dublin Bikes 8/10
“Incredibly popular and easy to use but a failure to position bike stations at all Luas and train stations flies in the face of providing a fully integrated transport system.
“ It would get nine out of 10 if the Leap card could be used to hire Dublin Bikes.”
Ashtown to Herbert Place
MARK GORMAN
Ex-motorist. Now a rail convert and occasional Dublin Bikes user
THE HIGH cost of parking and the potential for getting clamped led Mark Gorman, an accountant living in Ashtown, Co Dublin who works close to the city centre, to start a new routine. “We don’t have free parking at my office so I would generally end up paying the meter for on-street parking when I took the car in. Being busy at work, one often forgets that the meter is running out so you can often miss topping it up, or if you’re in a meeting or on a call and it runs over, you may simply not be able to get out to feed the meter. If you’re unlucky you could get clamped.”
He says his daily return train fare is €3.80 while the Dublin City Bikes scheme costs €2 for three days or €10 for the year. By leaving the car behind, though, he has to factor in taxi fares to and from meetings.
This compares to approximately €4 a day in petrol costs and up to €25 a day for on-street parking with one important difference: “The declamping fee is expensive – it costs €80. It’s not just the cash cost but the cost to your time as well.”
Having recently used the Dublin Bikes service, he is not quite a diehard convert but thinks he may use the service more: “It’s very handy to use and really convenient with all of the bike stations around the city. Cycling in the city is still quite dangerous, though, with the lack of cycle lanes.
“The Dublin Bikes app is useful too, telling you how many bikes and free stands there are at each station, but it’s a little light on user interface. What I’m considering now that we’re getting out of the winter months is getting an annual subscription so that I can use the train and Dublin Bikes service when I need to and then just taking the car in on specific occasions.”
Ranelagh to Thomas Street area
MARTINA DUIGNAN
Ex-motorist, now Leap Card user and walker
AFTER HER “little car” broke down and her bike suffered two punctures, Martina Duignan spent her mornings trying to squeeze her way on to packed Luas carriages before hitting Dublin’s pavements. Now she’s walking on air.
“Walking along, passing all the traffic with my music on, straight into work, it’s just great,” says the environmental scientist of her daily commute, adding that by walking, she also incorporates exercise into her busy schedule.
Duignan was driven to use her car because of a combination of on-site work and the “very windy, very wet” winter mornings.
However, that ended when her car, and more recently her bike, broke down.
“I decided to get a Leap card and take the Luas and then the bus into work. On my first week using the Leap card, I’d find it hard to swipe on and swipe off but once I got the hang of it, it was brilliant, something similar to the Oyster card in London. I thought it was great and it was cheaper by about 17 per cent.
“The only problem was that by the time the Luas got to Ranelagh in the mornings, it was completely wedged. I would be getting off to let people off and then trying to squeeze myself back in.”
So instead, Duignan took to her own two feet. It takes her about 25-30 minutes to walk into town compared with 40 minutes in the car during bad rush-hour traffic.
However, she is looking forward to getting back on her bike soon, having applied for the bike-to-work scheme at work.
“I can definitely see more people cycling better bikes and having high-visibility safety equipment,” she says.
“ I think the cycle culture has improved due to the cycle-to-work scheme and enabling people to buy good bikes.
“Car users are becoming more bike-aware due to the high volumes of cyclists on the road, although you have to be very vigilant still and there is still major room for improvement in our bike lanes.”
Rathmines to Brides Glen
CIARÁN McGOWAN
Tried public transport. Now back to his car
BECAUSE HE uses his car instead of public transport Ciarán McGowan used to fret that he was choosing a lie-in and personal comfort over cost. But no more.
“If we had nicer weather in this country I would consider using the Luas every day but that extra half an hour in bed every morning is a tough thing to give up,” McGowan says, although he concedes that the advent of the smartphone had made life easier for public-transport users.
“I need to stress how good the apps are. They are so helpful although there is room for improvements, especially with the Dublin Bus app. The Luas app is as accurate as the estimated arrival-time boards at each stop, so theyre never out by more than a couple of minutes.”
He says that while the Dublin Bus app leaves a lot to be desired, “it does the basics right”.
“It has a GPS map showing the locations of all the stops near you, which is nice. You can then pick a stop on the map and it will show all the buses due to arrive at that stop soon. But if you only know the street then you’re fecked, as any one street could have several stops on it that not all buses use. It should also include a cost estimate of the journey.
“I used the Leap card and it was handy not relying on loose change all the time. I didn’t save a lot though, so I will definitely be sticking with the car.
“The one thing I actually learned from all this is that as far as petrol goes, it’s cheaper for me to drive to work [McGowan has free parking at work]. I always thought I was taking the more expensive option for the sake of comfort, but now I know it’s less convenient, longer and more expensive for me to rely on public transport.”
