If Dublin Bus provided a fast, reliable and efficient service, the travelling public would be more sympathetic when it asks for special treatment over other road users. Unfortunately, the quality of service it provides has the effect of keeping many motorists in their private cars and has added to traffic congestion. That said, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of all public transport systems from an economic and social point of view.
Dublin Bus research has shown that, at peak rush-hour, it can be quicker to walk across the centre of the city than to take a bus. There is nothing new there. The company's annual report for 2005 observed that "traffic gridlock continues to be the single biggest obstacle to progress for the company and its customers" and it estimated that traffic congestion had cost the company €60 million. But this recent research has been used to demand special treatment in centre-city areas, particularly in relation to the Luas system and private cars.
There is the hint of a pre-emptive strike about this exercise. Everybody else is being blamed for the quality of Dublin Bus services. Construction of a new bridge is taking too long; priority given to Luas service at road junctions is affecting buses; private cars should be banned from certain roads; and, rather than reroute Luas past Trinity College, we should wait for the metro to link up the red and green Luas lines.
There may be merit in some of the suggestions that are being considered by Dublin City Council. And progress is being made. Large trucks have already been banned from the city-centre. A bus lane has been established along the quays. And new bridges are planned. There is, however, a chicken and egg aspect to public transport. Unless a high-quality service is provided, motorists will not abandon their cars, and congestion charges cannot be justified.
Investment is required. And there is need for competition and greater productivity. Early services should be provided for workers, particularly on Sundays. Private-sector Luas has a headstart of nearly two hours on bus and Dart services on that day.
On the rail front, Iarnród Éireann plans to reopen Broadstone station in Dublin to passenger traffic 70 years after services to it ceased. New track will be laid to Liffey Junction, a distance of 2.5km, to connect with the northern line and with the west. But work may not be completed until 2010. Given present needs, that is far too slow. Road congestion is strangling the city. In order to remain competitive and improve the quality of life, better public transport is urgently required.