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Getting around Dublin by public transport - some observations

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2012-03-01 21:32:46 - Graham Ellis

Following on from my recent visit to Cambridge, I'm now in Dublin and making some transport notes.

Arriving in Dublin ... via the "Jonathan Swift" - described as the 100 minute fast ferry, but currently taking 150 minutes because of some issues they've been having. It's mostly car passengers, with foot passengers transferred to the terminal in a bus - pretty depressing conditions after an extended journey. After customs, many of the foot passengers were collected by friends and relatives, others got the taxi, and a few of us got the bus - just one route, 53B with a single stop at the Bus Station. And a driver who gave the clear impression he would rather have been doing anything than looking after a load of tired tourists who didn't know where they were going. Some lessons in how not to welcome people to your country!


Dublin Bus No. 69. I had already been on the Dublin Bus website, and identified the route 69, with a sporadic Sunday evening service, from the South bank of the river Liffey to Rathcoole, via my hotel on the edge of CitiWest. The Bus Station, where I was dropped off dumped by the 53B, is on the north bank, so a walk picking my way amongst cars and tram tracks over the river. I knew that the 69 started from Hawkins Street - just didn't know where that was, so I started walking west along the river. Just after the main bridge, a stop is marked "69" ... but unlike all other stops in that group, it has no LED sign telling us about the next bus, and no timetable. Not promising - I wonder if this is limited journeys? So I start to walk out of town. As you get further out, all the buses share a stop, and I note carefully the good selection due in the next few minutes. There's all sorts, but no 69s for a time. And then I come to a stop with a printed sheet, telling me that there's one due soon (and thank goodness I checked, because after the 21:05 there's just one more solitary bus - at 23:05.

The driver of my 69 was as helpful as the 53B had been unhelpful. "Exact Change" says the machine; I had a 5 Euro note and a huge bag of copper. "Take a seat - sort it out - looks like you have enough and pay me at the next stop". Which I duly did. "Do you know where the Mardron hotel is?" He asks - well, roughly, I told him. "I'll give you a call, drop you off at the gate" says he and - good as his word - he did. Customer service can be the two extremes here - that bus driver, and the staff at KFC, with just a smile and asking if the food was good as they would in a post restaurant. Contrasted to the other bus driver, and the lizard on the bar who tried to shortchange me by 10 Euros and wasn't best thrilled when I noticed.


The Luas (Dublin Tram) crosses a road in Dublin. Before I travelled, I was fully aware that CitiWest wasn't an easy place to reach by bus, so I was prepared. But what I should have thought to myself was that perhaps the Irish had got around to doing something about that. Being rather used to it taking years to getting anything done about public transport in the UK, I had rather assumed that nothing had been done here in Ireland either. Wrong - the Luas has been extended to fill the gap and indeed - looking very continental - here is the Luas crossing the road near to where I am working.


Luas, CitiWest. This is no minor piece of engineering - it's close to a full new railway line; here's an evening tram from the City of Dublin just arrived at CitiWest, dropping off commuters. A thriving looking bunch of shops is nearby, and there's a walkway along the track. Really all rather remarkable in a country that the UK taxpayer has had to bail out, as I understand it.


A Station on the Luas. Beautiful, isn't it? I confess to being just a little jealous of the public transport system here - and the 50 minute ride for &eur;2.60


Car Park Full? But Dublin is and remains very much a car based city. And one of extreme contrasts - things very right, or obviously wrong; clearly, this car park is NOT Full. And the helpful maps of the CitiWest area at some of the bus stops show only the roads - not the footpaths which occasionally offer a shortcut between snaking roads (but aren't signposted - you have to experiment). In some ways, Dublin is advanced, in other ways there's so much they could do as well. It's an interesting study and learning experience!


Stretched Limo. And finally - I don't think I've ever seen a stretched limo on a transporter before, so I took the picture; no real story that I know, but just a comment that if you keep your eyes open you'll see something new every day.