Dublin transport survey
Via Lean comes this, I think from the Irish Times:
One-half of Dublin drivers would never use bus - survey
One-half of all car drivers in the greater Dublin area say they would not switch to travelling by bus, even if services were improved, according to a new survey.
Unreliability, long waiting times and poor connections were cited as the main reasons for not taking the bus in the survey carried out for the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO).
As many as four out of five people expressed dissatisfaction with traffic congestion and access to the Luas.
Just over 35 per cent of those surveyed were satisfied with the quality and upkeep of roads, and with facilities for cycling. Over one-half said they were happy with the reliability, frequency and cost of buses.
Almost 2,500 people were interviewed for the survey and a similar number of travel diaries were compiled. The car is the main form of transport in the region, used by 45 per cent of respondents. Some 18 per cent relied on the bus and 16 per cent said walking was their main form of transport. Just 2 per cent used the Luas more often than other modes of transport, and 3 per cent used the DART or local train. Two per cent cycled and 1 per cent relied on taxis.
Of those who said they might switch to the bus, over 60 per cent said more frequent services was the main change needed. Accurate timetables and stops closer to destinations were also called for.
Respondents linked transport by car to comfort, convenience and reliability. In contrast, buses were viewed as being for older people and people with no other choice. Bus transport was favourably viewed for going out socially and for being reasonably priced.
The Luas was seen as modern, while DART and train services were viewed as fast and safe. Cycling and walking were viewed as healthy and environmentally friendly, but for young people.
Great figures — they sound pretty accurate.
The novelty of being home in a (relatively) bike- and public-transport-friendly city has worn off for me by now — I’m now more familiar with buses that aren’t a dumping ground for the homeless and mentally ill, and that do actually tend to pass both your origin and destination in a single journey. But that was in Orange County, possibly one of the most public-transit-hostile societies in the developed world, and compared to a more sane standard, Dublin still has a major problem.
By the way, it’s interesting to note Ireland’s move OC-wards on many fronts. When I got back, I was shocked to see tubby children being driven to school by mobile-phone-wielding, SUV-driving parents — the very worst aspects of US suburban-sprawl life being happily parrotted over here. :(
Tags: cities, cycling, dublin, life, public-transport
Bernie Goldbach said,
November 27, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
About tubbies in SUVs: All primary schools should impose no-standing zones for vehicles discharging passengers outside of the premises. Make moms drive around the back or park around the corner so at least the simple act of walking to school is reinforced as part of the daily routine.
Moms transporting school children for distances less than two miles disrupt the economy by feeding our dependency on fossil fuels and by burdening our health care system with candidates for diabetes.
Kae Verens said,
November 27, 2006 @ 10:55 pm
Think dub’s buses are bad?
I live in Monaghan. Every day, I walk three miles to work, and three miles back. Every. Day.
And that’s because I don’t have a choice. There is /no/ bus service in Monaghan.
It’s not quite as bad as it was last year, though - last year, I lived a mile further away…
Bernie Goldbach said,
November 28, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
Here’s hoping your roads have some kind of verge you can use to jump away from articulated lorries who share your patch of tarmacadam. For several months, I walked nearly four miles one way into Clonmel. The biggest hassle was avoiding vehicles using the road as a rally course.
sportcrazy said,
November 30, 2006 @ 5:15 pm
“compared to a more sane standard, Dublin still has a major problem.”
Definitely, Justin. Here’s a recent rant of mine about Dublin cycle lanes: http://sportcrazy.net/cycling/why-cyclists-dont-like-cycle-lanes-part-1-of-many/
Zae - you need a bicycle for that 3 mile trip, seriously. Commute will take you 15 minutes then!
Justin said,
November 30, 2006 @ 5:45 pm
oh the Dublin cycle lanes drive me mental. There’s a great bit on Constitution Hill where the cycle lane just “merges” into the leftmost car lane — the car lane gradually shrinks until it’s the width of a bike! I understand Dublin Corpo want to make it look like they’re providing useful infrastructure for cyclists, but that’s just a joke — in real terms, it’s not a cycle lane anymore. Still, I’m sure it counts towards their “X miles of cycle lanes provided” numbers.
If cycle lanes were of the Dutch level of quality, there’d be hundreds of cars taken off the road every morning, I can guarantee it. (Nobody wants to sit around in a car if they can cycle in, safely — without battling the trucks on the quays — in half the time.)