Trying to drive a car into the city of Dublin

Rocker

I learned to drive (a car modified for disabled drivers) in the city of Dublin.  Lots of cross city driving so I got to know my way around the city.  As it was back then in 1980.

Now the traffic density has increased by about 10 fold but the streets are the same as they were so up to a few months ago I could get to where I needed to get to even if it took a lot longer than it used to.  Dublin City Council used the LUAS cross city trams as an excuse to change the traffic patterns in the city to favour busses and taxis.  While nobody said so publicly, to exclude private cars from the city centre. There are lots of paid multistory car parking in the city centre but, with all the changes, getting to them is a nightmare.  And it is the same for getting to on-street disabled parking spaces which I am entitled to use.  One space near O'Connell bridge used to be simple to get to.  Now it means a drive around back streets of Dublin, a journey of about 2½ Km whereas before the drive was about ½ Km.

Conceptually there is a lot of sense in keeping the city centre free of private traffic.  The problem is the implementation of this strategy.  The city needs a half dozen seriously large car parks up to 10 Km from the city centre and with easy access to and from the motorways and main roads.  With shuttle busses running continuously from each car park to the city centre. The classic park and ride system.  The problem is that no car parks are built or none planned as far as I know.

Are all cities facing the same difficulties with traffic?  Public transport is slow to change or adapt to changing situations; we travelled to Dublin by train yesterday.  And used the Sligo to Dublin train which was jammed full at Mullingar!  Standing room, if it could be called such, was the best we could get.  The train needed a few more coaches to cater for the travelling public.  Anecdotal evidence is that the same situation applies every day.  To economize, Iarnroid Eireann use short trains! 

This problem of traffic congestion/chaos cannot be unique to Ireland or Dublin.  Is there any city that dealt with it properly?

Bygone_Tones

Manchester has a good system. Drive near the city center and you get shot.

Phil_aka_Pip

Rocker said:

This problem of traffic congestion/chaos cannot be unique to Ireland or Dublin.  Is there any city that dealt with it properly?

Not AFAIK. Bury St Edmunds is a nightmare. Not only is its centre a narrow mediaeval grid, but its 1 way streets are designed to frustrate any attempt to get from here to there, whatever the definitions of here or there.

EricTheWeary

Dutch cities seem so well planned and managed compared  to anywhere I've been in the UK. Cheap, good public transport, cycle lanes, etc. The only country in Europe reversing the trend on childhood obesity due to the use of walking and bikes. 
Not easy to replicate here but the standard of public transport in some places is shocking ( blame Thatcher for this) in the UK. 

BRISTOL86

Bristol is absolutely appalling if you have the neve to own a vehicle and want to drive it anywhere. The council has been on an enormous anti-motorist crusade for years - which would be fine if there was ANY kind of reliable and effective public transport. 

maltingsaudio

We had a tractor blocking the High Street in Shepton Mallet once .

jonnyburgo

It was only a couple of years ago when MPs from all parties were having a big pow wow at Manchester town hall talking about how to get the plebs to stop driving to the city and jamming the place up, when questioned on how many of them had used public transport to get there, err none of them had, because it’s expensive, overcrowded and unreliable. Red faces all around.

Phil_aka_Pip

This is about going the other way on a Friday
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_friday_night_rush

Sporky

I drove a car into Dublin about 17 years ago. As far as I know it's still there.

bingefeller

You should have taken the train or bus?  Any time I go to Dublin I wouldn't dare to drive because of the reasons you mentioned.  I'm guessing you're a pensioner and therefore you would get free travel. 

57Deluxe

if you are setting off from mainland UK you have to take a Ferry first...

Grunfeld

Rocker said:

This problem of traffic congestion/chaos cannot be unique to Ireland or Dublin.  Is there any city that dealt with it properly?

London.
Show no fear.
Chaos is an attitude.

iseverynamegone

Agree Dublin can be terrible and has got progressively worse over the last 7years. 

I always head head down the port tunnel if I can.  Last week I needed to get from Grand Canal Square, after dropping someone off, to O’Connell Street around 5pm and it took me over an hour. 

I think Dublin traffic is worse than London tbh.