Bus Connects is a great plan to provide a good bus service to all areas, mainly to areas that
has no service at present. It will in no way address the city’s transport problems or traffic
congestion. It will add to them unless it addresses the city centre problem that plagues bus
operations now, that is tying up of too many buses unnecessarily in the city centre area. The
orbital routes in Bus Connects are very welcome but it’s an orbital system is what’s needed.
Blind Change Overs. We are very much in favour of changing over in transport movements.
It’s what makes public transport effective and more efficient. Change overs must be direct
or by choice, not blind as is proposed in Bus Connects. The most suitable and successful
change overs location are in Dublin city centre. An adage, if not broken why fix it. One of the
main reasons why city centre is successful for change overs, many bus routes serving areas
near the centre are close together. Cross city routes undermine a city Transport interchange
as the impression is created that cross city buses go everywhere. This is not the case as
cross city routes come from one area and go to one area only, there are over twenty areas
where users can go and must change. A City Transport Interchange is great for all, wonderful
for users with a disability and is safer with less crossing etc. I found over the years: disability
concerns are generally ignored. Blind changing is a big turn off, it creates uncertainly, more
difficult mainly for women with prams and children, in bad weather, not getting a seat or
the connecting bus full, nobody likes waiting, and in some cases, safety is a concern etc.
Our ACRA (Accommodating Circular Radial Access) plan has several more change overs than
Bus Connects with PAC (Passenger Access Choice) or direct changing to the next vehicle.
This is done by the main bus going direct to city centre, every second or third bus covering a
short part of the trip for a connection. The user has a choice to wait or take change over bus
Costs, Idle Waste
Less inefficiently reduces costs. Change overs are vital to increase frequency where needed,
it makes public transport more efficient. The new Service Road SR51 is needed for industry,
to service jobs and activities and to ease traffic congestion. Its needed for another reason in
order to place a Toll on it or place a small Toll on the M50. This bring in funding for plan.
With everyone paying a smaller amount will be enough to self-finance the project with
efficiency, known as the zero-cost project. The operation cost of the bus network must be
looked at, taking the bus terminals out of city centre greatly reduced bus efficiency by tying
up too many buses in centre, more delays in cross city movements, undermines confidence.
Long routes lead to massive extra cost in scheduling and dead time waste or Idle Waste,
when buses are not carrying passengers. Operation cost will be very high for Bus Connects if
these problems are not addressed, city centre waste must be addressed. The biggest cost of
all to transport operations is Transport Induction Congestion see explanation on website:
Work Changes & Work Location, Isolated Planning
To ease peak travel time congestion, staggered starting times rotating, example one week
start at 7 AM, next week start at 10 AM. Universities Etc. Start 11AM until 7 PM. Working
day reduced to four days at work and one day working from home rotating (Broadband
essential), helpful but won’t replace overall plan. Isolated Planning is scourge of planning,
where planners plan one item, or a pet project that can undermine an overall plan later.