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What one change would you make to Dublin’s bus system?

Would you improve bus lanes, increase the frequency of buses, simplify routes… or all of the above?

IT HAS 130 routes, hundreds of overlapping lines, and a map stretching from Dublin city centre as far out as Wicklow, Kildare and Meath. Dublin’s bus network accounts for two-thirds of all public transport taken in the capital on any given weekday, and it’s one very complex system indeed.

Plans are currently underway to entirely reimagine the current Dublin area bus system, by making small changes in the short term – like better signposting at stops and more real-time information – and by implementing an overhaul of the route network in the long term.

As part of the BusConnects initiative, the National Transport Authority is asking those in Dublin and its surrounds to share their views on what they’d change about the current bus network, via a new online survey.

The BusConnects programme will be changing many elements of the network over the coming years, and now’s your chance to have your say on some of the following topics…

Would you improve bus lanes and journey time?

shutterstock_518443096 Shutterstock / slawomir.gawryluk Shutterstock / slawomir.gawryluk / slawomir.gawryluk

Under the current system, there are only dedicated bus lanes along less than one third of Dublin’s core bus network. This means that for most of the journey, buses have to fight for space with general traffic – as you’ve no doubt noticed if you take the bus regularly.

As well as the obvious issue of delays, the congestion means it’s hard to make a bus timetable that’s consistent and predictable, making the overall bus system less reliable and less punctual.

Is there a solution?
The BusConnects plan includes a network of “next generation” bus corridors, with continuous bus lanes as far as is practical along the busiest bus routes. This will involve a widening of the road and changes to parking services in some areas. Key Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes will also be developed, to improve journey time and enhance service.

Would you change where the buses go?

download The current Dublin bus system. BusConnects BusConnects

The main Dublin bus network covers the city centre and its suburbs, south towards Kilmacanaogue and Ticknock, north to Malahide and Balbriggan, west to Dodsboro and Kilcock, and east to Howth and Dún Laoghaire. Among the 130 routes are constant overlapping lines, each with their own frequency, with a map that is tricky to decipher unless you’re a regular bus user.

The majority of routes pass through the city centre, meaning that areas like O’Connell St, Nassau St and Stephen’s Green carry high volumes of buses – a problem that has been highlighted of late with continued delays and route changes due to the Luas Cross City and College Green projects.

Is there a solution?
One proposed plan is to build a connective bus network for Dublin, with shorter, more frequent routes meeting in the city centre, with interchange points where commuters could change buses. An alternative concept is to expand the number of ‘orbital routes’: buses that go around the city centre rather than directly through it.

Would you change how frequently the buses run?

shutterstock_226603801 Shutterstock / David Soanes Shutterstock / David Soanes / David Soanes

Currently, buses are relatively frequent in the city centre, with longer wait times further out on the route map. On some routes, buses run as regularly as every nine minutes or less, while on others, buses may only run every 40 minutes or more. Passengers do not often have to change buses to get to their destination, but wait times can be long.

Is there a solution?
The proposed connective network would be made up of more frequent services, though there would also be the need for some passengers to potentially change buses mid-way through a journey. The ‘high-frequency spine’ idea would make for simpler, more straightforward trips through the city centre, with buses coming every 3 – 6 minutes, although again there may be a need for interchanges.

What’s the most vital change you think is needed for Dublin’s bus system? BusConnects is a plan to reimagine the network, so that journeys by bus will be fast, reliable, and convenient. To have your say on network redesign and show what’s important to you, take the BusConnects survey now

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107 Comments
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    Mute Rob Munnelly
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    Sep 17th 2015, 9:08 PM

    This might be the poorest informed article I’ve read on an Apple release in a while.

    1) Doubling the ram is something just “does” in its phones, almost year on year.

    2) 2GB of ram wasn’t a surprise, it was widely speculated and assumed that would be the case.

    3) Extra ram, on iOS, doesn’t really affect how apps run in the background; it allows larger apps to run more processes in the foreground. That means better graphics in a game because it can load more triangles / drawing processes etc.

    4) Cramming 4gb of ram into something with a mobile chip doesn’t make it as powerful as a laptop, it just has as much ram as one. A lot of these things still run on really crappy processors, and Android is a one-for-all operating system – it’s not built to get the most out of any 1 combination of processor make / speed / model, combined with a ram / speed / make / model. So you can’t really compare them based on the headline number of a single part of it.

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    Mute Byyys
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    Sep 17th 2015, 7:16 PM

    Apple also launched it’s first Android APP called ‘Move to iOS’ yesterday on Google Play as part of the iOS 9 launch…. It got blasted with over 8 thousand 1 star reviews (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.movetoios) Most of the reviews are just rants against Apple.

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    Mute John Lawless
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    Sep 17th 2015, 7:24 PM

    I thought Apple Music was the first Apple app released on Android?

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    Mute Byyys
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    Sep 17th 2015, 9:15 PM

    John… Aside from Beats Music for Android, which Apple acquired, this is the company’s first Android APP. Apple didn’t announce ‘Move to iOS’ at WWDC 2015. Instead, the APP was quietly listed on Apple’s What’s new in iOS page the same day.

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    Mute john
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    Sep 17th 2015, 8:22 PM

    My vodafone smart ultra 6 has 2gb Ram and lots of other stuff the iphone 6s has and it only cost me €170!! The only thing it doesnt have is the apple logo on the back :( I’ll just have to live with not being cool!

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    Mute Brendan
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    Sep 17th 2015, 8:54 PM

    Funny enough when I see someone flashing the apple logo on their phone or laptop/tablet I just think knob!!!

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    Mute Paul Lanigan
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    Sep 17th 2015, 11:29 PM

    boulder on your shoulder Brendan

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    Sep 18th 2015, 7:52 AM

    I have a MacBook Pro. I will never use a windows laptop again.

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    Mute Jonny Lennon
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    Sep 17th 2015, 8:04 PM

    The Journal.. Sponsored by Apple!!!

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    Mute Anon Ymous
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    Sep 18th 2015, 12:46 AM

    I updated my iPhone 5 to iOS9 today. Purely by chance I discovered that, with this new update, it automatically starts your 3 month free trial with Apple Music and – in the small print – after the 3 month trial is up, Apple will start charging your account. I wouldn’t have known this only a friend and I were chatting about Apple Music this evening and I had a quick look at it. I have never signed up for the free trial so am really Annoyed by it.

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    Mute Sean 
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    Sep 18th 2015, 3:29 PM

    Well it hasn’t opted me in on any of my devices not any of my friends I have checked with so you must just be unlucky

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    Mute Jim Rodgers
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    Sep 19th 2015, 12:57 PM

    Surely you seen this nugget of information in the 400 pages of terms and conditions that you read before agreeing to iOS9 ;-)

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    Mute Seamus McSpud
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    Sep 17th 2015, 8:30 PM

    During testing of iOS9 it was discovered that there is an issue for users who use custom Access Point Names (APN) to access their corporate networks.
    This could affect some customers using Vodafone Office Access, Vodafone Data Control or customers who have custom-built APNs.
    The impact it may have is that if a user upgrades to iOS9 they may lose complete data connectivity.

    As a precaution we strongly recommend that any users who use custom APNs, Vodafone Office Access or Vodafone Data Control do not upgrade to iOS9, until further notice. We understand that Apple are working on a fix.

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