Traffic and Transport

The traffic analysis on which the development report is based was made in March 2020 at the height of the first Covid wave in Ireland.

In normal non-Covid times we have seen that the morning rush hour starts at 6.30 and ends around 9am. Traffic is often at a complete standstill all along the Drumcondra Rd. It is the same from about 3.30pm to 6.30pm in the evening - gird locked traffic. Pollution is high but remains officially unmeasured in any meaningful way (there are no permanent measuring stations).

Rat-running is a problem on the the residential side streets.

Buses coming into town are often too full to take new passengers.

Trains into town are absolutely jam packed.

Drumcondra railway station is too small to cope with current traffic levels and this is before the very welcome addition of planned extra Dart services (but, half of which will not stop at Drumcondra!)

Before adding more and more buildings - it is best practice to establish a good transport infrastructure.

Building traffic

The plan projects 46,000 truck movements during building

BusConnects

remains untested. We don't know if it will really improve matters on the ground - but a bus corridor approach is not used in any modern European city in a similar situation (since around the 1960s). It is hard to see that this plan is evidence based or environmentally sound.

Metro

The Metro station planned for Drumcondra for over 20 years will now not be built (the line was even prepared for, at great expense, in the foundations of the Mater extension!).
The removal of this station already made little sense in view of existing population density (the decision was not evidence based).This development alone will add at least 2000 adults to the area. Other developments of a similar type in and around Drumcondra (co-living and student blocks etc.) are also adding ever more people into area. Making the decision not to build the metro station appear even more misguided.

Metro first, then density increase is international best practice.

Irish rail

Much of the public transport traffic coming through Drumcondra is seeking to go to east Dublin(!) But if you want to go to Heuston from Drumcondra you will be routed through Connolly station(train) or O'Connell St.(bus).

The stations planned for Cabra and Heuston East are not currently going to be built - offering no alleviation to Drumcondra and costing the economy millions in long travel times.

Masterplan

The Masterplan mentions the attractive connections available, but makes no mention of the fact that the system is actually already completely overloaded. BusConnects is held up, but the relief it provides is projected not tested (new developments should wait until this is clear).

Other developments of great size - e.g. Nine Elms in London provide alleviation measures as part of their Masterplans, e.g. the building of two new underground stations.

Dublin should implement transport and traffic alleviations before permitting such vast developments.