With all the media attention on the upcoming General Election for 2011 it appears that Dublin Bus have managed to get approval for a 2% fare increase. 2% may not seem much but somehow it adds up to 10c on some fares. A quote from their website:

Dublin Bus wishes to advise customers that from Sunday 6th February 2011, adult cash fares will increase.  For journeys of 13 stages and under, the fares will increase by 5 cent. Over 13 stages, outer suburban and Xpresso fares will increase by 10 cent. There will be no increase to child fares.

So next week expect to pay more if you take a bus.

On Saturday I walked through St Stephens Green and it struck me that this is the last Autumn for this part of the Green.

By October next year these trees will have been removed to make room for the new Metro station. Personally in post Celtic Tiger Ireland I don’t see the need for the Metro or how we can afford it both financially and spiritually, The Green is the heart of the city center and no cost benefit analysis can measure that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not someone who could be described as a “tree hugger” or “anti-progress” but I do believe that sometimes you cannot justify destroying something as beautiful as St Stephens Green in the name of progress.

The developers promise to restore the Green to its former condition after the building has finished. I was part of a group that met with the RPA lately and the plans for St Stephens Green were discussed. In fairness to them I believe they do mean well and do intend to preserve as much of the Green as possible. A lot of effort is going into documenting the current layout and structure of the Green so that everything can be put back to the exact spot where it was prior to the construction work but the trees will have to go and there is nothing that can be done about that. New trees will be planted and even semi mature ones could be moved into the Green but no matter how much effort they put into replacing stones and railings it still takes 200 years to fully restore a 200 year old park.

Today is Car Free Day in Dublin as part of European Mobility Week the goal of which is “an awareness raising campaign aiming at sensibilising citizens to the use of PUBLIC TRANSPORT, CYCLING, WALKING and at encouraging European cities to promote these modes of transport and to invest in the new necessary infrastructures.”

Unfortunately they happened to pick a pretty awful wet day in Dublin so traffic was actually heavier this morning. To add to the traffic problems this morning South William St, Drury St and Fade St are closed until 11pm to accommodate Living Streets as part of Car Free Day. The rain is easing off now and there are blue skies on the horizon so if you haven’t already taken your car into the city center perhaps you could consider taking public transport instead?

The Dublin Bikes scheme is not operating today because of a technical fault with the terminals. They hope to have the bikes back in operation later today. There are none near me so I cant check but if you depend on them as part of your daily commute you might want to give yourself extra time.

It looks like there are big changes coming to the Dublin Bus route network over the next few months.

Dublin Bus plans to “increase efficiency and frequency, with a five-minute waiting time between services”. Good, though my bus is scheduled to run every 20 minutes and in the evening waits of an hour to an hour and a half would not be uncommon. There is a big difference between aiming to run a bus every 5 minutes and achieving it in Dublin traffic. I fear that the solution Dublin bus will opt for in some areas is to avoid traffic bottle necks completely which would remove the current bus service from many parts of Dublin. I’d rather have a bus that serves my area every 30 or 40 minutes than a bus every 5 minutes but with the bus stop miles away on the N11.

“The overall number of routes is to be increased, but some existing routes will be straightened out with fewer diversions off quality bus corridors, while others will be combined.” Sounds good again in theory but as with my previous point does this mean that many busses will run on main routes only and will not divert into housing estates or down side roads as they do at the moment? That actually reduces the service for many people especially the elderly or those with mobility difficulties.

Finally “A real-time passenger information service will also be rolled-out later this year”. Very good and I hope Dublin Bus have the sense to make this freely available online and to open up the API so that developers writing applications for iPhones and other smartphones will be able to write apps to allow consumers to look up the location and timing of different busses at home and on mobile phones without having to go to bus stops.

A fall of snow last night means Dublin Bus has withdrawn all busses from service for today Friday 1st January 2010. They are also monitoring the weather conditions for Saturday 2nd. Check the Dublin Bus website for updates.

I suppose the good news is the government has refused to give permission for fare increases in 2010.

An extension to the Red Luas line opens today with four new stations George’s Dock, Mayor Square (NCI), Spencer Dock and The Point. It seems work has been underway on that extension for years now, in my mind it seems as if the construction has been taking place almost since the original line opened so it’s good to see the works finally complete.

This extension should be very useful to the workers in the IFSC and concert goers heading to the O2 but I personally wish the focus and the investment would shift from extensions and branch lines and onto constructing completely new lines connecting other communities around the city. The Luas is a great resource for those of us lucky enough to live close one of the two lines but for much of the city the Luas is of little use.

Ah parking. Everyone in Dublin has their clamping horror stories. Mine is when our car was clamped outside our house even though we were fully paid disc holders. To add insult to injury no-one answered the phone when we rang to have the car unclamped. Steam. Ears. You can imagine. Three months later I got my fine back. This happened over 5 years ago. I’m not bitter.

Parking is usually not something I worry about being a committed city cyclist. However, of late, I have had occasion to drive instead of cycle especially as I’m carrying a precious cargo. I had planned this post to be aimed at expectant fathers in the Dublin region but I discovered that Brandon beat me to it in a post in June. Seriously he’s right: Dads-to-be get your ParkingTag on! (Me I’m planning to cycle to the Coombe when the time comes.)

However since then I’ve actually started using ParkingTag.ie so I thought I would share my experience. After a few initial hiccups where their site continuously refused to take my payment details and therefore refused registration I finally managed to register after giving up but returning at a future date. I’m nothing if not persistent!

Firstly I really like the site and their understanding of how people use their cars. Like many families living in a city we only have one car so either of us could be out and about in it. Therefore it would make no sense if we could only register one mobile to the account. This means that either me or Himself can pay for parking from our own phones. Similarly if we ever own two cars (hah!) we could register both plates to the one account.

This last fact is very clever for business accounts in particular. You could register all those in the company to the one account with their mobiles, keeping trips to the meter to a minimum. It also allows you to download an Excel of parking costs from the “Recent Transactions” section which would allow the company to track payments made outside of work hours (if the boss was very pernickety!)

However it was when I was viewing this that I noticed a few figures that I didn’t expect and that were unexplained. I was charged 20c for every reminder SMS to tell me that I had 10mins left on my parking even though this service is not optional. I found this detail at the very bottom of their FAQ. Personally I would prefer to stick a reminder in my phone that doesn’t cost me a cent. The other fee was a 50c service fee which I suppose is fair enough – it’s a very handy service but surely a public service like Dublin City Council should factor these costs in to their arrangement with Payzone but that’s just scabby ol me and the taxes I’m already paying…!

When registering one has to give payment details for a credit or debit card and a regular top-up amount is debited from your card. However as an infrequent user the minimum top-up amount of €20 is a little high for me and I fear that there will be a surfeit of my cash languishing in the ParkingTag bank account over time.

The other bugbear I have (and I’m sorry to moan but I would prefer you not to panic when parking as I did) was that I followed the instructions carefully to activate my ParkingTag only to have my first few attempts rejected! Not a happy experience when you’re rushing for an appointment and I did the unthinkable and left my car unpaid for!

However, good news for those for those of you who prefer free parking*. Dublin City Council announced a free parking scheme in the run-up to Christmas to encourage shoppers to the city centre.

Under the scheme, on-street parking spaces will be free from 2pm every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 27th.

Oho it’s a far cry from Operation Freeflow and my poor mammy spent three hours getting out of the College of Surgeons’ Car Park one Christmas Eve!

*I was also hoping to find a Google Maps Mash-Up of Free Parking in Dublin City but could only find this.

A herd of llamas is loose and is being chased by Gardai on the M50. Yes, seriously, a herd of llamas. It appears that none of the Dublin Community Blog contributers have made it through the traffic to give a report from the impromptu circus but if anyone out there has some photos please post them

Personally I suspect it’s an advertising stunt by one side or other in the Lisbon campaign. After all a llama is the perfect size to hang election posters on and every other spare piece of skyline has already been filled.

Photo right owned by thms.nl (cc)
So you better watch out! Seriously folks: Dublin is about to become a lot more hazardous for all its citizens. The Dublin Bikes scheme rolls out across the city centre at 11am today September 13th. Daragh has all the facts in his previous post. Mind you this morning at 2am as I was ferried home in the “safety” of a taxi there was narry a bike to be seen at the stations so don’t be too disappointed if you roll up today and there are no bikes.

As I have already written here on my love of cycling in Dublin I thought I would share some pearls of wisdom with those of you who are thinking of lepping into a saddle next week when the Dublin Bikes scheme launches.

(Note: Dublinbloggers take no responsibility for injuries sustained as a result of following Roseanne’s advice. You’re a cyclist not a sheep!)

1. If you are planning to use the bikes regularly do pick up some decent raingear. Even though I have “proven” that it rarely rains in Dublin with my longitudinal photographic record of the weather at about 6 of a workday(!) that’s not to say there might not be the odd torrential shower. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a cape is a good idea. They are not. Trousers and a jacket are your best bet. If you can get a jacket that zips from the top and bottom all the better and better again if you can get a jacket that has ventilation zips under or near the armpits.
2. Layers are always a good idea on the bike as it can be shweaty work even within the relatively flat city centre. Sorry to be crude but only thinking of your comfort. I would also advise you to bring a pair of lightweight gloves even in September. Check my little handy out only last week!
3. Tough day ahead or behind you and need to do some thinking? Pick up a bike and do a chunk of your journey on two wheels. Your problems will be thought through by the time you reach your destination. That or at the very least you will forget about them for 20 minutes as you navigate Dublin’s peculiar perils!
4. PAY ATTENTION! While you may be thinking things through you do need to pay attention, especially at junctions. Not so much for yourself but you have to second guess all the other eejits on the road. Seriously you will be amazed by the number people who seem to desire an ignominious end under a two-wheel vehicle by wandering off the footpath and into the cycle lane.
5. I understand the Dublin bikes have bells. The answer to the age old knock, knock joke “Is a bell on a bike really necessary?” is yes indeedy! Use them bells well, my children. A sharp “Get the [bleep] out of my way” is also affective but will upset the zen like state you are reaching in point no 3 above.
6. Do NOT break red lights. Apart from the legal and safey issues you are doing bicyclists no favours. It’s the first thing anti-bikers mention when they are trying to justify their gas-guzzling, air-polluting idiocy. Don’t give them the satisfaction.
7. This is one for the ladies: you can liberate your Loubotin heels once you have mastered the art of cycling! You may not be able to walk in them but it’s far easy to cycle in them. Starting and stopping is trickier, especially on an incline. Thanks again to those dudes who picked me up beside the canal on my way up to Emmet Bridge. However pencil skirts are a no-no so on with the leggings and roll up do sciorta (less creases) and stick em in your backpack. On that subject, a backpack is really the best option on a bike, especially when carrying a laptop, so invest in one you like that has a sophisticated system for keeping your back ventilated.
8. The Dublin Bikes do have a basket which while it may not appeal to the boys, my son regularly asks me “Why does Dad not have a basket? It’s so handy!” and he’s right. Ridiculous, hard-coded and imaginary gender issues aside, baskets are gift but beware of overloading them as the bike will topple as the basket pulls the front wheel to one side. I’m not sure which kind of stand the Dublin Bikes have but ThinkBike in Rathmines fitted my bike with a two sided stand so neither the presence of a child on the back or a heavy basket up front will topple the bike. If the Dublin Bikes have a traditional one-sided stand watch out for this toppling. The other thing to watch out for when you have items in a basket are potholes because as you go over the hole everything leps up in the air and all over the road. Bye-bye iPod etc.
9. Dublin Transport Office have a cycle journey planner which in my experience is to put it bluntly, pure nonsense. Imagine I was a TD (hah!) and I wanted to get from my house in Crumlin to Títhe an Oireachtais for work. I put in my street address as starting point and Kildare st as ending point and the system tells me: “Unable to find a cycle route. Hopefully this walking route will be of use.” I think the reason for this is because there are a number of one-way streets on the route they propose. If only they could add in a social layer, I could indicate the actual route that I take which would then be saved and used to extrapolate for other similar journeys by others. Two nice features that they have added since I last used this is a “CO2 Avoided” widget and a “Calories burned” widget where you can add in your own weight. Nice!
10. My final word is a warning and please take this seriously: Avoid the corner of Stephen’s Green where Earlsfort Tce. and Leeson St. meet. It is a death-trap. I’m mildly tempted to tell everyone to aim for it on the offchance that one of you might be injured. This is pure evil of me, I am aware, but at least it might draw attention to this ridiculous piece of road planning. With the extra publicity of Dublin Bikes the powers that be might actually pay attention. Your sacrifice will be for a greater good. Does that make me sound kind of fanatical?

We’d love to hear about your experiences of using the Dublin Bikes so tell us your tales in the comments below or post your pics to a photo sharing site and add the links below in the comments. I’ll feature my faves in a post in a few weeks time. Happy cycling!