The Dublin Community Blog

Just back from Paris (and our ill fated rugby match!) and I have to say we were all VERY impressed with the bicycle rental scheme that’s going on there! I had heard something about it on the news here before we left, and we were really looking forward to seeing how it will take off in Dublin.

SO how will they stop the knick-knacks sending them to a watery grave I hear you ask!

The way it works in Paris is: you go to one of the many bicycle stations (situated within a 300 meter radius of each other) pop in your credit card to lay down a deposit of €150 and then you purchase your ticket. You can purchase all manner of subscriptions to suit the length of your visit. The locals use a ‘smart’ card that you just swipe and go! Each journey is free for the first 30 mins, so what they are encouraging you do to do is use the bike to get to your destination and pop it back in the station. It keeps a majority of the bicycles in circulation for people to use.

It made getting around Paris a doddle – from the top of Rue St Denis to the Rive Gauche in jig time!

The bicycles themselves are tamper-proof, un-deflatable tyres with three gears and the essential bell to warn pedestrians of your arrival! We couldn’t find that much information about the Dublin scheme, but it seems like the same company are behind it. JC Decaux are footing the bill in exchange for a number of adverting spots around the city.

I recently spent some time in India and in most towns/cities the primary mode of transport is autorickshaw, aka tuk tuk. Their average speed is 30mph and their triangular shape at the front and handlebar steering allow for easy manoeuvring in traffic. With obvious modifications like doors and seatbelts, I think these could work really well in Dublin, especially on a Saturday night! What do ye think?

I’m a bit late but you may find this useful if you have to heave heavy shopping across the city like I did today, fair play to Clearwire for the Christmas shuttle:

The free Clearwire Christmas shuttle will be running between O’Connell Street and Grafton street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week to save the weary shopping feet of the people of Dublin.

The shuttle will be running tomorrow from 10am till 4pm and you can hop on outside Topshop at the top of Grafton Street or outside Cleary’s. You can hop off outside Penny’s on O’Connell Street, at the bottom of Grafton Street outside Trinity or outside Topshop. So if you are in town be sure to check it out!

 

So, our last Poll asked who you thought was going to win the All Ireland Football Final, Mayo or Kerry, and 65% of you think that Mayo will win. We will know the outcome shortly.

But, to our new poll, over on the right, do you agree with the taxi drivers protests that have been taking place today, and over the past few weeks? Let us know your thoughts!

There is an on going protest Taxi on O’Connell Street. It is reported to be causing major traffic disruption with taxis parked all along the street, the drivers are marching up and down the street. Dublin Bus is not letting passengers off at O’Connell Street stops and traffic is backed up along the quays.

Traffic in Dublin city centre is now backed up from O’Connell Street to Parkgate Street.

The whole of Dublin’s north quays are affected as a result of an impromptu protest by taxi drivers taking place around O’Connell St.

Newstalk 106 reported that the drivers had a confrontation with their union representatives at the phoenix park when told that the taxi regulator would not meet with them. The drivers then abandoned the planned slow drive on the M50 and instead headed into O’Connell Street.

Another Monday another taxi strike. Yawn. I have to say as I stare at traffic going past my office window (don’t tell my boss) that traffic while heavy is flowing unusually well.

As I write I just saw a taxi with passengers go by. I guess the strike is over, or maybe he is one of the non-unionized taxi drivers who just wants to make a living?

Another Monday morning, yet another Taxi Strike in Dublin to add to the traffic woes around the city. Now that the schools are back and holidays are over, traffic is back to it’s usual manic levels again, meaning that no matter what time you leave the house for work you are doomed. I’m working in Citywest for the week, which is probably THE worst place in the country to have to work, especially living out near Drogheda as I do. I can now look forward to spending at least three hours a day commuting to and from work, and moreif it gets wet or there’s an accident along the way…yay!!

IF YOU cannot bear a rant about taxis in Dublin, you probably turn away now. We all have our taxi rants but mine (this time) concerns rude Dublin behaviour around taxis. Or what I have unaffectionately called doing a Dublin.

[From http://newsfeed.tcm.ie]

Why is it that when you are standing waiting for a taxi some eejit thinks it is perfectly acceptable to see you looking for a taxi and then walk in front of you to get ahead thereby ensuring they get the first taxi that arrives.

On Friday I stopped off in a supermarket after work and was standing waving at all the full taxis that were flying by in the rain bringing home lucky people.

Then some arse came out of the pub, saw me and then stood about 20 feet in front of me. Normally I would just fume, but having it happen a couple of times recently I thought ‘no bloody way’.

So I trundled up the road, carrying two heavy bags of shopping, walked five yards ahead of him, turned around and gave him one of my famous evil-eye looks, then (luckily) flagged a taxi immediately.

Course this could have turned into a carry-on scenario, he could have walked ahead of me, then me him again and so on.

One incident was particularly strange and it did turn into something from a carry-on movie.

I was temping for a couple of weeks some years ago and I was late for my first day in one work place having to be there for 9am across town, and having to leave the Young Wan in school and wait for teachers to arrive. So I was stressed and worried about being fired before I even started.

Though I could ill-afford a taxi at that time I stood at a crossroads trying unsuccessfully to flag a taxi from two directions so I could at least try to get to work in time. When I noticed a woman in a very lovely suit walking down a road which cuts onto the crossroads.

The next thing I realise she was standing less than five feet from me and was flagging down the only empty taxi for 20 minutes.

Now this is where I became a mad Belfast woman, I went over and informed that I had been waiting before her and she would have to wait her turn.

She snottily and snootily tried to say she was there first and of course because I had noticed her and her lovely suit walking down the road, I just laughed and said ‘away-a-thon’.

The next thing we were hip fighting to get into the taxi. She tried to whip me out of the way with her hip to get into the taxi, so I hip-whipped her back and I have good child-bearing hips.

It was less read my lips, more read my hips.

Mad, surreal and slightly deranged I know, I couldn’t believe this was happening or even that I was participating in it, but it was a point of principle at this stage for me.

The taxi driver drove around the corner and she ran over and jumped in. He wouldn’t have taken me anyway because he saw her first. And that’s where the problem lies.

That was one incident. I have had others from the same crossroads when the Young Wan was wee and people would come by, grab the taxi and leave me and herself in the rain.

Whatever doing that to me but doing it to a child.

In Belfast this would not happen, at all. Because one form of public transport is the black taxi which you share with other people and this can be flagged down anywhere on the road.

So when you see someone standing by the side of a road, you stand behind them. Simple, mannerly and it works. No one would dream of bunking the queue.

I have once done this in Dublin where I stood beside someone who was before me and all I got was dirty looks from him though in fairness I think the fella thought I was going to do a Dublin on it.

Not me mate.

He was in crutches and copped us trying to get a taxi, but I stood aside and waited for him to get sorted. Apart from the fact he was in crutches (and I would have let him go first anyway) he was first.

So just for general good feeling and harmony, bear in mind that while it might feel like it should be a free for all regarding taxis, there are some things we should do to make life more pleasant for everyone. And bunking, queue-jumping does not do this at all.

While I could tell you a million stories about this, the rant is over (probably just for now though).

Daragh, I’m sorry… Although to be fair the current crop of community bloggers seem to be churning out posts at a fair rate!

My thought for tonight is this. I don’t head into town at the weekend that often; usually it’s locally, have people over or…. well, given that I’m a parent of 2, more often than not it’s stay in with a video, a week’s worth of Sky+ stuff and a takeaway. Ventured in to the city a couple of weeks ago for what turned out to be a great evening. Meal with friends, pints after, all ending at about 2.30 to 3-ish on the cold and crowded streets around City Hall.

Then I remembered why I hate coming into town at the weekend so much. You see the Nitelink doesn’t go anywhere near staggering distance of where I live so taxi it must be. Every time you presume “sure how long could it possibly take for me to flag one down? I know just the spot….” Or at least I used to know just the spot…

Am I the only one who has noticed Dublin’s resemblance on a Saturday night/Sunday morning to a city being invaded in a Roland Emmerich movie? Everywhere I went there were streams of people walking out of the city in all directions, arms desperately flailing like windmills in a vain attempt to hail any one of the dozens of (strangely empty) taxis heading back into town.

And then an old experience came back to me. A couple of years ago, same time of the night, same “spending an hour wandering up Dame Street, over Christchurch, back down the quays with hundreds of taxis whizzing by” kind of vibe when a bolt of inspiration hit me. I parked us on the path outside the Morrison Hotel. Time taken before a cab stopped? 25 seconds.

And they wonder why ordinary folk sometimes resent them….?

R