Cork Transport

@DubinCork wrote:

The government has messed up transport on a grand scale with the DAA leading the charge for stupidity with Martin Cullen a daily farce.

Cork city has a quality of life that most Dubliners could only dream of and yes they do take it for granted down here.

1. I completely agree with the first part so the only way to get rid of Martin is by giving a gesture to Fianna Fail i.e.dont vote for them.

2. We dont take it for granted at all. I personally think its a basic right and you cannot compare what Cork should be to Dublins miserably failed transport. The amount of money wasted is only phenomenal. Let the politicians make the policy so they feel they are doing something, then send in a private company on a fixed price contract with bonus scheme to finish early, penalties if they finish late and see what happens. Cork is an excellent sized city that could have transport sorted out very easily. If we “whinge” its because the only way it seems to get a redult is to complain loudly enough.

Cork has been failed on
1. Airport Debt promise – fail, a project cost over run by none other than the DAA themselves, while on the same day SIX HUNDRED MILLION was to buy out a toll bridge on a acontract signed by Pee Flynn and George Redmond, those bastions of good planning
2. Kent Station redevelopment – fail/farce with no bus/rail integration
3. Kinsale roundabout 9 years late and not on time and under budget as the politicos seem to think
4. Bandon flyover funding pulled – fail
5. Sarsfield flyover funding pulled – fail
6. Fermoy bypass – white elephant
7. Docklands – fail
8. Nightlink – non existent
9. Midleton railway – signed months late, reannounced several times and now will be ANOTHER year late

And you wonder why we give out?

@DubinCork wrote:

De-centralisation for the second city ? Nil.

Cork Transport should be re-titled “Figure it out yourself”

😡 De-centralisation for the second city = minus 200 jobs lost due to the Dept. of Agriculture moving from Cork to Macroon thus forcing more cars on the road to commute there.

None of the political parties are on record as being opposed to the principle of decentralisation; the opposition on this particular plan is a particularly easy target for the main oposition parties as you simply couldn’t have made more of a mess of it no matter how hard you tried.

Prediction major cities outside Dublin have vacant office space at a reasonable price and a new back office function emerges then decentralisation will happen. When you think of Trim, Virginia, Cahersaveen and Charlestown they don’t spring to mind as office locations; they have no professional services such as legals, accounts, PR, business consultancy etc on a scale required to back up large office units.

UK decentralisation has worked very well with locations like Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester being selected.

Any smaller than Athlone would not feature.

From this morning’s quondam Cork Examiner:

23 April 2007

Flying chance

CORK Airport Authority (CAA), or some entrepreneurs, should take the bull by the horns with regard to Ryanair’s announcement of flights from the EU to the US.

Since it now seems the CAA will be saddled with the costs of the new terminal, the income from these flights to Cork could go a long way towards solvency while also bringing additional tourism dollars to the county.

Or they might even invite Ryanair to put its EU/USA headquarters in or near Cork airport.

Bill Hurley
59 School Street
Hyannis
Massachusetts 02601
USA

@DubinCork wrote:

De-centralisation for the second city ? Nil.

Cork City Manager confirmed today the extent of Government decentralization in relation to Cork since 1979

“The only Government decentralization project in Cork City in recent years has been the relocation of the Central Statistics Office to Mahon Business Park. I understand that there may be plans for minor relocations to towns within the C.A.S.P. area.
At present we are not aware of any Government proposals to decentralize further Government services/projects to the Cork area”

What about the 200 jobs due to be LOST from Cork City to free up 10 acres of Dept of Agriculture lands so “some” developer can make a quick killing Joe?

More likely a promise will be made to sort it out, then after the election it will be revealed to be a big pile of hot air.

That is a piece of good news!

The Greens’ proposal for a ‘Cork Luas’:

http://www.eamonryan.ie/images/corkmapa001.jpg

😎

A phase 1 concept; I’m sure Dan Boyle would know the lie of the land better and all proposals would be scoped via public consultations. Critically what this proposal does is that it serves the southside which unlike the northside does not have two existing lines.

In the last 10 years Cork public transport has got a few new busses and nought else.

Go figure

I’d go for a much simpler system Chris …

One line, running from CIT (with a possible extension to Ballincollig at a later date) down through Dennehys Cross, along the Western Road, Washington Street, Grand Parade, then left, crossing the river in front of the exitsing bus station, right on the North quays to the Railway Station, then right on the Water Street Bridge, through the Dockland taking a left on Centre Park rd, along by the Parc and out the old alignment as far as Carrigaline, serving Mahon and Douglas along the way,

No need to go Northside (apart from Kent) because the main development corridor there is on the rail line, which will connect, or East for the same reason. Also, North is where the real hills are in Cork, which would make life very expensive. The Depot could be out somewhere near Carrig too, saving land in the city.

Should be a long term plan though (planning in the 2012-2015 period) with a new transport Authority and a reorganisation of bus routes in the interim. And around 100 news buses over the next 5 years.