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Press Release

Public Transport Map/Users Guide for the Greater Dublin Region – The Time Has Come.

Date: 27 March, 2005
From: Thomas Sheridan – Communications Officer, Platform11

With record numbers of people in Dublin City, West Dublin, Fingal, Meath, Kildare and North Wicklow using public transport to commute to and from work, Platform11 is calling on Minister Cullen along with the Department of Transport to issue a single, updated and user-friendly public transport map for DART, Suburban Rail, Luas and Major Bus Services within the Greater Dublin Region.

For all the talk of integrated transport by various Government agencies in recent years, we have yet to see the publication of an Integrated Public Transport Map for Greater Dublin similar in graphical style and layout to the London Underground?s schematic map.

The RPA recently introduced a Smart Card system for Luas and Morton bus services at great expense to the taxpayer and while Platform11 welcomes this initiative, something as basic and relatively inexpensive as an integrated proper public transport map for the Greater Dublin Region has been completely overlooked.

Surely the time has come for a public transport users map which could be distributed free of charge at certain transport points, as well as tourists offices/hotels etc – other cities such as Boston, Toronto and Berlin already provide integrated public transport maps.

In recent years, the DoT has produced a plethora of expensive publications, but none of them have been of any use to the ordinary public transport user or visiting tourist. Dublin and its commuting hinterland is well behind the rest of Europe and most major North American cities when it comes to providing a comprehensive and user-friendly public transport map/users guide.

The map should be a colour coded, fold-out document, no larger than A3 size when fully opened, outlining all rail, Luas and major bus services (DB, BE and Independents were relevant) along with interchange points between services clearly identified from the City Centre out towards Drogheda, Navan, Dublin Airport, Kildare and Arklow. The map should be mounted and displayed at all train, tram and bus stations within the Greater Dublin Region and be included in all tourist publications and guides.

ENDS