Luas-Metro Connectivity on O’Connell St
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@alonso wrote:
I think we should wait until the full scheme is published and the EIS is released to consultation. It might end up better or worse than what we’re assuming here. I wouldn’t regard O’Connell Street as a “blank page” Andy. There may be other factors we don’t know about that is determining this arrangement. If the EIS is proper and comprehensive it will outline the procedures and options for us all to see and judge.
These things do morph as they develop yeah, will wait for more news. Also, blank page as in drawing board, y’know.
Notjim, I only moved the station 50 metres further in my picture, that’s practically nothing.
@Andy O wrote:
Notjim, I only moved the station 50 metres further in my picture, that’s practically nothing.
But what about all those many many poor passangers hauling their many many heavy bags through the driving rain, across the bridge and all the way to the Bloom Hotel?
why not just have multiple entrances to the metro stop e.g.
- 1 at Abbey street serving Luas Red line
- 1 at Central median O’Connell Street for Luas green
- 4 corner entrances serving general population
and run tunnels to each from the metro stop – as with any metro/underground you have multiple entrances and tunnels – this makes sense from a pedestrian traffic management sense as well as an interconnectivity sense. To make it an interchange it doesn’t matter how far you actually are from the platform just as long as you feel you are in the actual station. As this is an interchange and on the main throughfare of Dublin we should spend a few quid on getting it right.
@notjim wrote:
But what about all those many many poor passangers hauling their many many heavy bags through the driving rain, across the bridge and all the way to the Bloom Hotel?
They should hire fiddlers to line the route and keep them entertained.
@Rory W wrote:
why not just have multiple entrances to the metro stop e.g.
* 1 at Abbey street serving Luas Red line
* 1 at Central median O’Connell Street for Luas green
* 4 corner entrances serving general populationand run tunnels to each from the metro stop – as with any metro/underground you have multiple entrances and tunnels – this makes sense from a pedestrian traffic management sense as well as an interconnectivity sense. To make it an interchange it doesn’t matter how far you actually are from the platform just as long as you feel you are in the actual station. As this is an interchange and on the main throughfare of Dublin we should spend a few quid on getting it right.
Yes that would be ideal, a few quid that would save a lot of hassle in the long run. Exits both side of the river would be great IF combined with good luas connectivity.
but as jimg points out above, the metro and the luas are both barrierless, the tunnels are not needed, the street can serve as a concourse.
I was in copenhagen recently, and they have a new metro system with one maybe two lines connecting to the rail net. A fairly important interchange is a few stops down from the Central rail station. the metro entrance is right there by the rail platform, no fuss, no hassle, no round the corner or up the road malarky. I understand there may be examples of ‘nearby’ stations in Europe but OC will be one of our main junctions in the very centre of Dublin.
IMO, using Lr O’Connell St as a concourse is not ideal usage of our historical main street, which is abused enough as it is. This rail junction should be condensed into a small area, not spread out. All customers changing modes should be able to do so with ease, convenience and no unnecessary complication. In my mind, having to walk down a busy commercial street to change modes is not the easiest, most convenient thing, and it is an unnecessary complication (with the elderly and disabled in particular). The fact that the modes are barrierless doesn’t change the issue of integration.
posted this elsewhere tonight:
Half decent article by Frank in today’s IT on the transformation of Bordeaux led by investment in a tram system.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/features/2007/0717/1184196589878.htmlKey points for those without the password to someone else’s subscription!!
-it has no overhead power lines in the city centre; trams are energised by a third rail on the track bed as they pass over it.
-From the outset, all of the city’s bus routes were reorganised to integrate with the tramway
-Ticketing is also integrated, with a cheap flat fare of €1.30 that’s valid for any journey within an hour of purchase.
-The tramway was also treated as a “complete urban project”. Before its introduction, Bordeaux had just one pedestrianised shopping street (rue St Catherine) and the city’s cathedral was marooned on a traffic island. Now, cars are banned from the historic core, and the Place Bey in front of the cathedral is a pedestrian plaza.
-There is access for delivery vehicles and cars with permits. Barriers such as those used in multi-storey car parks prevent access at key points. If motorists want to get in, they have to use an intercom to get permission from the police; only trams and cyclists enjoy free passage into the heart of the city.
-Traffic on the quays has been reduced to four lanes, to make room for a wide promenade along the Garonne
-Traffic in the heart of the city is down by 35 per cent, we have seen an explosion in the use of bicycles and there are now 30,000 more inhabitants in the city
-Shopkeepers were “the most aggressive” in opposing it, believing that they would lose business if cars were not let in, but in the end more shops moved back to the city centre.
-The city also bought 4,000 bicycles to promote more cycling.
The article is a bit of a downer on Dublin, and idealises the Bordeaux situation. eg they didn’t buy bikes, they did exactly as what DCC are proposing re ads in the public space. Also he compares it too much to LUAS, which is unfair. LUAS, as far as operation is concerned, is world class.
But the main thrust of the piece is excellent. With Line BX coming on stream we will be gifted the opportunity to revolutionise urban space in Dublin, most notably College Green. Eventually the civic spine will be car-less, and we should follow Bordeaux’s example.
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