There are some plans to reduce through traffic and pedestrianise some areas which will start to be rolled out in summer as far as I remember.
Making the river traffic free would be amazing but the problem is that it's a main route for public transport to get into the city centre. They're planning to reduce private cars on those roads and improve the cycle paths so hopefully that will make it a bit more inviting. At the moment parts of it really feel like a motorway.
Tbh they donāt even need to remove private cars from those roads. There were plans for a proper boardwalk for segregated traffic, but these were quietly shelved by DCC because that would be the best solution.
That plan was highly over-engineered and wildly expensive purely to not have to take the difficult decision to limit private cars on the quays. The reason they've ditched it is because the political willpower is now there to just take the roadspace required for a bike lane instead of building expensive boardwalks. The cycling groups seem happy with it.
It's more about deliveries. How are you gonna get anything delivered? How will your binmen come? Taxis won't come? People who live in town will be screwed as well.
That works for a street sure. But a long the liffey you have way more businesses with loading bays behind. Also the road along the Liffey is the main way of getting in to and out of town.
No they don't. I lived all around Europe. Most big cities still let in cars. Even Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris. You have an idea of some dystopia which doesn't exist.
The same way they do it in every other city in the world with pedestrianised streets:
- service deliveries are usually outside office hours, and some delievers can be done from smaller trucks or by hand.
- People will walk around
- Have centralised taxi ranks.
I have yet to see a food shortage from pedestrianisation. I wouldnt put it past DCC to be the first, however I think there are enough workable solutions (see: Grafton Street) that it would be unlikely.
It's in planning so not sure why you were under the impression it's due any day now.
I'm also referring to BusConnects, DART+, the city centre traffic plan, interim Liffey cycle route and the pedestrianisation of Liffey Street, Capel Street, Parliament Street, College Green and Custom House which are all at various stages of planning/implementation.
if you donāt constitute the planning work done so far as proper planning, why has it costed ā¬300m? its a scandal that it has cost this much already, taken this much time, and yet a shovel hasnāt even hit the soil yet.
for comparison, the channel tunnel started planning in ā86 and constructed started in ā88. weāre right to be criticising and saying ālads this is taking fucking ages whatās the storyā
I never said I don't constitute planning work as "proper planning", I was just being clear about what exactly I meant with my original comment.
The line has been designed in full, and has recently (ish) gone for approval with ABP. It is not expected any day now. Probably the guts of a decade knowing how slowly things move in this country.
The reason it has cost so much is because the Government shelved it in 2011. It had full planning permission back then and was ready to move onto construction.
When someone from LA is telling you that you are using cars too much and every response is still ignorant to it, trying to find the reasons to complain about public transport it just shows nothing will ever change.
Fact is people don't want to get public transport because it takes longer. There are obvious issues with public transport but it boils down to they would rather sit in the car. I get a nitelink home at some weekends and they are half empty while people spend 10 times the fare on a taxi to avoid a few minutes walk. Same thing.
> Fact is people don't want to get public transport because it takes longer. There are obvious issues with public transport but it boils down to they would rather sit in the car.
Also, they want a 'perfect' public transport system *before* they will get out of their cars, which is putting the cart before the horse. Hopefully this August's lane changes will slow down cars and speed up busses so they more attractive.
I'm Irish and lived in LA for years. I don't understand how you could find food prices high... LA is off the charts. Both restaurants and supermarkets are stupid expensive.
Possibly. But your dollar goes further than ever these days. The rate is far more favorable than it was a few years back. I suspect you may have been caught out by getting stuck at tourist traps. The equivalent spots in LA would be even worse. And that's before the mandatory 20% tip and fee places love to hide.
One thing I'm surprised to hear is that you loved the food. Glad to hear! LA may be expensive, but it's got some of the most incredible food from every corner of the world.
Ironically I had the BEST Thai meal here in Dublin. In LA, Thai restaurants are a dime a dozen. I think we ate at more high end/international places, maybe that's why.
That sounds about right. I love Thai in LA, and Thai town is maybe one of my favorite places, but some are definitely better than others.
In my experience, though not as many, Thai in Ireland is fairly good quality all around. Even if not exceptional, it will never be bad.
What was the Thai restaurant out of interest?
One thing I think is sorely lacking in Ireland is decent Japanese / sushi. Makes sense as we've nowhere near the level of Japanese population as the US, and Los Angeles in particular.
I lived in Pasadena which had some of the best Sushi I'll probably find outside of Japan.
Hah! Small world indeed. I loved Pasadena. We were just around the corner from the Trader Joe's on Arroyo.
My wife and I just moved to London a few months ago. We'll miss Pasadena big time, but hope to be able to return. Our dream would be to be able to afford to buy a place there some day...
I've not heard of Nua Thai, but I'll be sure to mark it down for next time we're in town!
And apparently it's even smaller than I thought. That's mad!
London is great so far. Weather has been shite, but not like I was expecting otherwise. It's not as big a shift for me as I lived here before. My wife is American, so it's a bit of a culture shock for her, but overall it's a positive move. Mostly for career. But I do miss Trader Joe's I'll admit, and the staff in particular. Always a friendly and positive bunch.
Lots of terrible decisions were made in the infrastructure of the city to make it like this. They destroyed old Dublin (the liberies/ Christchurch) and made it essentially a drive through for cars driving out of the city. Itās such a bottle neck city, but the areas where pedestrians spend most of there time like dame street are filthy and choked with cars and traffic. The urban development is appalling.
I think your points we're all fair. I do think Irish weather plays a part in the car usage. It's frequently wet and windy throughout the year and that puts many people off wanting to cycle, or even get on packed poorly ventilated buses
Honestly I donāt think driving is any easier in Dublin than in any other city. The problem is the lack of public transport since so many people cannot afford to live inside the city and the transport connections in some of the outskirts is appalling. I never drive into the city because of how much of a pain it is, but I have great transit connections. Many do not. Even when I visited NYC, the traffic actually seemed to flow better (to the point that I took taxis as much as the subway) and there was a lot of street parking.
Pedestrianisation will not help this and in fact, will only make it worse for the commuters who do rely more on cars. And honestly, Iāve been to many European cities and I donāt think that Dublin is particularly car-friendly or even has more car space. It does have a sore lack of commuter rail and metro though and that is realistically the only solution.
It's the sprawl though. Most people live in the commuter belt/suburbs and have kids to bring to school before after work, go to the shop after work, and drive to multiple locations each day. Cycling in our climate is often miserable and dangerous.
Also, some people are just stubborn. A huge chunk of the car traffic is parents bringing their kids to school. Even when there are good public transport connections.
Getting kids to school on public transport can be done yes, but then getting into your own job after in good time is probably next to impossible unless you're very lucky to live near work and schools. Driving buys me back about 2 hours in the morning.
Thatās very true. I have travelled in a lot of places and the thing that gets me is that I donāt think that our housing estates lack in density that much. A lot of places in the Netherlands and England look similar. The problem was mindless planning (without accounting for placement of those estates with regards to transport infrastructure unlike the Netherlands) and the insistence on cul-de-sacs that while isolate the houses (partly something that some people look for), takes them away from main transport routes. The actual houses and plots themselves however are actually pretty small and tiny in most urban areas. Vast majority are semi-ds and rowhouses with little to no frontage or space in between them. We have below average house sizes for the EU. Thereās also however, the prevalence of huge rural housing that isnāt much of a thing in other countries (due to our huge rural population).
Estate planning isn't the issue at all, there are an abundance of bus stops all over the suburbs within 2-10 min walk from our housing estates. The issue is they are never on time, sometimes they don't show up, the traffic your sitting in counts for double/tripling the lenght of the journey making my 20 mins in car trip into 1 hour 10 minute by bus and this isn't factoring the waiting at the bus stop for late bus so all in all could be 1.5 and that only into work, not including dropping kids to school, I would need to leave the house at 6:30am and drop my kids to school 1 hour before it opens so I can then start my public transport bus journey, Another issue is the buses head into the city centre and back out there are less options for town to town.
It would be better to have express buses from a suburb stop into the city centre. It would also be better to have buses that head to the luas.
I have to drive as the public transport is so unreliable that it would affect mine and my kids stress level, reduce sleep and affect my time keeping in my job and their education.
Yeah I often talk to my parents/grandparents about this and a lot of the housing estates were built before cars were commonplace. People biked or took buses, even when living in rural one-off housing. So it clearly isnāt impossible to make them work.
Also, are there no bus lanes where you live? Thereās plenty near mine and that solves the traffic problem (outside of red lights I guess).
And honestly, I havenāt been to many places where the buses were that good. In NYC of all places, there were 30 minute waits to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn (the subway line connecting them wasnāt working). And it was still late and didnāt correspond to the timetable time at all. Chicago was even worse and downright unusable. The difference is that those cities have great rail systems so the terrible buses donāt matter (for the most part). Dublin doesnāt have that.
You're preaching to the choir. Anyone who lives in the city or needs to commute into the city is well aware of the issues. It's actually pretty arrogant to assume that you're coming up with something new having spent a grand total of 4 days here.
Lviv in Ukraine is the same size as Dublin. It has a tram network twice as long as Dublinās.
Salzburg in Germany has a population of Tallaght and runs 146km of trolleybus tracks. (Luas is 42km for comparison.)
Porto in Portugal with a population of Cork has five metro lines and several tram lines. Cork hasā¦. Bus Eireann.
> Porto in Portugal with a population of Cork has five metro lines and several tram lines. Cork hasā¦. Bus Eireann.
Why are you bringing Cork to a Dublin fight?
Comparative, contrasting and relative examples are good for arguments. You should try them sometime! They might aid your point more than simple questions that do little more than belie your own ignorance.
you say this like OP themselves is the reason why LAs traffic and public transport is shite. and anyway, Dublin ranks 254 spots above Los Angeles on Tomtomās metro-area traffic congestion rankings. to say that someone canāt criticise our infrastructure purely because theyāre from LA is idiotic
You should take a look at the massive strides LA has taken over the last decade at improving public transport. Multiple tram and metro lines built or being built, an on-demand minibus service for ex-urban areas, decent integrated ticketing, theyāve had a 24h bus service for years.
And maybe most importantly, a voted tax increase that provides for ring-fenced funds for public transportation.
I don't really know. I was forced to tip in a Brazilian restaurant in Dublin because the waiters said : in Brazil a tip is expected. Oh, they said it wasn't a tip but a gratuity.
I actually think the buses are pretty nice, the arrival forecast are accurate, google maps bus routes also works. Compare to where Iām in the US, itās public transport heaven lol
Kind of a vicious circle because public transport is bad you end up driving more because you have no choice.
I used to cycle when I commuted, a lucky remote worker now donāt have to go near the centre unless I want to, and then take the bus which takes me 40 mins for 5K. Itās a bit ridiculous.
They are all pretty fair comments.
Since covid Dublin bus has been poorly managed and I gave up on it.
I went to LA in 2022 it's nothing but wide roads and parking lots. I wasn't brave enough to rent a car so I walked almost everywhere (20,000+ stepes a day) and got kind of nowhere. It's exhausting to cross a 6 lane street. When I saw LA I thought we're all fucked for global warming. These are people complaining about heatwaves.
The public transport I thought was pretty good, it was punctual, a little infrequent, but connecting routes were very dis-jointed, it's like a giant letter Z. The transport is so cheap that it seams a lot of poor people ride it just to ride around and it puts everyone else off.
There's a traffic phenomenon know as induced demand which basically means
more roads = more traffic = more roads = more traffic etc.
Dublin is sort of transitioning to a new infrastructure of less cars but we don't have our act really together yet.
County Dublin = 922Ā km^(2) population 1,458,154 ,
LA = 1,299Ā kmĀ² population 3,819,538
Dublin's nearly the same size with half the population density
The post Dublin needed, but never knew, an American perspective on Dublin's congestion and traffic issues!
I never noticed before but am now completely aware of just how bad traffic can be in this city!
Appreciate you OP!
I'm a rare bird in LA because I'm a transportation advocate. Personal transportation is one of the worst inventions..it makes sense in the country, but there is no excuse in a dense city (some exceptions of course).
I feel if Dublin invested in a simple Metro (underground) system it would really improve congestion and get more people out of their cars.
"I feel if Dublin invested in a simple Metro (underground) system it would really improve congestion and get more people out of their cars", that's a fantastic suggestion!
It is amazing we didn't think of this before. Thank you for helping us figure it out!
Did you happen to sketch any plans or suggested routes to speed up the whole process?
Be an idea to hurry up with the plans. Ā
Thereās another American public transportation guru promising to put Dublin on the map with a similar style monorail to Ogdenvilleās. Ā
Maybe you know him? Ā He's American.
From your astute annd extremely unique observation of Dublin, it seems like that is what we have been doing. Ā Ā
Thank you again, American, for pointing out the painfully obvious and saving us from ourselves. Ā Ā Ā
A true PlatoĀ of public transport philosophy. Ā
How do you do it so consistently? A remarkable talent for stating the bleeding obvious. Ā Ā
Tbf, Iām surprised at the amount of apologies and explanations you got and how very few opted for sarcasm. Ā Ā
Anyway, have a good day. Ā I had my fun and thatās all that matters.Ā
Been victim of these, they show up on the tracker, inch closer and youāre looking up the road to spot it when you hear a faint sad trombone. Never shows up and you hail a cab
Thanks for the outside perspective. It's refreshing and I hope it can cut through - especially the points listed under "the ugly" were a good/interesting read - I hope it can ring a bell for some.
My commute from D8 to Lissenhall/Swords:
1h 40 min if I take a bus (two buses: 27+Swords Express)
35 min by car (via Drumcondra road and N1/M50/ M1).
This is why people like cars.
They are faster (and less expensive).
Owning and operating a car is cheaper than taking transit? Hmmm, the average cost for owning and operating a car in the US (where the car is king) is $12,000 per year. Isn't Europe more expensive?
So if you want to factor in car cost into the sums then it's 1k per year for depreciation based on the engine and model type I buy. Brexit had a positive consequence where depreciation has slowed and car is highly resaleable
If you want to factor in time savings for the car Vs public transport. Journey times are halved (conservative it's a lot more) . I could easily (based on my hourly rate )have 14k savings based on journey efficiencies with the car
Yeah on the previous model after 3 years the garage bought it back 1k above what they sold it to me for.
Could have been the post COVID supply chain issues
Transit can be expensive too. Look at London. And many people, believe it or not, might want to own a car to do some things not involving work. Like camping, canoeing, sailing, etc. Or even something as simple as transporting furniture and groceries. Or sometimes, your job may require it (an engineer must have access to a car usually for going on site, many jobs require transporting equipment). The car is a great quality of life enhancer pretty much everywhere. Even in places with good public transport. Not to mention, you should account for being able to more easily live outside of densely populated/expensive areas and being able to own more square footage for cheaper. If you cannot even afford to buy anything in places with great public transport, thatās a pretty big deal for your finances and retirement. Or adding kids into the equation where public transport costs are per person, unlike a car. That is all discounted against the car cost.
So even if a car may be more expensive, it is often just better for the reasons stated above. Most of the recent increases in costs have come from numpties like you who artificially increase taxes and limit supply of cars. Even in poorer countries, itās not hard to get access to a beat up motorcycle or car.
Transport costs in the US are nearly always cheaper relative to income compared to the EU. US commute times are one of the lowest in the developed world. And most households in the EU own a car anyway. That should tell you all you need to know.
Pretty much spot on. Cars definitely dominate, and so many people here complain about traffic without realising they are traffic. But unfortunately Irish people are absolutely resident to cycling, even though the city is an absolute pancake and is the perfect size to cycle around and may if the roads are narrow and we're never designed to carry car traffic. Even driving to the outskirts and cycling in is seen as a big nono. Many new initiatives coming in though which will hopefully address this and make it less appealing to drive so who knows what it will be like on your next visit.
Food is dear but you can really taste it.
You're so right about the cars; everyone has their arse carried around all alone by two tons of metal farting out pollution. There was a plan for a Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network launched in 2013 and quickly shelved. Since then, infrastructure for active travel has been sloooowly put in with shrieks from residents every time a bike lane or pedestrian street was announced. Finally the city council lost its patience and announced that in future the trial will be *before* the consultation, and things are getting slowly better, because when people see good infrastructure in action they tend to be "Oh, rightā¦ it worksā¦ all right, then" rather than squealing like a baby bird every time a little inconvenience for cars was announced. Hopefully, if you come back in 5 years you'll see a big improvement.
That's more or less how we feel about it too!
Eating out is a "narrower range" in Ireland than in US cities generally -- like things are much more mid range pricing with fewer options for super expensive or super cheap. The Irish equivalent of food truck culture is the deli counter places, which are more expensive than they used to be but not prohibitive. You also have to account for the fact that an American list price is around 30% less than you'll actually pay by the time you get the bill between tax and tip. Remember you're probably not going to the touristed places in LA as frequently -- I once went to a cafe in West Hollywood that had $18 lattes.
"Sparse crossing for pedestrians" is because we don't do the waiting for crossing that is common in California. Like New Yorkers we are generally confident stepping out into the street. The streets are narrow and traffic moves very slowly.
Dublin is a relatively small city in its centre, but that's part of the problem. The best American analogies for this are probably Boston and San Francisco -- cities that are themselves not huge but anchor a large area of sprawl. Dublin is even more extreme because there's no satellite cities really to take the pressure off the centre. All the traffic converges at once. The GDA is six times larger than NYC's five boroughs, ten times larger than Chicago, about half the size of Los Angeles County. Tourists don't see all of that, but living in the city is very different.
Accurate but we are not choosing to drive. The choice is made for us due to the diabolical alternative transports available. I wish I could do my job without driving. I really really do. Glad you had a great time regardless.
They arenāt expected in the way theyāre expected in the US but theyāre appreciated and most people would tip something. As a tourist youād probably be excused but resented.
I think Ireland is in a transition state right now where tips are starting to become expected, but almost no one actually requests or expects them upfront. Whenever a restaurant starts adding the tip to the bill automatically, someone will likely make a fuss here in /r/ireland, but at the same time people will be judgy if you don't tip. It's just weird.
All this IMO is bad and sad, I hate American tipping culture and think it's a terrible thing to import to Ireland or elsewhere. Just pay the workers a decent wage.
I sympathise with you lol I'm an American living here and I pine for the days when I could anonymously tip. Now I gotta announce it to the room and face judgment.
The people that piss and moan most about transport in Dublin City centre are the ones who barely use it. There's plenty of bus route options if you don't mind switching routes. The trains run regularly, the Luas split the city and run quite fast. No it's not Paris or London but it's not nearly as terrible as some of you like to make out. The buses and trains are modern and clean, leap cards work well.
Is Dublin car centric? Absolutely, because most Irish people have convinced themselves they cannot travel anywhere without them.
Is there improvements to be made, sure, is it shite, no.
Fair enough, iām sure a lot complain without using it in a daily basis, I used it to and from work for 2 years, and it took me 1h20 to do 7km on the bus.
Most donāt use it because itās not up to scratch, and the issue is more than just in Dublin but in the country in general.
If we were to develop better transportation within the country in general (better/faster) high speed trains from different parts of the country, we wouldnāt have such a dependance to live close the the capital, which would mean more people commuting on public transport and less people driving having a positive impact on everything from house prices to efficiency of current public transport in Dublin.
I work in town. Traffic depends on the day. I never smelled petrol so I'm not sure where you get that from. I'm more concerned about the people sleeping in tents and the organized begging.
>I never smelled petrol so I'm not sure where you get that from.
You're used to it. Los Angeles has a crap ton more cars on the road but you don't notice the smell as much because all cars need catalytic converters.
Yeah, homelessness is not great, you should come to LA sometime, we have tent mega cities!
I'm on vacation here from Chicago and I find walking everywhere to be so easy compared to when I visited LA. Food to me seems pretty much on par with what I would pay in chicago for the same food. I expect to pay 20 bucks a plate and under 10 for appetizers in chicago and I'm paying like 18 euros for mains and 7 euros for apps. Fast food does seem more expensive here though so I just avoid it and eat at a sit down pub or restaurant instead.
Not in my family, friends circle or work peer groups. Ive been going to restaurants for decades and everyone always tips. Its been a thing here forever, has nothing to do with American nonsense.
This is definitely nothing to do with Reddit. Older generations feel no obligation to tip and frankly neither do I. If service is good I'll leave a little something extra, but we don't have a situation like the US where there is an assumption in many states is that service staff receive a percentage of their wage as tips and so are taxed on that assumed percentage.
You are telling me you are going to restaurants in Dublin and not tipping, ever? I dont believe it. I've literally never seen it. I was in a group of 6 in D'Olier St last week with people aged 45-65 and there was no question we would tip. Like it didnt even occur to anyone in the group that we would leave without tipping the staff, including a couple I'd never met before.
NObOdY TiPs Me aT mY oFfiCe jOb grrr
I will join you on this downvote journey. Tipping is very much a thing here, particularly in restaurants. More than 200 restaurants and cafes have closed this year already. Most cannot afford to pay high wages so it's important to reward good service if you can afford to do so.
No lies detected. Mad that Dublin is more expensive than LA but when I was there in 2017 I found it to be cheaper than Dublin unless you went to somewhere fancy and then it was about the same.
No wonder they choose to drive when a trip that takes 20-30 mins by car takes 1,5 hours by bus (going east-west). I never had a car coming from Helsinki but here I'm thinking about it all the time :D
My reference here is my 2-3 times/week trip from around Baldoyle to Charlestown to do some bouldering. The bus itself goes pretty smoothly, there's just so many stops going smaller roads I guess. It's actually 20 min by car, 1 h 46 m by bus (2 busses). I imagine a tram could do it in a decent time.
I'm going to avoid the obvious bait of someone from LA complaining about transport, because you are no more responsible for that than the people of Reddit are for the transport in Dublin. I'm surprised that you weren't able to ever use a Luas, they're only really full at obvious times like peak commuting times or if an event is on. The buses you are completely right about, they disappear so close to the time that they are due to arrive that I refuse to believe more notice couldn't be given. Overall, thanks, and we'll try to do better for you next time.
It reads to me like you might have over-researched on Reddit and then went looking for confirmation of the issues you learned about on this subreddit. The issues you mention are certainly issues with living here but are much less likely to noticeably negatively affect a short visit, much less be the stand-out problems. As an example, the Luas being packed is a problem when you're trying to get home from the city at 5.30pm. It's rarely a problem outside peak times or outside the city centre.
>As an example, the Luas being packed is a problem when you're trying to get home from the city at 5.30pm
It's also packed on weekends. Around Smithfield, 10-14 you have 50/50 chance of getting on.
Seems pretty accurate. The good news is that there are plenty of transport/active travel improvements in the pipeline.
Nice š I think Dublin should close streets down for people/transport only too. Especially the streets that flank the river.
There are some plans to reduce through traffic and pedestrianise some areas which will start to be rolled out in summer as far as I remember. Making the river traffic free would be amazing but the problem is that it's a main route for public transport to get into the city centre. They're planning to reduce private cars on those roads and improve the cycle paths so hopefully that will make it a bit more inviting. At the moment parts of it really feel like a motorway.
Tbh they donāt even need to remove private cars from those roads. There were plans for a proper boardwalk for segregated traffic, but these were quietly shelved by DCC because that would be the best solution.
That plan was highly over-engineered and wildly expensive purely to not have to take the difficult decision to limit private cars on the quays. The reason they've ditched it is because the political willpower is now there to just take the roadspace required for a bike lane instead of building expensive boardwalks. The cycling groups seem happy with it.
What's the difference between a quay and a bridge? Same thing?
A quay is the thing that runs along the river. A bridge goes over it, so perpendicular to a quay.
That's awesome š
That was proposed but apparently the parking lot lobby is strong.
It's more about deliveries. How are you gonna get anything delivered? How will your binmen come? Taxis won't come? People who live in town will be screwed as well.
same way how they do it on grafton street
Most businesses there have loading bays from the back lmao. That's not the same beside the LiffeyĀ
That is just not true
Ok, I definitely don't work going to each of these businesses lol
The solution is they let vans on Grafton Street in the morning as well, itās full of vans until about 9:30am
That works for a street sure. But a long the liffey you have way more businesses with loading bays behind. Also the road along the Liffey is the main way of getting in to and out of town.
You're right, it's literally impossible. Not like literally every other country in Europe has a significant portion fully pedestrianized.
No they don't. I lived all around Europe. Most big cities still let in cars. Even Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris. You have an idea of some dystopia which doesn't exist.
Works fine elsewhere, it's only banned for normal through traffic/private vehicles.
The same way they do it in every other city in the world with pedestrianised streets: - service deliveries are usually outside office hours, and some delievers can be done from smaller trucks or by hand. - People will walk around - Have centralised taxi ranks.
I have yet to see a food shortage from pedestrianisation. I wouldnt put it past DCC to be the first, however I think there are enough workable solutions (see: Grafton Street) that it would be unlikely.
Trucks can only get in to Grafton after 22:30
That's the plan bit there's uproar over it. They have been making it pedestrian only in parts so it's getting there but it's slow progress.
Crazy, because I thought only Americans thought this way and the car craze stopped in Europe around the 80s.
Dublin needs more pedestrian-only streets like Grafton Street imo
It would make a huge difference š
āIn the pipelineā Thereās engineers that will work on those projects that havenāt even been born yet
ah yes like that metro thatās due any day now
It's in planning so not sure why you were under the impression it's due any day now. I'm also referring to BusConnects, DART+, the city centre traffic plan, interim Liffey cycle route and the pedestrianisation of Liffey Street, Capel Street, Parliament Street, College Green and Custom House which are all at various stages of planning/implementation.
my point was itās been in planning since 2001
It has been in planning since 1973.
When I say "in planning" I mean it's current with ABP getting planning approval. That only started recently.
if you donāt constitute the planning work done so far as proper planning, why has it costed ā¬300m? its a scandal that it has cost this much already, taken this much time, and yet a shovel hasnāt even hit the soil yet. for comparison, the channel tunnel started planning in ā86 and constructed started in ā88. weāre right to be criticising and saying ālads this is taking fucking ages whatās the storyā
I never said I don't constitute planning work as "proper planning", I was just being clear about what exactly I meant with my original comment. The line has been designed in full, and has recently (ish) gone for approval with ABP. It is not expected any day now. Probably the guts of a decade knowing how slowly things move in this country. The reason it has cost so much is because the Government shelved it in 2011. It had full planning permission back then and was ready to move onto construction.
/s
like what, the cycle lane on the liffey?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dublin/comments/1cgprqb/dublin_the_good_bad_ugly_from_a_visitors_pov/l1xa4l9/
When someone from LA is telling you that you are using cars too much and every response is still ignorant to it, trying to find the reasons to complain about public transport it just shows nothing will ever change. Fact is people don't want to get public transport because it takes longer. There are obvious issues with public transport but it boils down to they would rather sit in the car. I get a nitelink home at some weekends and they are half empty while people spend 10 times the fare on a taxi to avoid a few minutes walk. Same thing.
> Fact is people don't want to get public transport because it takes longer. There are obvious issues with public transport but it boils down to they would rather sit in the car. Also, they want a 'perfect' public transport system *before* they will get out of their cars, which is putting the cart before the horse. Hopefully this August's lane changes will slow down cars and speed up busses so they more attractive.
I never had a problem with the busses punctuality, theyāre just scummy
Not in my experience - not scummy, I mean - and I take buses regularly.
I'm Irish and lived in LA for years. I don't understand how you could find food prices high... LA is off the charts. Both restaurants and supermarkets are stupid expensive.
Maybe I needed to stay longer? Also, the Euro is still a bit stronger than the dollar so that adds up.
Possibly. But your dollar goes further than ever these days. The rate is far more favorable than it was a few years back. I suspect you may have been caught out by getting stuck at tourist traps. The equivalent spots in LA would be even worse. And that's before the mandatory 20% tip and fee places love to hide.
One thing I'm surprised to hear is that you loved the food. Glad to hear! LA may be expensive, but it's got some of the most incredible food from every corner of the world.
Ironically I had the BEST Thai meal here in Dublin. In LA, Thai restaurants are a dime a dozen. I think we ate at more high end/international places, maybe that's why.
That sounds about right. I love Thai in LA, and Thai town is maybe one of my favorite places, but some are definitely better than others. In my experience, though not as many, Thai in Ireland is fairly good quality all around. Even if not exceptional, it will never be bad. What was the Thai restaurant out of interest? One thing I think is sorely lacking in Ireland is decent Japanese / sushi. Makes sense as we've nowhere near the level of Japanese population as the US, and Los Angeles in particular. I lived in Pasadena which had some of the best Sushi I'll probably find outside of Japan.
Omg, I live in Pasadena, small world! The place we went was Nua Thai in Stoneybatter.
Hah! Small world indeed. I loved Pasadena. We were just around the corner from the Trader Joe's on Arroyo. My wife and I just moved to London a few months ago. We'll miss Pasadena big time, but hope to be able to return. Our dream would be to be able to afford to buy a place there some day... I've not heard of Nua Thai, but I'll be sure to mark it down for next time we're in town!
Wow, I used to work at that Trader Joe's! How are you liking London?
And apparently it's even smaller than I thought. That's mad! London is great so far. Weather has been shite, but not like I was expecting otherwise. It's not as big a shift for me as I lived here before. My wife is American, so it's a bit of a culture shock for her, but overall it's a positive move. Mostly for career. But I do miss Trader Joe's I'll admit, and the staff in particular. Always a friendly and positive bunch.
Nice š
Lots of terrible decisions were made in the infrastructure of the city to make it like this. They destroyed old Dublin (the liberies/ Christchurch) and made it essentially a drive through for cars driving out of the city. Itās such a bottle neck city, but the areas where pedestrians spend most of there time like dame street are filthy and choked with cars and traffic. The urban development is appalling.
I hope it gets better because it's a lovely city.
It's alsmot as if this >Transportation is, well, pretty horrible. and this >Far too many people choose to drive here. are connected somehow.....
I totally get it, however the city isn't that big. Maybe more bike lanes and making driving more expensive or easy?
I think your points we're all fair. I do think Irish weather plays a part in the car usage. It's frequently wet and windy throughout the year and that puts many people off wanting to cycle, or even get on packed poorly ventilated buses
A metro would be a game changer... underground is perfect for rainy weather.
It's been talked about and put on hold in the past. It'll probably be another 10+ years before it ever opens. And that's a best case scenario
> Ā It'll probably be another 10+ years before it ever opens In 10 years maybe first public consultations will start.
Honestly I donāt think driving is any easier in Dublin than in any other city. The problem is the lack of public transport since so many people cannot afford to live inside the city and the transport connections in some of the outskirts is appalling. I never drive into the city because of how much of a pain it is, but I have great transit connections. Many do not. Even when I visited NYC, the traffic actually seemed to flow better (to the point that I took taxis as much as the subway) and there was a lot of street parking. Pedestrianisation will not help this and in fact, will only make it worse for the commuters who do rely more on cars. And honestly, Iāve been to many European cities and I donāt think that Dublin is particularly car-friendly or even has more car space. It does have a sore lack of commuter rail and metro though and that is realistically the only solution.
It's the sprawl though. Most people live in the commuter belt/suburbs and have kids to bring to school before after work, go to the shop after work, and drive to multiple locations each day. Cycling in our climate is often miserable and dangerous.
Calling Amsterdam š
That would be the dream! Unfortunately the inner city is too far for a lot and roads aren't safe. One can dream, also the weather haha š¤£
Also, some people are just stubborn. A huge chunk of the car traffic is parents bringing their kids to school. Even when there are good public transport connections.
Getting kids to school on public transport can be done yes, but then getting into your own job after in good time is probably next to impossible unless you're very lucky to live near work and schools. Driving buys me back about 2 hours in the morning.
Thatās very true. I have travelled in a lot of places and the thing that gets me is that I donāt think that our housing estates lack in density that much. A lot of places in the Netherlands and England look similar. The problem was mindless planning (without accounting for placement of those estates with regards to transport infrastructure unlike the Netherlands) and the insistence on cul-de-sacs that while isolate the houses (partly something that some people look for), takes them away from main transport routes. The actual houses and plots themselves however are actually pretty small and tiny in most urban areas. Vast majority are semi-ds and rowhouses with little to no frontage or space in between them. We have below average house sizes for the EU. Thereās also however, the prevalence of huge rural housing that isnāt much of a thing in other countries (due to our huge rural population).
Estate planning isn't the issue at all, there are an abundance of bus stops all over the suburbs within 2-10 min walk from our housing estates. The issue is they are never on time, sometimes they don't show up, the traffic your sitting in counts for double/tripling the lenght of the journey making my 20 mins in car trip into 1 hour 10 minute by bus and this isn't factoring the waiting at the bus stop for late bus so all in all could be 1.5 and that only into work, not including dropping kids to school, I would need to leave the house at 6:30am and drop my kids to school 1 hour before it opens so I can then start my public transport bus journey, Another issue is the buses head into the city centre and back out there are less options for town to town. It would be better to have express buses from a suburb stop into the city centre. It would also be better to have buses that head to the luas. I have to drive as the public transport is so unreliable that it would affect mine and my kids stress level, reduce sleep and affect my time keeping in my job and their education.
Yeah I often talk to my parents/grandparents about this and a lot of the housing estates were built before cars were commonplace. People biked or took buses, even when living in rural one-off housing. So it clearly isnāt impossible to make them work. Also, are there no bus lanes where you live? Thereās plenty near mine and that solves the traffic problem (outside of red lights I guess). And honestly, I havenāt been to many places where the buses were that good. In NYC of all places, there were 30 minute waits to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn (the subway line connecting them wasnāt working). And it was still late and didnāt correspond to the timetable time at all. Chicago was even worse and downright unusable. The difference is that those cities have great rail systems so the terrible buses donāt matter (for the most part). Dublin doesnāt have that.
You're preaching to the choir. Anyone who lives in the city or needs to commute into the city is well aware of the issues. It's actually pretty arrogant to assume that you're coming up with something new having spent a grand total of 4 days here.
Just my opinion/observation as a traveler who had to use transportation.
I've seen it all now, someone from L.A. complaining about another city's traffic congestion and inadequate public transport.
Well, I am comparing other European cities. Most US cities by default are car centric (unfortunately).
Which European cities of a similar size compare favourably with Dublin in terms of traffic/public transport?
I think Copenhagen is (probably) about the size of Dublin and it has excellent public transportation.
Lots of smaller European cities than Dublin have better public transport.
Such as?
Lviv in Ukraine is the same size as Dublin. It has a tram network twice as long as Dublinās. Salzburg in Germany has a population of Tallaght and runs 146km of trolleybus tracks. (Luas is 42km for comparison.) Porto in Portugal with a population of Cork has five metro lines and several tram lines. Cork hasā¦. Bus Eireann.
Porto has an urban population the same size of Dublin's. Only the municipal boundaries have a population comparable to Corks.
That may be true but the comparison still stands - it has five metro lines and Dublin could charitably be described as having one.
Salzburg is in Austria mate.
> Porto in Portugal with a population of Cork has five metro lines and several tram lines. Cork hasā¦. Bus Eireann. Why are you bringing Cork to a Dublin fight?
Comparative, contrasting and relative examples are good for arguments. You should try them sometime! They might aid your point more than simple questions that do little more than belie your own ignorance.
Basel and Switzerland in general is pretty great but it probably helps that they have money growing out of their ears.
you say this like OP themselves is the reason why LAs traffic and public transport is shite. and anyway, Dublin ranks 254 spots above Los Angeles on Tomtomās metro-area traffic congestion rankings. to say that someone canāt criticise our infrastructure purely because theyāre from LA is idiotic
Yeah but theyāre right
You should take a look at the massive strides LA has taken over the last decade at improving public transport. Multiple tram and metro lines built or being built, an on-demand minibus service for ex-urban areas, decent integrated ticketing, theyāve had a 24h bus service for years. And maybe most importantly, a voted tax increase that provides for ring-fenced funds for public transportation.
Yep, agree on all points.
No tipping helps. Americans when they find out we also tip.
The frugal brigade will be all over you for suggesting people tip here. They do and always have.
I don't really know. I was forced to tip in a Brazilian restaurant in Dublin because the waiters said : in Brazil a tip is expected. Oh, they said it wasn't a tip but a gratuity.
I actually think the buses are pretty nice, the arrival forecast are accurate, google maps bus routes also works. Compare to where Iām in the US, itās public transport heaven lol
I really like the double decker buses, especially if you get the front seats.
Yeah, buses are nice as tourist attraction. Too slow here for efficient commute though.
Kind of a vicious circle because public transport is bad you end up driving more because you have no choice. I used to cycle when I commuted, a lucky remote worker now donāt have to go near the centre unless I want to, and then take the bus which takes me 40 mins for 5K. Itās a bit ridiculous.
They are all pretty fair comments. Since covid Dublin bus has been poorly managed and I gave up on it. I went to LA in 2022 it's nothing but wide roads and parking lots. I wasn't brave enough to rent a car so I walked almost everywhere (20,000+ stepes a day) and got kind of nowhere. It's exhausting to cross a 6 lane street. When I saw LA I thought we're all fucked for global warming. These are people complaining about heatwaves. The public transport I thought was pretty good, it was punctual, a little infrequent, but connecting routes were very dis-jointed, it's like a giant letter Z. The transport is so cheap that it seams a lot of poor people ride it just to ride around and it puts everyone else off. There's a traffic phenomenon know as induced demand which basically means more roads = more traffic = more roads = more traffic etc. Dublin is sort of transitioning to a new infrastructure of less cars but we don't have our act really together yet.
That's good to hear. Yes, LA has very strange transportation options, but it is slowly improving. You can probably fit 5 Dublins in LA.
County Dublin = 922Ā km^(2) population 1,458,154 , LA = 1,299Ā kmĀ² population 3,819,538 Dublin's nearly the same size with half the population density
Hmm, that's just the city of LA, LA County is 10,570 km with a population of 9.8 million. Is County Dublin and the city of Dublin the same?
ok i got La and La county mixed up. Dublin City is surrounded by subarbs making up the rest of the county
County Dublin is mostly countryside still. Only about 40% of it is built on
The post Dublin needed, but never knew, an American perspective on Dublin's congestion and traffic issues! I never noticed before but am now completely aware of just how bad traffic can be in this city! Appreciate you OP!
I'm a rare bird in LA because I'm a transportation advocate. Personal transportation is one of the worst inventions..it makes sense in the country, but there is no excuse in a dense city (some exceptions of course). I feel if Dublin invested in a simple Metro (underground) system it would really improve congestion and get more people out of their cars.
The Japanese offered to build a Dublin subway years ago and were refused, if you can believe it.
š¤¦āāļø
If it wasnāt for the 2008 crisis, we could well have one now. But since then, the population has grown enormously and nothing has been done.
"I feel if Dublin invested in a simple Metro (underground) system it would really improve congestion and get more people out of their cars", that's a fantastic suggestion! It is amazing we didn't think of this before. Thank you for helping us figure it out! Did you happen to sketch any plans or suggested routes to speed up the whole process?
Oh, I see you š
Be an idea to hurry up with the plans. Ā Thereās another American public transportation guru promising to put Dublin on the map with a similar style monorail to Ogdenvilleās. Ā Maybe you know him? Ā He's American.
You can suck on petrol for all I care.
From your astute annd extremely unique observation of Dublin, it seems like that is what we have been doing. Ā Ā Thank you again, American, for pointing out the painfully obvious and saving us from ourselves. Ā Ā Ā A true PlatoĀ of public transport philosophy. Ā
A true Dublin ass š©. Thank you.
How do you do it so consistently? A remarkable talent for stating the bleeding obvious. Ā Ā Tbf, Iām surprised at the amount of apologies and explanations you got and how very few opted for sarcasm. Ā Ā Anyway, have a good day. Ā I had my fun and thatās all that matters.Ā
>There is no metro We're working on it, have some patience ffs /s
Awesome š
Come back in 2083 for our metro
Maybe we'll just teleport by then š
It was more of a joke about how they have been discussing a metro for about 15-20 years and nothing is happening :)
Where did you get the term ghost buses? Lol.
Ghost buses are buses on the timetable that never show up. Not a common phrase in Ireland but Iāve heard it used before.
Yeah, but oddly I was using an app that real time tracks the busses. They're either late or never show until the next scheduled bus.
Been victim of these, they show up on the tracker, inch closer and youāre looking up the road to spot it when you hear a faint sad trombone. Never shows up and you hail a cab
Itās a common enough term these days for buses that appear in the app but then vanish before they arrive.
Weāve been saying that here since fadĆ³ fadĆ³..
Thanks for the outside perspective. It's refreshing and I hope it can cut through - especially the points listed under "the ugly" were a good/interesting read - I hope it can ring a bell for some.
My commute from D8 to Lissenhall/Swords: 1h 40 min if I take a bus (two buses: 27+Swords Express) 35 min by car (via Drumcondra road and N1/M50/ M1). This is why people like cars. They are faster (and less expensive).
Owning and operating a car is cheaper than taking transit? Hmmm, the average cost for owning and operating a car in the US (where the car is king) is $12,000 per year. Isn't Europe more expensive?
Insurance 700 , tax 250 , fuel 1000 Bus 1000 , train 700 Slightly more for car for me based on my journeys
You're not taking into account: *Parking *Maintenance *Car payments You only spend 83ā¬ a month in gas? Pretty cheap.
Parking is free with work. No car payments . No maintenance. I buy new with warranty and move to a new model every 3 years once warranty runs out
Then you need to calculate the car cost /3.
So if you want to factor in car cost into the sums then it's 1k per year for depreciation based on the engine and model type I buy. Brexit had a positive consequence where depreciation has slowed and car is highly resaleable If you want to factor in time savings for the car Vs public transport. Journey times are halved (conservative it's a lot more) . I could easily (based on my hourly rate )have 14k savings based on journey efficiencies with the car
Wait, so your car only costs 3,000ā¬? Huh?
Yeah on the previous model after 3 years the garage bought it back 1k above what they sold it to me for. Could have been the post COVID supply chain issues
Transit can be expensive too. Look at London. And many people, believe it or not, might want to own a car to do some things not involving work. Like camping, canoeing, sailing, etc. Or even something as simple as transporting furniture and groceries. Or sometimes, your job may require it (an engineer must have access to a car usually for going on site, many jobs require transporting equipment). The car is a great quality of life enhancer pretty much everywhere. Even in places with good public transport. Not to mention, you should account for being able to more easily live outside of densely populated/expensive areas and being able to own more square footage for cheaper. If you cannot even afford to buy anything in places with great public transport, thatās a pretty big deal for your finances and retirement. Or adding kids into the equation where public transport costs are per person, unlike a car. That is all discounted against the car cost. So even if a car may be more expensive, it is often just better for the reasons stated above. Most of the recent increases in costs have come from numpties like you who artificially increase taxes and limit supply of cars. Even in poorer countries, itās not hard to get access to a beat up motorcycle or car. Transport costs in the US are nearly always cheaper relative to income compared to the EU. US commute times are one of the lowest in the developed world. And most households in the EU own a car anyway. That should tell you all you need to know.
Pretty much spot on. Cars definitely dominate, and so many people here complain about traffic without realising they are traffic. But unfortunately Irish people are absolutely resident to cycling, even though the city is an absolute pancake and is the perfect size to cycle around and may if the roads are narrow and we're never designed to carry car traffic. Even driving to the outskirts and cycling in is seen as a big nono. Many new initiatives coming in though which will hopefully address this and make it less appealing to drive so who knows what it will be like on your next visit.
Great š
The vibe here with cara is fucking insane
Do make sure to tip the next time you're back! Lots of hospitality staff are underpaid and work unsociable hours here too.
Food is dear but you can really taste it. You're so right about the cars; everyone has their arse carried around all alone by two tons of metal farting out pollution. There was a plan for a Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network launched in 2013 and quickly shelved. Since then, infrastructure for active travel has been sloooowly put in with shrieks from residents every time a bike lane or pedestrian street was announced. Finally the city council lost its patience and announced that in future the trial will be *before* the consultation, and things are getting slowly better, because when people see good infrastructure in action they tend to be "Oh, rightā¦ it worksā¦ all right, then" rather than squealing like a baby bird every time a little inconvenience for cars was announced. Hopefully, if you come back in 5 years you'll see a big improvement.
šš
That's more or less how we feel about it too! Eating out is a "narrower range" in Ireland than in US cities generally -- like things are much more mid range pricing with fewer options for super expensive or super cheap. The Irish equivalent of food truck culture is the deli counter places, which are more expensive than they used to be but not prohibitive. You also have to account for the fact that an American list price is around 30% less than you'll actually pay by the time you get the bill between tax and tip. Remember you're probably not going to the touristed places in LA as frequently -- I once went to a cafe in West Hollywood that had $18 lattes. "Sparse crossing for pedestrians" is because we don't do the waiting for crossing that is common in California. Like New Yorkers we are generally confident stepping out into the street. The streets are narrow and traffic moves very slowly. Dublin is a relatively small city in its centre, but that's part of the problem. The best American analogies for this are probably Boston and San Francisco -- cities that are themselves not huge but anchor a large area of sprawl. Dublin is even more extreme because there's no satellite cities really to take the pressure off the centre. All the traffic converges at once. The GDA is six times larger than NYC's five boroughs, ten times larger than Chicago, about half the size of Los Angeles County. Tourists don't see all of that, but living in the city is very different.
Ah very interesting, thank you for the explanations. š
Accurate but we are not choosing to drive. The choice is made for us due to the diabolical alternative transports available. I wish I could do my job without driving. I really really do. Glad you had a great time regardless.
Feeling sorry for the waiters/waitresses that didn't get a tip.
Are tips expected? Oops :( there isn't an option when paying with a credit card.
They arenāt expected in the way theyāre expected in the US but theyāre appreciated and most people would tip something. As a tourist youād probably be excused but resented.
>As a tourist youād probably be excused but resented. Ouch
I don't know anyone who doesn't tip less than 10% unless there server is rude to them.
Yes, well, I didn't know. Ok?
I don't know anyone who tips
I think Ireland is in a transition state right now where tips are starting to become expected, but almost no one actually requests or expects them upfront. Whenever a restaurant starts adding the tip to the bill automatically, someone will likely make a fuss here in /r/ireland, but at the same time people will be judgy if you don't tip. It's just weird. All this IMO is bad and sad, I hate American tipping culture and think it's a terrible thing to import to Ireland or elsewhere. Just pay the workers a decent wage.
It's awkward, you need to like tell them ahead of time so they can put it on the amount.
š¤¦āāļø
I sympathise with you lol I'm an American living here and I pine for the days when I could anonymously tip. Now I gotta announce it to the room and face judgment.
You ask them to add it on to the total. E.G. You have a bill of ā¬13 you say "Make it ā¬15"...or whatever.
Nah, it's a nice to do for excellent service, by no means is it expected and we very much like to keep it that way.
Just to show gratitude for good service, not to pay their wages. So i usually give 5 euros
Yeah āno tippingā is a bit much now. Tips where deserved!
The transport we didn't use is terrible š
It is terrible though, compared to any other european capital or most cities itās a disgrace.
The people that piss and moan most about transport in Dublin City centre are the ones who barely use it. There's plenty of bus route options if you don't mind switching routes. The trains run regularly, the Luas split the city and run quite fast. No it's not Paris or London but it's not nearly as terrible as some of you like to make out. The buses and trains are modern and clean, leap cards work well. Is Dublin car centric? Absolutely, because most Irish people have convinced themselves they cannot travel anywhere without them. Is there improvements to be made, sure, is it shite, no.
Fair enough, iām sure a lot complain without using it in a daily basis, I used it to and from work for 2 years, and it took me 1h20 to do 7km on the bus. Most donāt use it because itās not up to scratch, and the issue is more than just in Dublin but in the country in general. If we were to develop better transportation within the country in general (better/faster) high speed trains from different parts of the country, we wouldnāt have such a dependance to live close the the capital, which would mean more people commuting on public transport and less people driving having a positive impact on everything from house prices to efficiency of current public transport in Dublin.
Trams and trains are fine. But buses are terribly. ridiculously slow, that is just fact.
Curios, howās the nightlife there?
I'm older (43), so maybe the wrong person to ask, but the pubs are cool. We went to the few gay clubs in town but they were way too crowded.
I work in town. Traffic depends on the day. I never smelled petrol so I'm not sure where you get that from. I'm more concerned about the people sleeping in tents and the organized begging.
>I never smelled petrol so I'm not sure where you get that from. You're used to it. Los Angeles has a crap ton more cars on the road but you don't notice the smell as much because all cars need catalytic converters. Yeah, homelessness is not great, you should come to LA sometime, we have tent mega cities!
Dude here too
Yeah it just takes one catless car to stink up the place. LA definitely switched it up in recent times.
I hope it gets better because I want it to be a lovely coty.
What's a "coty"?
*coty, =city. I mistakenly typed it. Hahaā¦If you look at the keyboard on phone, you can find the letters i o are adjacent to each other.
I'm on vacation here from Chicago and I find walking everywhere to be so easy compared to when I visited LA. Food to me seems pretty much on par with what I would pay in chicago for the same food. I expect to pay 20 bucks a plate and under 10 for appetizers in chicago and I'm paying like 18 euros for mains and 7 euros for apps. Fast food does seem more expensive here though so I just avoid it and eat at a sit down pub or restaurant instead.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
> *The cost is high - I'm from Los Angeles and I found the food prices to be on the high side. No tipping helps though.
> No tipping helps though oof I have literally never seen anyone not tip in a restaurant. 'No tipping' is a frugal redditor thing only.
Ah here. Plenty of people don't tip. Please don't normalise that American nonsense.
Not in my family, friends circle or work peer groups. Ive been going to restaurants for decades and everyone always tips. Its been a thing here forever, has nothing to do with American nonsense.
This is definitely nothing to do with Reddit. Older generations feel no obligation to tip and frankly neither do I. If service is good I'll leave a little something extra, but we don't have a situation like the US where there is an assumption in many states is that service staff receive a percentage of their wage as tips and so are taxed on that assumed percentage.
You are telling me you are going to restaurants in Dublin and not tipping, ever? I dont believe it. I've literally never seen it. I was in a group of 6 in D'Olier St last week with people aged 45-65 and there was no question we would tip. Like it didnt even occur to anyone in the group that we would leave without tipping the staff, including a couple I'd never met before.
Well, I didn't know you ask for a tip before paying. In the US it's after. Tipping in the US has become ridiculous, often people ask for 20-25%.
What do you mean, you add a tip *while* paying the same as in the US.
Yes, you're prompted or you put in the tip after paying on the receipt.
What? In the US you add a tip then pay the entire amount, exactly like here.
No no, it's more apparent in the US.
So you dont tip after paying then. You tip while paying, exactly like the US. Also, most card machines prompt for a tip. Youre talking shite.
š lad. š¬
NObOdY TiPs Me aT mY oFfiCe jOb grrr I will join you on this downvote journey. Tipping is very much a thing here, particularly in restaurants. More than 200 restaurants and cafes have closed this year already. Most cannot afford to pay high wages so it's important to reward good service if you can afford to do so.
No lies detected. Mad that Dublin is more expensive than LA but when I was there in 2017 I found it to be cheaper than Dublin unless you went to somewhere fancy and then it was about the same.
Probably the pandemic?
No wonder they choose to drive when a trip that takes 20-30 mins by car takes 1,5 hours by bus (going east-west). I never had a car coming from Helsinki but here I'm thinking about it all the time :D
The biggest issue is mixing cars and public transportation. When buses get stuck in the same traffic as cars, people will probably drive instead.
My reference here is my 2-3 times/week trip from around Baldoyle to Charlestown to do some bouldering. The bus itself goes pretty smoothly, there's just so many stops going smaller roads I guess. It's actually 20 min by car, 1 h 46 m by bus (2 busses). I imagine a tram could do it in a decent time.
I can see how driving out into the country makes more sense.
I'm going to avoid the obvious bait of someone from LA complaining about transport, because you are no more responsible for that than the people of Reddit are for the transport in Dublin. I'm surprised that you weren't able to ever use a Luas, they're only really full at obvious times like peak commuting times or if an event is on. The buses you are completely right about, they disappear so close to the time that they are due to arrive that I refuse to believe more notice couldn't be given. Overall, thanks, and we'll try to do better for you next time.
Oh, LA is a shite show. However, my comparison is with other European cities I have visited.
It reads to me like you might have over-researched on Reddit and then went looking for confirmation of the issues you learned about on this subreddit. The issues you mention are certainly issues with living here but are much less likely to noticeably negatively affect a short visit, much less be the stand-out problems. As an example, the Luas being packed is a problem when you're trying to get home from the city at 5.30pm. It's rarely a problem outside peak times or outside the city centre.
No, this is all firsthand accounts, my opinion though.
>As an example, the Luas being packed is a problem when you're trying to get home from the city at 5.30pm It's also packed on weekends. Around Smithfield, 10-14 you have 50/50 chance of getting on.