It’s been a long road. Literally.
When the Luas Cross City works were going on in numerous locations around the city, we were told to be patient with the building, because the transport situation can only get better.
We waited (years), for them to finally finish the construction, but in the end we were all left a bit disappointed.
Why? Because it was not the answer to the city’s transportation problems. In fact, it just made bigger ones.
The government decided to introduce bigger trams, but within the first week, people were fainting because they were still so overcrowded.
@luas @LuasCrossCity The new “service” is a serious downgrade. Either schedule new trams sooner or issue strict guidelines for rush hour commuters. ie remove backpacks, move up the carriage. One man refusing to budge into open space while a woman nearby faints in the crush.
— Madeleine Lyons (@MadeleineLyonsI) February 6, 2018
There were then reports that a longer Luas tram had to stop as another woman fell ill, and it jutted out onto O’Connell bridge, making it impossible for buses and taxis to pass by.
And now, according to Spin, the longer trams have been removed from service due to ‘battery problems’.
As more and more people complain about the overcrowding and the general sh*tshow of it all, TDs are trying to come up with solutions.
This week, Green Party TD Catherine Martin asked the government to introduce more Dublin Buses at rush hour to accommodate packed Luas trams.
But do any of these people actually have to travel on public transport every single day? Have they experienced the frustration of sitting on a bus in the same place for 25 minutes, unable to cross the bridge? Have they been squashed on the Luas or had to wait until four or five trams go by in order to find a place to stand?
If you have experienced being on a bus at rush hour, then you’ll know that adding more buses to an already jam-packed road is not going to get us anywhere.
Obviously, I do not know that no politician or TD uses public transport, but the suggestions, and subsequent solutions are far off, and certainly not working.
College Green’s traffic issue needs an answer. The overcrowding issue needs and answer. And we, the public, who use these services everyday, need an answer.
Because we can’t even easily get into our own city anymore.
