In a rush? Get on your bike!

Five of our students set out to find the fastest and most efficient way to commute through the Liberties. As expected, the car did not fair well against public transport but due to the city’s new bike stations, cycling to work is now the quickest, easiest and fastest way to reach your destination.

On an average day, 300,000 Dubliners travel to work through Dublin City Centre using various forms of transport to reach their destination.

According to the Central Statistics Office (www.cso.ie), on average 70,000 people travel by car, 15,000 by bus and a further 13,000 by train, Dart or LUAS. More than 17,000 Dubliners walk and around 5,000 travel by bike. These statistics show that travelling by car to work or college is the preferred mode of transport, but is this really the most practical choice? Is the car really the cheapest, quickest and most comfortable way to commute when you live in the Liberties?

The Test

A busy Friday morning
5 people, 5 different modes of transport
The Route:

From Suir Bridge in the south of the Liberties to the very heart of the district, Christ Church

The Winner

1st Place: Laureen

Mode of Transport: Bike

http://www.dublinbikes.ie/
Time: 10 minutes
Average speed: 17 km/h
Expenses: €80 (a one-off payment for the bike)

Stress factor judged by Laureen:

“I stressed myself out a bit. Because there was a hill I had to climb which made me feel very tired afterwards. But in general, there was not too much traffic in the streets, so I could cycle relatively unhindered.”

Pros:

Laureen could directly get on her way to Christ Church because she didn’t have to wait for means of public transport; additionally, she did not have to look for a parking space afterwards.

Cons:

Laureen was worn out after her race.

2nd Place: Anne

Mode of Transport: Bus

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/123/
Time: 12 minutes
Average speed of the bus (stops included): 16 km/h
Expenses: €1.60 for one way (or €75 for a 30-day-pass)

Stress factor judged by Anne:

“The journey was very relaxed. I had a seat and there was even a “departure and arrivals board” on my bus – because the bus was one of the very few that take part in a test run for these boards. Nevertheless, I was lucky because I didn’t have to wait for the bus – it arrived after the starting signal of our race. Plus, I didn’t have to change buses.”

Pros:

Anne had a seat and the bus stopped at High Street which is only one minute away from Christ Church.

Cons:

If Anne hadn’t been that lucky, she might have waited for the bus much longer. Normally, the bus no. 123 arrives every 7 minutes. Furthermore the bus driver said that the average speed of a bus can be much lower– sometimes as low as 7.2 km/h. If Anne had to change the bus, the journey could have taken much longer.

3rd Place:Anton and Steffi

Mode of Transport: Car

http://www.carhire3000.ie
http://www.dublincity.ie/RoadsandTraffic/Parking/Pages/ParkinginDublin.aspx

Time: 13 minutes (8 minutes plus 5 minutes for parking)
Average speed of the car (stops included): 23 km/h
Expenses: €0.90 Euros (for the petrol and the wear costs) plus a €3.50 parking fee

Stress factor judged by Anton and Steffi:

“We were lucky because there was not as much traffic as usual. But there were too many red lights and that was really annoying. One example: when the Christ Church was already in sight, we had to stop again and lost another minute. We would have been first if we didn’t have to search for a parking lot afterwards.”

Pros:

Anton and Steffi could directly get on their way. They had their own seats and space.

Cons:

Finding a suitable parking space was taking a considerably long time when compared to the time of the actual journey; on top of that came a fee of €3.50 per hour for the parking ticket.

4th Place:Damien

Mode of Transport: On foot

Time: 30 minutes
Average speed: 6 km/h
Expenses: 0 Euros

Stress factor judged by Damien:

“It was great. It was the first time I walked this way. Although it was quite an industrial surrounding, the streets weren’t too big, so that it was quite pleasant. I walked at normal speed, didn’t run, and still I was faster than the LUAS.”

Pros:

No Expenses, no traffic jam, no dependence on technical equipment or public transportation

Cons:

Takes quite a long time.

5th Place:Charlotte

Mode of Transport: Luas

http://www.luas.ie/

Time: 32 minutes (6 minutes waiting for the departure, 15 minutes travelling on the LUAS, 11 minute walk from the stop to Christ Church)
Average speed: 26 km/h
Expenses: €1.90

Stress factor judged by Charlotte: “The LUAS was really crowded. I didn’t get a seat – that was a bit annoying. The thing is that the LUAS doesn’t go straight to Christ Church. So I had to get off at The Four Courts. On my way to the church I got a bit lost – without that I would probably have reached the destination earlier.”

Pros:

The LUAS drives relatively fast with a maximum speed of 70 km/h and is environmentally friendly. According to the operator, the LUAS produces around 5 times less CO2 than the cars which would be on the road without the LUAS. For people who live and work near a LUAS-station this means of transportation is probably the best.

Cons:

As of 2008, the system has 36 stations on its 25 km long track. Nevertheless, until today there is no connection between the two different lines and not all places in the city centre can be reached easily by LUAS.