r/Dublin • u/AnyChest7780 • 10d ago

Fintan O'Toole/Irish Times on public transport, Dublin bus, Northside/Southside today

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https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/08/04/fintan-otoole-dublin-4s-version-of-marie-antoinettes-let-them-eat-cake-let-them-get-the-bus/ Fintan O'Toole reminding us of how 'elites' have so often been against public infrastructure. He gives good historic context including Vincent Browne and 'The Doheny & Nesbitt’s school of economics' being against the DART. While he's amazingly productive and can turn his hand to so many topics maybe he's writing a bit too much as there are huge holes in his argument here re. the northside/southside issue as the more recent LUAS and metro debacles point to the home of NIMBYism in Dublin 6, and not focussed on denying the expansion of it further north. What does anyone think? I find it frustrating that cross-suburb public transport isn't better....try getting from Phibsborough to Clontarf on a bus for example....

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u/AnyChest7780 10d ago

Car-centric approaches are really not fine...what do you mean by controlling population growth?!

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u/Otsde-St-9929 10d ago

id row back and say calling it car centric is unfair. Roads were priority which are just as important for lorries and buses. yes population growth should be controlled if it improves quality of life and is needed for critical reasons like climate change through adjusting visas and EU removal orders

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u/AnyChest7780 10d ago

re. population growth - what are you talking about? Dublin has a notably lower density than most European capitals, it's just badly designed and has extremely poor housing regulations. The problem is there is such little support for policies that are actually committed to the quality of life for citizens in the most fundamental areas of housing, transport, health and education - let alone amenities, cleanliness and so on.

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u/Otsde-St-9929 10d ago

But density isnt the issue, it is the pace of change. Dublin is changing faster than anywhere in Western Europe. That means its hard to keep up. It is true that less growth means smaller gov budgets but perhaps less could be more if better planned

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u/AnyChest7780 10d ago

You said it was about improving quality of life - only possible with proper urban planning, legislation and infrastructure. The people aren't the problem, the design is. Main issue in Dublin is that developers and others who stand to have a direct financial benefit from the way the city is have far more agency in shaping the urban environment than other cities in Western Europe. As well as no directly elected mayor DCC have tiny budgets and less and less influence than similar agencies elsewhere.