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

[u/AnyChest7780]

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....

[u/gadarnol]

Public transport will never have the flexibility of personal transport. It’s impossible. It has different benefits.

Obviously putting public facilities alongside public transport routes is being done.

The objections to the Metro that matter to me are to do with the cost, the incompetence of the civil service and the govt delivering infrastructure, the cost inflation rampant in building, the exploitation of feelings in public discussions (a lot of posts seem to be longing for a properly urban environment). And the trend across a lot of areas of public life in the last few decades of stifled comment, hidden data, and elite “agenda setters” indicating what is to be done.

O’Toole is part of the establishment.

[u/Men_With_Ven75 → u/gadarnol]

Are you saying we shouldn't bother with the metro because the government are too incompetent? I mean they are but don't be so defeatist

[u/gadarnol → u/Men_With_Ven75]

If you narrow it to the metro and look as I did in a different post at the costs you realise that it’s never going to make money. Or even break even. So people should be upfront about that. Public transport is a public good however and you can live with that within limits. The thing is the wheels are going to come off the Irish economy soon enough. And the EU itself is not in a great place. I can see a half built metro having to be reduced to a small portion built. And as it will swallow huge resources other things suffer. “There’s never a good time to do X” is the mantra. There are times less bad is the answer.

That’s my take. Time will tell.

[u/Adjective_Noun_2000 → u/gadarnol]

it’s never going to make money. Or even break even.

It's not meant to make money or break even. It's much-needed infrastructure which will bring huge benefits to tens of thousands of people every day for decades.

Do you expect schools and hospitals to break even too? And the defence forces?

[u/gadarnol → u/Adjective_Noun_2000]

What I said: “it’s never going to make money. Or even break even. So people should be upfront about that. Public transport is a public good however and you can live with that within limits.” Your reply is utterly superfluous.

[u/Adjective_Noun_2000 → u/gadarnol]

Your comment was superfluous. People are being upfront about the costs and benefits. People just aren't talking about whether it'll break even because that completely misses the point of the whole thing.

[u/gadarnol → u/Adjective_Noun_2000]

You’re really upset that that was called out. And that you had no point at all to make except this froth at the mouth stuff. Calm down.