In need of a laugh?

[Peg Leg]

Dont normally go in for posting series of videos on Youtube these are great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRBoPveyETc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcmz74AaXHs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTix7FDHZcA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrjp6e04dZ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu5Oo23G67w

Look out for the Justin Bieber one.

Went down well with the coffee this morning.

[Peg Leg]

Only discovered these the other day, absolute genius!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxrWuE5qC5c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJXLyUoz2M4

Disturbing, but good. Anonymous guy dropping into the conversation was brilliant.

[tigerburnie]

It's reported that scientists have developed Viagra eyedrops - they don't help with impotence but you do look hard !!

[Donny B.]

Only discovered these the other day, absolute genius!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxrWuE5qC5c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJXLyUoz2M4

Disturbing, but good. Anonymous guy dropping into the conversation was brilliant.

Yeah that was my fave

[IanD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkvt19zFSE#t=28

For the horror fans out there.

[TerenureJim]

George Hook has written a book about rugby....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Rugby-Geor ... eorge+hook

[TerenureJim]

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics ... -1.1624696

Yes minister it's because I'm "middle-class" (whatever that means in a Republic anyway) that I don't ride the bus.

It's nothing to do with the fact that it's a poor service with relatively few cross town or orbital routes, a hefty fare due to charge per stop (e.g. there are 4 stops along Apian Way between Morehampton Rd and Ranelagh that's at most a 500m distance total), busses not stopping when they are scheduled to (i'm sure we've all experienced the bus being listed on the readout only for one with people on it to then whizz by with "out of service") on it. Essentially the bus is unreliable and take an age to get anywhere and you have to work around it's issues in order to be able to use (but never rely) on it.

Also a labour minister giving out about the middle classes, may he'd want to check who votes labour as it seem to me they're quite popular amongst the highly unionised state services where most employees are on a decent wedge and have insane pensions but I'm sure are working class (or whatever that means).

I've put this in the laugh rather than rant thread because you have to laugh at a minister who I'm assuming never uses Dublin bus to travel to/from Dail lecturing ordinary people on their transport habits.

[Dave Cahill]

Fares are calculated per stage, not per stop, to be pedantic. Policy on almost all European bus systems is to discourage short journeys by charging relatively more the shorter the trip - the thinking is that for trips of walkable distance its better for people to walk, and if they can't they're probably entitled to some form of subsidised travel anyway and so aren't being caught by the high fare

[johng]

George Hook has written a book about rugby....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Rugby-Geor ... eorge+hook

Is it written in 30 foot letters on the back of a Tuppeny stamp?

That's the only way he could get all his Rugby knowledge in one book.

[TerenureJim]

Fares are calculated per stage, not per stop, to be pedantic. Policy on almost all European bus systems is to discourage short journeys by charging relatively more the shorter the trip - the thinking is that for trips of walkable distance its better for people to walk, and if they can't they're probably entitled to some form of subsidised travel anyway and so aren't being caught by the high fare

Ah but are stages not made up by stops in a cm to m to km type deal? Happy to be corrected.

Still doesn't explain why there are so many routes where there are loads of stops within a very, very short distance of each other directly leading to increased journey times.

[Dave Cahill]

Fares are calculated per stage, not per stop, to be pedantic. Policy on almost all European bus systems is to discourage short journeys by charging relatively more the shorter the trip - the thinking is that for trips of walkable distance its better for people to walk, and if they can't they're probably entitled to some form of subsidised travel anyway and so aren't being caught by the high fare

Ah but are stages not made up by stops in a cm to m to km type deal? Happy to be corrected.

Still doesn't explain why there are so many routes where there are loads of stops within a very, very short distance of each other directly leading to increased journey times.

Developers want stops near and in their developments as it increases value. The CIE companies are ultimately under the control of politicians and we know how politicians and developers get on, hand in glove in brown envelope.

[sid]

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics ... -1.1624696

Yes minister it's because I'm "middle-class" (whatever that means in a Republic anyway) that I don't ride the bus.

It's nothing to do with the fact that it's a poor service with relatively few cross town or orbital routes, a hefty fare due to charge per stop (e.g. there are 4 stops along Apian Way between Morehampton Rd and Ranelagh that's at most a 500m distance total), busses not stopping when they are scheduled to (i'm sure we've all experienced the bus being listed on the readout only for one with people on it to then whizz by with "out of service") on it. Essentially the bus is unreliable and take an age to get anywhere and you have to work around it's issues in order to be able to use (but never rely) on it.

Also a labour minister giving out about the middle classes, may he'd want to check who votes labour as it seem to me they're quite popular amongst the highly unionised state services where most employees are on a decent wedge and have insane pensions but I'm sure are working class (or whatever that means).

I've put this in the laugh rather than rant thread because you have to laugh at a minister who I'm assuming never uses Dublin bus to travel to/from Dail lecturing ordinary people on their transport habits.

Wow, what an absolute tool. Try fixing your pathetic service first and then maybe us "snobs" will start to use it.

[Hornet]

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics ... -1.1624696

Yes minister it's because I'm "middle-class" (whatever that means in a Republic anyway) that I don't ride the bus.

It's nothing to do with the fact that it's a poor service with relatively few cross town or orbital routes, a hefty fare due to charge per stop (e.g. there are 4 stops along Apian Way between Morehampton Rd and Ranelagh that's at most a 500m distance total), busses not stopping when they are scheduled to (i'm sure we've all experienced the bus being listed on the readout only for one with people on it to then whizz by with "out of service") on it. Essentially the bus is unreliable and take an age to get anywhere and you have to work around it's issues in order to be able to use (but never rely) on it.

Also a labour minister giving out about the middle classes, may he'd want to check who votes labour as it seem to me they're quite popular amongst the highly unionised state services where most employees are on a decent wedge and have insane pensions but I'm sure are working class (or whatever that means).

I've put this in the laugh rather than rant thread because you have to laugh at a minister who I'm assuming never uses Dublin bus to travel to/from Dail lecturing ordinary people on their transport habits.

I laugh every time i use Dublin Bus, primarily because it's service is a joke.

[TerenureJim]

Developers want stops near and in their developments as it increases value. The CIE companies are ultimately under the control of politicians and we know how politicians and developers get on, hand in glove in brown envelope.

That's fair comment but it's been a long time since there's been any developers launching places around any route I'd be taking (save Busy Park House but stops where there for schools which is fine).

Appian Way, Templeogue Rd, Rathgar Rd, Terenure Rd North all have a load of unnecssary stops and I'm sure this pattern is repeated around the city.

[Dave Cahill]

Developers want stops near and in their developments as it increases value. The CIE companies are ultimately under the control of politicians and we know how politicians and developers get on, hand in glove in brown envelope.

That's fair comment but it's been a long time since there's been any developers launching places around any route I'd be taking (save Busy Park House but stops where there for schools which is fine).

Appian Way, Templeogue Rd, Rathgar Rd, Terenure Rd North all have a load of unnecssary stops and I'm sure this pattern is repeated around the city.

I'm in a phone in a waiting room and it got lost, but I had posted a second post dealing with established areas, and listed two of the ones you named above, the gist being money doesn't always change hands for politicians to act inappropriately. There is one stop I know of that was positioned outside the house of a very senior politician, basically for the use of his family. His protection officer would even flag down buses on their behalf and hold it until they were ready, and this stop was 200 metres from the Stage stop! This 'service' was extended to friends and contributors also, certainly in the case of Rathgar Road (the tale of one of the stops I was told first hand)

[fourthirtythree]

There's a lot of old people where I live and there are a lot of stops. Are there too many? For me sure, but then if I do get a bus it's usually with children (pram over now! Yay!) so not too much for my general trips.

Cost is a different matter. Dublin Bus is horrifically expensive. I get to explain to young German people that it has doubled in price roughly in the past five years.

They usually get it.

Is that a tax you want to pay? Do you think that it makes economic sense to make it more expensive for people to use public transport to go to work if your aim is to make going to work more affordable? Those are interesting questions. But not ones our political classes or media are particularly interested in. All they care about is low corporation tax and hoping that the transnational sector will lift us out of depression.

They have no other plans and it doesn't matter who gets elected.

[Dave Cahill]

There's a lot of old people where I live and there are a lot of stops. Are there too many? For me sure, but then if I do get a bus it's usually with children (pram over now! Yay!) so not too much for my general trips.

Cost is a different matter. Dublin Bus is horrifically expensive. I get to explain to young German people that it has doubled in price roughly in the past five years.

They usually get it.

Is that a tax you want to pay? Do you think that it makes economic sense to make it more expensive for people to use public transport to go to work if your aim is to make going to work more affordable? Those are interesting questions. But not ones our political classes or media are particularly interested in. All they care about is low corporation tax and hoping that the transnational sector will lift us out of depression.

They have no other plans and it doesn't matter who gets elected.

It is expensive compared to European norms, but then Dublin Bus gets roughly half the subvention that comparable bus services in other EU countries get and receives no aid for fleet replacement. Even the privatised bus companies in the UK get more funding than the state owned Dublin Bus. The difference in fares between here and the continent basically comes down to subsidies - the 'real' fares are pretty much the same.

[fourthirtythree]

It is expensive compared to European norms, but then Dublin Bus gets roughly half the subvention that comparable bus services in other EU countries get and receives no aid for fleet replacement. Even the privatised bus companies in the UK get more funding than the state owned Dublin Bus. The difference in fares between here and the continent basically comes down to subsidies - the 'real' fares are pretty much the same.

Exactly. As I said, the kids from Germany have no difficulties understanding what doesn't happen to Irish taxes when they come here and see the price of the buses.

[mfjoc]

It is expensive compared to European norms, but then Dublin Bus gets roughly half the subvention that comparable bus services in other EU countries get and receives no aid for fleet replacement. Even the privatised bus companies in the UK get more funding than the state owned Dublin Bus. The difference in fares between here and the continent basically comes down to subsidies - the 'real' fares are pretty much the same.

Ah Dave
Just hurry up and get Blues Talk out and forget the socialist retoric!

[Peg Leg]

None of this is funny!