Overview
The Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) is responsible for transport planning for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). The DTO document "A Platform for Change" sets out the transport strategy for the GDA up to 2016. Significant improvements in the public transport network are underway or are planned for the short to medium term, as set out in the Irish Government's recently published national transport investment plan, Transport 21.
The DTO Steering Committee established a Public Transport Interchange Working Group (WG) in January, 2003. The WG includes representatives from the Department of Transport, the GDA local authorities, transport operators and Aer Rianta (operator of Dublin Airport). The brief of the group was to provide the inter-agency co-ordination required to facilitate the planning and implementation of upgraded and new public transport interchange and terminus facilities in the GDA.
The group initially identified a list of locations where improvements to public transport interchange facilities are merited. Lead agencies were appointed for each location and are responsible for procuring designs and implementing improvements to passenger interchange facilities. In addition, a stakeholder group for each location was formed.
A key principle underpinning the DTO Strategy is that of integration. Planned initiatives to improve integration include the introduction of integrated ticketing across the GDA. A Rail Park & Ride Strategy, completed in November 2004, has also been prepared and is being advanced. A Strategy for Public Transport Information, including Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI), was prepared and is with the Department of Transport for consideration.
The objective of this project was to produce preliminary public transport interchange preliminary designs for four locations in the GDA, two of which were located in the built-up conurbation and two in hinterland area development centres. It is hoped that the preliminary designs would demonstrate a useful methodology for use in other similar settings within the public transport network.
WG progress was initially slow, so to assist in delivering public transport interchange improvements, DTO offered to procure a consultant on behalf of the lead agencies of the four locations to bring forward preliminary designs. Following approval of these designs and securing funding, the lead agencies would then progress the detailed design and implementation phases of the schemes.
1. Sought agreement from the lead agencies, as designated by the Public Transport Interchange Working Group for DTO to procure a Consultant.
2. Prepared a draft Consultants Brief and circulated to the main stakeholder representatives for each interchange location for comment/ input. This determined the scope and study area for each of the 4 interchange locations.
3. Sought contributions from Stakeholders.
4. Agreed brief to consultant.
5. Sought approval of the Traffic Management Grants Committee Meeting to procure the consultant.
6. Advertised design work in OJEC and national press.
7. Following receipt of tenders, a Consultant was selected to undertake the design work.
8. Upon appointment of the Consultant, the designs were progressed using the following outline methodology:
(a) Initial site visits, including site validation and visual inspections of existing interchange location
(b) Review of all existing relevant material, including DTO Strategy, relevant town/ county development plan, relevant Integrated Framework Plan for Land Use and Transportation (IFPLUT), DTO advice note on Public Transport Interchange Design, etc.
(c) Undertook surveys of the interchange usage, including am peak boarding and alighting surveys, passenger origin/ destination surveys and parking surveys.
(d) Forecast future year use of the facility, using baseline survey data, output from DTO transportation model validated against population/employment projections as contained in the relevant town/county development plan and IFPLUT, and planned rail capacity enhancements.
(e) Circulated survey results and future year forecast results to stakeholders for comment.
(f) Developed feasible concepts based on the future year forecasts.
(g) Following consultation with the stakeholders, selected the preferred concept.
(h) More detailed design of the preferred concept to produce draft preliminary design drawings and design report, including proposals on the phased implementation of recommended improvements.
(i) Following further consultation with stakeholders, produced updated the final preliminary design drawings and the final preliminary design report. The report details the phased implementation of the required improvements and the implementing agency responsible for taking the various elements of the scheme forward to detailed design and implementation. Cost estimates for the recommended improvemen
Funding
Results
The main project output is comprised of two Final Preliminary Design Reports which include information and detailed descriptions of the improvements proposed for the PT Interchanges at Wicklow and Arklow rail stations and at Blackrock DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) station.
The key features proposed for Wicklow and Arklow.include:
- Station building capacity enhancements, signage, ticketing and passenger information improvements;
- Provision of park and ride to cater for those accessing the station by car;
- Provision of bus facilities to cater for proposed future bus services whilst minimising conflicts with vehicles and pedestrians;
- Provision of car and taxi turnabout facility and designated areas for passenger pick up and drop off;
- Pedestrian and cycle access strategies for the PT Interchange, with new proposed routes and improved directional signage.
Improvements to existing pedestrian environment in the PT Interchange are also proposed in addition to pedestrian and cycle facilities in the vicinity of the interchanges.
The key features proposed for Blackrock include:
- Station building capacity enhancements, signage, ticketing and passenger information improvements;
- Provision of a bus area that would cater for enhanced bus services whilst minimising existing conflicts with vehicles and pedestrians;
- Provision of designated car and taxi pick-up and drop-off areas;
- Pedestrian access strategy for the PT Interchange, with new proposed routes and improved directional signage. Improvements to existing pedestrian environment in the PT Interchange;
- Cycle access strategy for the PT Interchange, with new proposed routes and improved directionalsignage. Improvements to existing cycle facilities in the vicinity of the PT Interchange; and
- A reduction in park and ride provision at Blackrock interchange from 70 spaces at present to 14 spaces following implementation of the above improvements.
Policy implications
The better design of Public Transport Interchanges (PTIs) for Wicklow and Arklow helps to meet the longer term objectives identified by the regional planning guidelines of developing self-sufficient towns, and in the meantime to establish the conditions in these towns that allow for that. For Blackrock the PTI design is required to cope with existing demand and cater for forecast growth in the future and address the existing lack of permeability between the neighbouring commercial areas and the interchange.
The reports also detail the phased implementation of the required improvements and the implementing agency responsible for taking the various elements of the scheme forward to detailed design and implementation. Cost estimates for the recommended improvements are also included in the report.
The reports act as a demonstration of how improvements to a PTI may be identified with the objective of facilitating a seamless transfer between modes and therefore increasing public transport uptake.