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TRAVEL DEMAND DURING Phase One easing of restrictions has been higher than expected, the National Transport Authority (NTA) will tell the Dáil Covid-19 committee today.
Anne Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the (NTA), will tell the committee this afternoon that the NTA believes there is a large percentage of non-essential travel being made on public transport which is using up the capacity that it had planned for Phase Two of the government’s roadmap.
On 8 June, normal Monday-Friday timetables for commuters on bus and DART are due to recommence, the committee will be told.
Since the outset of the pandemic, daily demand is now typically between 10% and 20% of what it was prior to mid-March, Graham states in her opening statement.
Weekly demand in early March (prior to pandemic related restrictions) was approximately 5.6 million passengers. By mid-April this had declined to 500,000 passengers.
An increase in passenger numbers has been apparent in recent weeks, increasing from 500,000 weekly passengers in mid-April to approximately 700,000 in mid-May prior to the easing of restrictions
“There is no doubt that there needs to be a radical shift in the use of active travel modes over the next few months in our towns and cities,” Graham will state, citing a recent mobility plan for Dublin, which shows that there is a need to plan for a doubling of walking and a trebling of cycling journeys at peak time.
Public transport capacity with social distancing “will be significantly challenged” without a number of other supporting measures, Graham will tell the committee.
Such measures include encouraging organisations to continue to facilitate working from home, remote learning, online shopping and online appointments where possible.
The use of public transport will continue to be discouraged at peak times except for essential travel and businesses will be encouraged to have staggered start times and operate longer opening hours to spread demand out of peak times.
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@Anthony Edward Healy: Trevor Deely is still considered relevant after double the amount of time missing, and in general unsolved missing persons cases do tend to be seen as relevant on anniversaries. The rag papers still pull leads out from their backsides year after year like it was Mark Hennessy or Graham Dwyer or some other person around the area at the time. She shouldn’t be here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t spread awareness around to help.
@Anthony Edward Healy: absolutely worst comment ive read in a long time Anthony. So a family looking for a missing person even after 10 years is not relevant in you’re eyes. And buck of with the funeral thing as well. I was at my own mother’s funeral Last March in these circumstances. Life goes on covid or no covid .
Just lit a candle for Ersa, it’s in the window and it will shine bright in hope
one of the strangest cases ever…..
Living a nightmare..we could only imagine what her family are going through….very sad…
@Anthony Edward Healy: after what length of time does someone’s disappearance be one irrelevant?
Anthony healy.. come back to me when one of ur daughters or son goes missing… and see what ur attitude is then.. people like u are s@um
@Anthony Edward Healy: I’d kind of agree but I think thay what’s important here is the sister’s efforts to keep the story relevant.
@Anthony Edward Healy: God forbid, if it was a member of your family, would you be saying it’s not a relevant story. Would you not be looking for answers? Would you not want it on the papers, in the news & on platforms like this? I’m very sure you would! What a ridiculous statement to make.
@Anthony Edward Healy: come back to me when one of ur daughter’s or son goes missing.. see what ur attitude is then.. people like u make make me $$$
@Anthony Edward Healy: we all know about covid and the problems familys have with funerals etc. But for you to question raising this issue 10 years on is very cold. To put it simply if it was your family member missing how would you feel.
This is a very sad and horrible situation and my heart goes out to this family. I can only imagine the pain of not knowing, but this whole Covid situation has all plans turned upside down. Its not a time for travelling or mingling with others even if it is to them essential travel. We all have our essential reasons for doing things. Perhaps Bray residents might be able to post these around Bray on her behalf and raise awareness on this occasion.
@Lydia McLoughlin: it’s in the article, the sister didn’t travel because of Covid and locals put up posters.
@Anthony Edward Healy: ur s@um
@Anthony Edward Healy: I hope you know by now that there is something seriously wrong with your attitude. You expected a backlash so you know it’s not ok but i doubt you know what so you seriously need to take a look at yourself, actually scrap that, it’s looking at yourself too much that is your problem. Just know you made a horrible statement, take it back.
Staying in Uk
Harrowing to go through this and very hard to believe she would do that just before the arrival of her mother for a month. Thinking of you at this time.
@Pat O’Brien: when people make up their minds about doing something logic goes out the window. Suicides and mental illness can be very bizarre. No warning sometimes.
It’s very tragic also that her body was never recovered but at this stage won’t be either. Burial at sea isn’t the worst
@Tom Ripley: burial at sea, if that’s the case, has been horrific for the family.
@Anthony Edward Healy: I was gona call ye a pri*k, but then I changed my mind.
I hope someone comes forward with new information. There doesn’t seem to be much hope that she’s still alive but her family need to know what happened to her. To bear the questions of what happened to a loved one plus the grief of their absence is unimaginable.
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