We cannot lose our once-loved Luas to bunch of brutes
When Dublin’s Luas system finally took to the tracks in 2004, I remember being embarrassed by a comment made by a visiting Romanian, who thought it bizarre that our Celtic Tiger country couldn’t link up the two tram lines.
Five years on, and I’m wishing that this lack of connection was the only thing that embarrassed me about our public transport system.
From the outside, this shiny moving beacon of modernity may seem to be the answer to our transport prayers.
Yet, in reality, it has become another playground for thugs and drug addicts.
Perhaps I should be heartened by the suggestion that we could do with a Transport Police Corps. It would make life easier every time I take a seat on the Luas, fold my arms, avert my eyes and pray that I won’t be the next target.
Unfortunately, there’s just no avoiding the fact that it’s an embarrassing shame that this city requires such a high level of security to preserve its transport assets.
We’re lucky enough to enjoy a tram system that is swift, relatively cheap and highly convenient, given its long operating hours. Most importantly, unlike the grotty subways of other cities, our Luas is above ground.
You’d imagine that would make for a safer transport experience.
I wish.
There’s a certain type of hooliganism that doesn’t require a watch, so travelling on the Luas is an exercise in trouble-dodging at any hour.
Drunk
I’ve had the misfortune to step onto the Luas in the late evening, only to discover that some drunk has used it as their own personal toilet.
We’d all feel more comfortable if gardai were a regular feature of the Luas, but we shouldn’t need them. It pains me to say it but it’s a sad day when our country’s law enforcers have to look upon the tram system as an over-crowded prison yard where tension can spill over into violence at any second.
What’s wrong with us?
Since when did we decide that drug abusers and mindless criminals should be allowed to rule public transport?
It’s high time we took a stand and reclaimed the Luas.
The alternative is to suffer a ghost tram, populated only by brutes and people with no sense of danger. Frankly, that’s an embarrassment this city should be desperate to avoid.
- Aoife Finneran
And this one:
Luas passengers suffer daily journey of fear as drink and drug mobs rule
Luas passengers have voiced their disgust at the state of a main city stop that has become a squalid drink and drugs den.
Huge gangs of drunks and drug users have taken over the Red Line terminus at Connolly Station, sickening passengers and frightening tourists.
Operators insist they are taking every effort to tackle anti-social behaviour, but the Herald watched as a group of 17 people gathered at rush hour, all either drinking or openly taking drugs.
In the space of an hour and a half, none of the crowd was challenged by either Luas security or gardai.
Surrounded by cans and bottles, several of the men and women stood drinking and smoking drugs, with some shouting obscenities and others passing out.
The gathering has become a common sight at the stop at rush hour.
Passenger Michael Quirke from Co Tipperary, who works on the Lansdowne Road redevelopment, said: “It’s very intimidating for people, they do feel threatened.”
Deborah Holton, from Naas, said she only used the Luas because of parking problems in the city centre and would drive if she could.
Confront
“It’s totally unacceptable,” she said. “Nobody seems to be doing anything about it. I saw police giving a ticket to a taxi driver and leaving this crowd here.
“My experience is people like that can do what they want and nobody is going to confront them. I’m not going to say anything, I just want to get home in one piece.”
Another passenger, who did not want to be named, said he had witnessed drunks trying to steal bicycles from a nearby rack, and smashing them when they could not break them free.
“Something needs to be done,” he said. “I don’t think anybody wants to be a have-a-go hero.”
Luas operators Veolia Transport said they were making efforts to address the problem and new measures were being considered.
“We are aware that there is an issue around anti social behaviour at the Connolly stop,” a spokesperson said.
“The issue is more so loitering at the stop. From the garda perspective, when it comes to criminal offences, it is people being drunk and disorderly as well as loitering. Our own security firm are moving people on continuously and discouraging people from loitering. Our customer service officers are continuously moving people away from the stop and the Luas control room is doing the same. We have increased signage telling people it’s an offence to loiter. The gardai from Store Street Station have also increased their presence in the area and are very proactive in moving people on.”
“There has been an increase in lighting, as well as the cleaning up of the stop on a daily basis,” the spokesperson added.
- Andrew Phelan
