There is a BIG fuss over Dublin's LUAS system for a number of reasons:
It's:
*massively over budget
*not open on time
*causing much more construction disruption than had been anticipated
*not inter-linked with exsisting transport infrastructure (Bus, Dart, Arrow or Surburban rail)
the radial lines themselves don't even come into one central terminus so you'd have to walk to go from one part of the city to another.
*The difference in guage also means that there's no possibility of LUAS operating over the DART network.
*The proposed metro system cost estimates place it as the most expensive metro project (euro per KM) ever built!
Oh yeah, despite being ridiculous over-priced it still manages to cross the busiest dual-carriage way junction in the city AT ROAD LEVEL!!! via traffic lights..
The DART was a very cost effective project in comparison.
Admittedly, part of the problem is that this kind of infrastructure should have been built in the 1950s and 60s and is just arriving far too late and was not really planned for.
Dublin, unlike most European cities, adopted a very American development plan pinning all of its hopes on the car. It's ended up as the lowest density city in Europe with sprawling leafy suburbs spreading out for miles. The housing density is extremely low and people pretty much refuse point blank to live in apartments or townhouses. The city itself has extremely high property prices which have made things worse by driving people further and further out. So you now have people living in a town 50-60miles from Dublin and working in the city centre!
The result:
* People are so spread out that the public transport infrastructure can't possibily serve them
* 3 car families as it's impossible to get shopping, kids to school, to/from college etc without a car.
* an increasingly shopping-mall oriented car-focused US-style society and a city centre that is just not somewhere people live anymore. You go into the city to work in financial services, go night clubbing or do various leisure activities only. It's like somewhere you visit rather tha live in.
* Oh and it's causing massive traffic jams which are causing us to be even further off our kyoto protocall targets
It'll be interesting to see what sollutions we can come up with. There is a drive (tax incentivised) to repopulate the city centre area with appartments which is partially working. It's a most un-European city though.
The other trend is that businesses are starting to move into the rapidly devloping towns around Dublin.. so for some people it's meant the entire life now takes place in a smaller town outside the city!
There are advantages.. bigger houses, lots of space, arguably nicer lifestyle (unless you're commuting)
But I think long-term it's not very sustanable.
