
It's ironic that routes 53/53A are now listed on the Dublin Bus website as the best way to get to the Irish Ferries terminal. Some trips on these routes used to get quite close to the terminal, however following the closure of the eastern end of Alexandra Road, the closest the routes come is more than a km away, a long a dusty walk through bleak and poorly signposted territory.
RA266, possibly enjoying its last summer in Dublin, is seen at the new terminus about halfway along Alexandra Road. The expansion of a container storage area directly onto the road, causing its closure, can be clearly seen in the background. RA266 had been laying up around the corner after doing a loop around the block, though the road is so wide that buses used to u-turn at the old terminus.
When I took this photo, I had just come from the ferry terminal, with two american ladies who had missed the connecting bus, and couldn't find any information on how to get to the city centre (see my 53B posting).
Having spent a fruitless 15 minutes trying to get bus info at the port before I approached them, I am sure that the comprehensive destination information displayed on RA266 filled them with confidence that they were headed in the right direction.
Aquavid
