The commute into Dublin from County Meath is taking significantly longer than only just a few short years ago, one local resident has complained.
Dr Jessica Groenewald began commuting into Dublin on a daily basis when she moved to Athy two two years ago.
As a doctor, she never works from home and feels that even in just a few short months, her commute into the capital has lengthened significantly.
“At the beginning of last year, it was taking about an hour and 15 minutes to get into Dublin at the time I leave in the morning - just after six,” she told Lunchtime Live.
“Now it’s taking just close to two hours to get in every single day.”
Dr Groenewald added that this extra time spent commuting has had a “massive impact” on her quality of life, especially as she has a young family.
“I’ve got a two year old child and another one on the way,” she said.
“I leave before she wakes up in the morning and some days I… walk in the door at 7.30 just in time to put her to bed.
“It’s getting to the point where it’s not really sustainable anymore to be honest.”
Traffic on Wexford Street. Picture by: Alamy.com.Currently, Dr Groenewald drives as the earliest train to leave Athy is at 6.41 and it gets into Heuston Station at 7.42 in the morning.
“For people like myself who start work at eight or earlier, it’s really not an option,” she said.
“Unless you work within a very short walk of Heuston Station, you’re not going to make it there by eight.
“So, I think that also contributes to the traffic from Athy because trains are so infrequent.”
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One potential reason why the commute is now taking so much longer, Dr Groenewald feels, is because bosses are increasingly insistent that people return to the office.
“I think for many people working in jobs where, perhaps during the pandemic, they working remotely a lot of the time, I think a lot of companies are making people working more days in the office,” she said.
“So, potentially, there’s more cars on the road.
“I think a lot of people moved out of the city and bought houses in the country during the pandemic and are now having to commute in.”
Main image: Traffic in Dublin. Picture by: RollingNews.ie.
