‘A broken system’ - Laois commuters face 6 hours a day in traffic
Laois is experiencing a serious brain drain with most people working in Dublin
The recent commuter survey carried out in Laois found that some people are spending up to 6 hours a day in traffic to commute to work.
In February, Laois County Council commissioned a new commuter survey in order to create an accurate picture of where people living in Laois are commuting to for work, how often they commute, and challenges they face.
A similar survey was launched back in 2018, however there have been significant changes to people’s working patterns since then following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over 1,650 commuters in Laois were surveyed and focus groups were also conducted to gain a closer understanding of the experiences of people commuting.
The survey looked at commuter patterns, the work profile and skillset of those commuting as well as their willingness to stay in Laois for work if opportunities were there.
The Managing Director of Interactions Limited which conducted the survey, Eileen O’Connell, revealed stark findings at the recent meeting of Laois County Council.
Ms O’Connell stated that the core purpose of the study was to help address the brain drain in Laois with such a high number of people leaving the county everyday.
Overall, the study found that most people, around 80%, are happy to live in Laois. However, only 11% are happy with the costs of travelling and 39% are satisfied with their mode of travel.
Only a third of people are satisfied with their work-life balance.
Of those surveyed, 61% were willing to change jobs to work closer to home and a significant 36% would take a pay cut to reduce their commute.
Focus groups were important to gain a greater insight into the experience of Laois commuters. Ms O’Connell noted that one commuter from the focus groups said they would take a €10,000 cut to their salary to work closer to home.
She explained that people want to work in Laois but they feel like there’s no career opportunities in the county in comparison to what’s available in Dublin. The surveys showed that 69% of commuters in Laois work in Dublin, which is a contrast to the Census data which shows a more diverse spread of locations.
Commuters described the current situation as a “broken system.” This system is then having a massive impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
The average journey time for commuters in Laois is an hour and 25 minutes and 14% take over 2 hours. Some said in the focus groups that if there is a build up of congestion, total journey times can amount to 6 hours for just one day.
“I wake up around half 4. It has ruined my whole sleep cycle and I have no work-life balance,” one commuter participating in the survey said.
Another said: “Once I get to the office, I’m absolutely wrecked. I do all my work on the days I work from home.”
Public transport also poses issues for commuters, with one saying: “When I get on the half 5 train I can’t get on it because it’s full or the seats are all booked.”
Ms O’Connell told Laois County Council: “We have a highly skilled professional workforce who are leaving the county everyday and want to change. There’s a high demand for change.”
She recommended that more emphasis be placed on remote working hubs and encouraging companies to create satellite offices in the county. There are currently 7 hubs in Laois, with three in Portlaoise and more to be created throughout the county.
She also noted that the same study was carried out in Kildare and Meath in 2019 and according to the results in Laois, things have gotten worse since then.
Cllr Barry Walsh welcomed the survey, saying that he spent 15 years commuting to Dublin.
“To be honest, since I stopped I have been way happier. The amount of time I got back with a young family, it was nearly 15 hours a week lost to sitting in a car,” Cllr Walsh said.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme