BusConnects

BusConnects is a new project undertaken by the NTA to overhaul the current bus system. This project will have a direct effect on all residents in the GADRA area. Public consultation will commence on July 16th until September 14th and we would encourage all residents to inform themselves of the issues relating to this project, to attend the open day and most importantly to make a submission by either emailing [email protected] or by post to BusConnects, National Transport Authority, Dun Sceine, Harcourt Lane, Dublin 2. D02 WD20 .

Please refer to the information below, sent to us by Roisin Shortall 

 A Cara, 

I wanted to drop you a short email to you to make sure that the residents association are kept fully informed of developments in the planned BusConnects project. I have set out a fact sheet below that may be of use to you which lays out what we know so far and the impact that the project will have on the North-West of Dublin. It is expected that a first round public consultation will begin in July with a second round in the autumn. Updates will be available on the BusConnects website which you can see by clicking here. Please do let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you or the other residents on this matter.

Best regards

Róisín

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has unveiled further details of its plans for Dublin’s bus routes. This plan is called BusConnects and is still at an early stage of development. However, as a first phase the NTA is proposing 16 continuous bus corridors, to and from the city centre. As shown above, these corridors would have buses travelling in each direction as well as two lanes of traffic, and much improved cycle lanes.

Three of these corridors will pass through our area, and I have set out the map of the proposed routes below. In the future, it is planned that these bus corridors will be linked up by a number of “orbital routes” linking the suburbs. While the new routes will hopefully speed up journey times, and address some of the serious traffic issues we have in our area, there has been some concern about the impact the BusConnects plan will have on people’s property. The NTA has estimated that they will need to buy some of the front gardens of around 1,300 homes along the 16 routes so they can widen the road.

We don’t know how many of these will be in our area, but it is important to remember that these plans are not final and there will be two rounds of public consultation.

I have included the most up to date information available on these consultations below.  If you have a concern about the route and how it might impact your home I would encourage you to engage with this process and make a submission to the NTA when consultation opens.

Once the plans for the project are finalised, the NTA is  hoping to get planning permission from An Bord Pleanála by 2020, and begin construction on the first routes by 2021.

Along all three routes the NTA believes there will be a loss of some trees and parking spaces, changes to traffic movements, and the removal of parts of front gardens. They have also flagged a number of specific issues in our area:

If Bus lanes were provided in each direction along the Swords Road, from Shanrath Road to the Omni Centre, the street would only be able to accommodate one general traffic lane. Under this arrangement the street would become one way (outbound) for general traffic, with inbound traffic routed via Coolock Lane and theSantry Bypass. A new slip road would be incorporated to link the southbound Santry Bypass to Shantalla Road. 

Restricted road width and turning movements make it difficult to provide continuous bus and cycle lanes at Hart’s Corner.

To allow a bus lane in each direction on St. Mobhi Road, while maintaining the existing mature trees along it, outbound general traffic would be routed via Botanic Road, Glasnevin Hill, and Ballymun Road. Under this arrangement St. Mobhi Road would then become one way southbound for general traffic, while allowing residents to also access the road in the northbound direction by using the bus lane.

There will be two rounds of public consultation on the future of the bus network.

The first round will begin in July, and will be on the overall redesign of the bus network. A report setting out proposals for the revised system? of bus routes will be published and feedback will be sought from the public.  It is hoped that the second round of consultation will take place in September or October, and specifically be on the details of the proposed bus corridors. At this point there will be much more information about the plan than we have at the moment. More information will be published on www.busconnects.ie.