BusConnects

Last updated

BusConnects is an ongoing public transport infrastructure programme, managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA), focused on the bus networks in several cities in Ireland. Described by the NTA as intended to "improve bus services across the country", [1] as of mid-2022 the programme was in "implementation" phase in Dublin, [2] "consultation" phase in Cork, [3] with the Minister for Transport projecting similar initiatives in Galway, Limerick and Waterford. [4] Aspects of the plans proved controversial with local politicians, residents, and unions in both Dublin and Cork. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Background

A 2017 report, commissioned by the NTA and produced by US-based consulting firm Jarrett Walker + Associates (previously involved in similar projects in New Zealand), [9] set out a number of options for the redesign of Dublin's bus transport network. [10] The proposed purpose of the redesign was to improve network functionality and increase bus ridership in the Dublin area. The report noted that the existing network focused on radial routes (from the suburbs into the city centre) and had very few orbital or crossing routes (from suburb to suburb). [11] Arising from this report, an initial network proposal was released for public consultation in mid-2018. [11]

According to a press release issued by the Department of Transport in March 2022, it was noted that, while a "final budget and delivery schedule for BusConnects Dublin" had not been established, the proposed budget was then projected to be €4 billion and work speculated to "be substantially complete by 2030". [12]

Initiatives

Dublin

The BusConnects programme in Dublin was split into phases, for which the main consultation initiatives concluded in 2020. [13] The NTA began implementing the new network in stages, starting in 2021. [13] [14] These included:

During both the implementation and consultation phases, the BusConnects projects in Dublin attracted significant controversy and criticism, including from service users, [27] residents, [28] politicians, [29] and transport unions. [30] Concerns included route coverage, total journey times, allowing for route access and changes, actual performance and "no shows", property "taking" required to implement routes, and reduction in road space for existing commuter traffic. [27] Regarding the suburb of Finglas, independent Dublin City Councillor Noeleen Reilly has noted that overall, BusConnects has had an adverse effect on the area rather than providing residents with greater service. [31] Similar sentiments have been expressed in Ballyfermot. [20] [32] [33]

Cork

The consultation phase for the proposed BusConnects project in Cork was opened in 2022. [34] The published proposals attracted significant controversy and complaint from home-owners, [35] politicians, [36] [37] transport unions, [8] and other stakeholders. [38] According to reports from mid-2022, concerns were raised in particular about the proposed demolition of old stone walls, the potential for nearly 1000 properties to lose parts of their gardens through compulsory purchase orders, [39] the loss of sections of Ballybrack Woods in Douglas, [39] and the felling of 1,400 mature trees along proposed routes. [40]

Limerick

In February 2023, the National Transport Authority published a draft version of a new bus network for Limerick city. The network redesign is intended to be rolled out in 2025. [41]

Other cities

As of March 2022, the then Minister of Transport proposed "acceleration" and a rollout of BusConnects initiatives to Galway, Limerick and Waterford. [42]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Area Rapid Transit</span> Commuter rail network in Dublin, Ireland

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system is an electrified commuter rail railway network serving the coastline and city of Dublin, Ireland. The service makes up the core of Dublin's suburban railway network, stretching from Greystones, County Wicklow, in the south to Howth and Malahide in north County Dublin. The DART serves 31 stations and consists of 53 route kilometres of electrified railway, and carries in the region of 20 million passengers per year. In a similar manner to the Berlin S-Bahn, the DART blends elements of a commuter rail service and a rapid transit system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Bus</span> Public transport operator in Greater Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Bus is an Irish state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bus Éireann</span> Bus and coach operator in Ireland

Bus Éireann is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). The company's primary hub is Busáras, located in Store Street, Dublin. In 2022 it operated 229 Public Service Obligation Routes, 14 expressway routes and 8940 school transport routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Ireland</span>

Rail transport in Ireland is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luas</span> Light rail system in Dublin, Ireland

Luas is a tram system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both lines have been extended and split into different branches further out of the city. Further, since 2017 the two lines intersect and connect within Dublin city centre. The system now has 67 stations and 42.5 kilometres (26.4 mi) of revenue track, which in 2023 carried 48.2 million passengers, an increase of 24% compared to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Island</span> Island in Cork Harbour, Ireland

Great Island is an island in Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee and close to the city of Cork, Ireland. The largest town on the island is Cobh. The island's economic and social history has historically been linked to the naval, ship-building, and shipping activities in the town's environs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quality Bus Corridor</span>

Quality Bus Corridors are an initiative to give dedicated road space and traffic signal priority to buses in Dublin, Ireland in order to reduce journey times and improve service consistency. The aim of the initiative is to encourage people to change from cars to buses and thus reduce traffic congestion. The strategy requires co-ordination between the local authorities, who are responsible for the road changes required, and Dublin Bus who operate the vast majority of bus services. This co-ordination is managed by the National Transport Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport 21</span> Irish road, bus and rail infrastructure plan

Transport 21 was an Irish infrastructure plan, announced in November 2005. Its aims were to greatly expand Ireland's transport network. A cost estimate of €34 billion was attached to the plan at the time.

MetroLink is a proposed metro line for the city of Dublin. It replaces an earlier proposal called Metro North which was first recommended in the then Irish Government's 2005 Transport 21 transport plan.

DART Underground, also known as the Interconnector or DART+ Tunnel, is a proposed mainline-rail tunnel in Dublin, Ireland. First proposed in 1972, as of 2021 it was not funded or scheduled. While the Greater Dublin Transport Strategy 2016-2035 included the DART Underground as a proposed National Transport Authority project, the tunnel was not included in the National Development Plan published in 2018 or DART+ expansion plans published in August 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cork Suburban Rail</span>

The Cork Suburban Rail network serves areas in and around Cork city in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilcrohane</span> Village in County Cork, Ireland

Kilcrohane is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is the last coastal village on the Sheep's Head Peninsula after Durrus and Ahakista. Kilcrohane lies under the 'Shadow of Seefin' and is also close to Caher Mountain. The village overlooks Dunmanus Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galway railway station</span> Railway station in Ireland

Galway railway station is a railway station which serves the city of Galway in County Galway. The station itself is located in the centre of the city in Eyre Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cúil Aodha</span> Village in County Cork, Ireland

Cúil Aodha, anglicised as Coolea, is a townland and village in the Gaeltacht region of Muskerry in County Cork, Ireland. The area is near the source of the River Sullane in the Derrynasaggart Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cork (city)</span> City in County Cork, Munster, Ireland

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, third largest on the island of Ireland, and largest in the province of Munster. At the 2022 census, it had a population of 224,004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Transport Authority (Ireland)</span>

The National Transport Authority or NTA is the transport authority for Greater Dublin and the public transport licensing agency for the Republic of Ireland. It was established under the provisions of the Dublin Transport Authority Act (2008) and the Public Transport Regulation Act (2009), on 1 December 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Corridor</span> Proposed road project in Ireland

The Atlantic corridor or Atlantic motorway is a proposed road project in Ireland. The scheme, announced in 2005, was intended to link Waterford in the South-East to Letterkenny in the North-West via motorway or dual carriageway by 2015. However, in part due to the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, major sections of the roadway were delayed or cancelled.

Rena Buckley is an Irish sportswoman who played at senior level for both the Cork county ladies' football team and the Cork county camogie team. She has also represented Munster in the Gael Linn Cup and Ireland at international rules. Between 2005 and 2017 she won 18 All-Ireland winners medals, making her one of the most decorated sportspeople in Gaelic games. In 2012 she captained Cork when they won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and in 2017 she captained Cork when they won the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship. She was the first player to captain Cork to both All-Ireland senior championships. She was also named as an All Star on eleven occasions. In 2015 Buckley and her team mate and fellow dual player, Briege Corkery, were named joint winners of the 2015 The Irish Times/ Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go-Ahead Ireland</span> Irish bus operator

Go-Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Limited, known as Go-Ahead Ireland is a bus operator in Dublin that commenced trading in September 2018. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.

Since the early 2000s, a number of proposals have been made by politicians and interest groups in Cork City, Ireland to introduce a light rail system in the city. As of early 2019 it was in a period of public consultation. The proposal, which has "no definitive timeline", has been compared to the Luas light rail system in Dublin.

References

  1. "BusConnects - National Transport". nationaltransport.ie. National Transport Authority. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  2. "Dublin Network Redesign | Busconnects". busconnects.ie. National Transport Authority. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. English, Eoin (12 September 2022). "Contentious Cork BusConnects plan reducing people to tears, councillors claim". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Gataveckaite, Gabija (24 June 2021). "First journeys under €2bn BusConnects plan to begin on Sunday". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  5. "BusConnects: What is next for the controversial plan?". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  6. "Ross accused of trying to 'duck responsibility' for BusConnects plan". The Herald. Independent News & Media. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  7. "We'll listen to residents, insists NTA as more than 2,000 submissions made on BusConnects". echolive.ie. The Echo. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  8. 1 2 Capplis, Conor; English, Eoin. "Bus union leader launches scathing attack on Cork BusConnects plan". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  9. McAllen, Jessica (16 October 2018). "Lessons from down under: How not to do BusConnects". irishtimes.com. The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  10. "Dublin Area Bus Network Redesign Choices Report" (PDF). busconnects.ie. National Transport Authority. 6 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Dublin Area Bus Network Redesign Public Consultation Report: Summary (July 2018)" (PDF). Jarrett Walker + Associates . 1 July 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  12. "Press Release - Government Gives Green Light to Dublin's BusConnects". gov.ie. Department of Transport. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  13. 1 2 "BusConnects Dublin Network Redesign - Transport for Ireland". transportforireland.ie. National Transport Authority. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  14. "Dublin Area Bus Network Redesign". Jarrett Walker + Associates . Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  15. Duffy, Ronan (24 June 2021). "BusConnects: H Spine towards Howth and Malahide to begin from Sunday". TheJournal.ie . Journal Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  16. 1 2 "C-Spine launching 28th of November 2021". goaheadireland.ie. Go-Ahead Ireland. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  17. "Second Phase of new Bus Connects Network to launch". dublinbus.ie. Dublin Bus. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. "New 24-hour Service Among BusConnects Changes for Dublin's Northside from Sunday". nationaltransport.ie. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  19. "DUBLIN- NORTHERN ORBITALS". transportforireland.ie. National Transport Authority. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  20. 1 2 Donohoe, Amy (25 October 2022). "New Dublin bus route labelled 'shambolic' due to 'delays and cancelled services'". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  21. McCullagh, Tony (10 August 2022). "Latest changes to Dublin Bus network delayed over driver numbers". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  22. Kelly, Olivia (13 October 2022). "New BusConnects services begin in Dublin on Sunday". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  23. Nevin, Emma (20 September 2022). "Full details of Phase 4 BusConnects changes launching next month". dublinlive.ie.
  24. MacRedmond, David (21 June 2023). "BusConnects: Three new routes for west Dublin and east Kildare set to begin on Sunday". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  25. "PHASE 5A: W-ORBITAL". transportforireland.ie. National Transport Authority. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Phase 5b Southern Orbitals". Transport for Ireland. November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  27. 1 2 Nevin, Emma (22 September 2022). "'Serious concerns' raised about BusConnects due to spike of no-show buses in north Dublin". dublinlive.ie.
  28. McQuinn, Cormac; O'Connor, Wayne (19 September 2018). "Controversial Bus Connects plan could become as politically dangerous as water charges - Fine Gael TDs claim". independent.ie. Independent News & Media.
  29. "Shane Ross urges people to get involved in the Bus Connects consultation". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  30. Clarke, Vivienne (21 September 2018). "BusConnects designer says union is misleading public". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  31. Surve, Aakanksha (23 October 2019). "Dublin bus crisis is 'turning people away from public transport'". Dublin Live. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  32. Blaney, Amy (15 November 2022). "Dublin Bus users call for return to original routes if G-Spine issues not resolved". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  33. Dalby, Claudia (23 November 2022). "The New Bus Routes from Ballyfermot into Town Are Worse Than the Old Ones, Councillors and Commuters Say". dublininquirer.
  34. Mooney, Sarah (30 June 2022). "Public asked for views on new BusConnects routes for Cork". breakingnews.ie.
  35. English, Eoin (9 October 2022). "BusConnects plan drives a wedge between frustrated commuters and fearful homeowners". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  36. Leland, Mary (25 September 2022). "BusConnects and NTA controversial plans for Cork: unique opportunity or highways to Hell?". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  37. Loughlin, Elaine; English, Eoin (8 October 2022). "Taoiseach: Part of Cork's €600m BusConnects plan has left elderly in tears". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 28 October 2022. all seven of the city's Fianna Fáil councillors, including the Taoiseach's brother, have tabled a motion for Monday's council meeting calling for the plans to be rejected
  38. English, Eoin (10 October 2022). "'We've no intention of rushing BusConnects plan ... the aim is to get it right'". irishexaminer.com. The Irish Examiner . Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  39. 1 2 "Anger Over Proposals For Busconnects Routes In Douglas". redfm.ie. Red FM. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  40. English, Eoin (12 October 2022). "Scientist urges BusConnects Cork plan to improve on 'meagre tree planting scheme'". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  41. Sheehy, Mairead (22 February 2023). "Limerick welcomes 24-hour bus service under new network plan". The Irish Examiner . Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  42. Hosford, Paul (8 March 2022). "Eamon Ryan would like to see acceleration of €2 billion BusConnects scheme". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.