DUBLIN CITY TRANSPORT UPDATE
OnAugust 25th, the first phase of the measures in the Dublin City Transport Plan will be implemented. These changes have been diluted by Dublin City Council following consultation with business, disability and other affected groups.
Measures to ban private vehicles from sections of the North and South Quays on a 24-7 basis have now been revised to 7am-7pm with Dublin City Council announcing that a working group chaired by the Lord Mayor and including business organisations, will now be established “to monitor the impact of changes included in the transport plan”. Changes to the Pearse Street and Westland Row, Beresford Place and Custom House areas will not now be implemented until a later phase.
Provision of dedicated cycleways is positive and will enable safer cycling across the city with resulting lower congestion levels and improved air quality.
Radical plans have been adapted in favour of a gradual and balanced approach to city traffic management. This is welcome as city transport is not a binary, black and white issue and citizens’ transport needs differ during various life stages.
Local concerns about Bus Connects continue and underline that full and transparent consultation and collaboration is crucial at all stages of planning and implementation. In Terenure, Kimmage and Harold’s Cross residents have expressed various concerns
including the impact of displaced traffic due to bus gates on the Kimmage bus corridor, and a lack of safe cycle lanes on Lower Kimmage Road. Submissions on the Nutley Lane portion of the Belfield-Blackrock bus corridor concern land take, loss of parking spaces, and removal of trees.
The Templeogue-Rathfarnham Bus Connects corridor proposes a bus gate at Rathmines Road Lower which would divert all citybound non-bus traffic onto Castlewood Avenue, an already congested route. In Ranelagh, a series of proposed turning bans will add miles to local journeys, and was the subject of a public meeting where residents expressed fears for efficient local access. Traders and residents on Pembroke Road and Upper Baggot Street have made submissions questioning the use of that route for the BelfieldBlackrock bus corridor and that scheme will now be subject to Judicial Review.
I have made submissions to the NTA public consultation process, and to An Bord Pleanála and the above are just some examples of the feedback I have received from residents and business owners.
Please feel free to contact me on this or any other matter.
Yours sincerely,
Tel: 01-6183466
Email: michael.mcdowell@oireachtas.ie www.michaelmcdowell.ie
RATHMINES BUS GATE
The NTA proposes a bus gate at Lower Rathmines Road. This would entail bus and cycle traffic only being able to access the city via Rathmines, and all other traffic being funnelled down Castlewood Avenue towards the Triangle and turning left into town.
Lower Rathmines Road is a vital traffic artery from a broad swathe of south Dublin suburbs and the
diversion of this traffic will cause congestion and damage to the minor roads from Castlewood Avenue to Ranelagh.
There is no need for a bus gate on Lower Rathmines Road. The existing route from Lower Rathmines Road to South Richmond Street is more than adequate for increased bus use with proper traffic management.
Location of proposed bus gate on Lower Rathmines Road
NTA PLANS MASSIVE RESTRICTIONS FOR CARS
AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IN RANELAGH/RATHMINES
• Citybound traffic being funnelled onto Castlewood Avenue
• Extensive turning bans in Ranelagh
NTA map explains alternative routes to Donnybrook and Clonskeagh
NTA is currently seeking permission from An Bord Pleanála to radically curtail traffic movement in the Rathgar, Rathmines, and Ranelagh areas.
They want to ban all private cars from entering the city centre from Rathmines by road. They want to close off Lower Mount Pleasant Avenue to cars. All citywards car traffic from south central Dublin suburbs would have to choose between going by Harold’s Cross Road or by Ranelagh Road.
In addition, all car, lorry and van traffic would have to share a single traffic lane on Ranelagh-Ranelagh Road and no such traffic would be allowed turn right towards Donnybrook or Clonskeagh at Ranelagh, Ashfield Road
or Merton Drive. No car, lorry or van coming from Appian Way would be allowed to turn left at Sallymount Avenue or Chelmsford Lane. No car, van or lorry could follow the S2 bus route from Rathmines to Chelmsford Road/Appian Way.
The NTA has also published a map showing that in future a person driving a car, lorry or van from the Beechwood/ Palmerston Road area would only be able to travel towards Donnybrook or Clonskeagh by (i) travelling via Northbrook Road, Sussex Road, Upper Leeson Street or (ii) travelling by Dartry and Milltown, adding at least half an hour to short journeys at peak times
I have made a submission to An Bord Pleanála that these proposals should be rejected.
The Government has just published a new rail strategy which includes a surface Dart rail link from Dublin Airport to Connolly Station via Balgriffin. But it also plans to build the underground Metrolink from Swords to the city centre and Dartmouth Road, which will cost at least €11 billion and maybe as much as €20 billion according to a Dáil committee. The surface link to the airport could be built in 5 years at a cost of less than €1 billion, the Dáil Committee on transport was told. None of the Metrolink plans are either funded or approved at this point.
Does it make sense to build both Metrolink and the surface Dart link to the airport if the result is that there is no money for a major expansion of the Luas network across Dublin?
We have choices to make. But who exactly is making them?
MASSIVE RESTRICTIONS ON CARS AND COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC IN BAGGOT STREET, PEMBROKE AND BALLSBRIDGE AREAS
NTA are planning to install a bus gate restricting private and commercial traffic from entering Baggot Street from the Pembroke and Ballsbridge areas. The plan will massively reduce access to the city centre for cars and commercial traffic at Baggot Street Bridge.
Instead of using the more direct Shelbourne Road as the main route for bus transport from Ballsbridge to the
city centre, NTA plans to radically reduce access to the Baggot Street shopping precinct
Local residents and traders are challenging their plans by Judicial Review proceedings in the High Court. I addressed a recent public meeting where there was unanimous opposition to these proposals.
SANDYMOUNT RESIDENTS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY CONSULTED
The residents of Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend are facing major reduction in access to the city centre.
Dublin city transport plans will restrict residents from accessing the city centre via the Pearse Street corridor and force cars and commercial traffic to use already congested routes to travel to and through the city centre. Already the Eastlink Bridge is suffering major
peak time congestion for those who need to cross the Liffey. Restricting access through Baggot Street and Pearse Street will displace more private and commercial cross city traffic to routes that are already heavily congested.
Buses, bikes and taxis cannot fulfil the needs of many, many residents who need to access and traverse the city on a daily basis.